IT IS worrying that developer David Wilson Homes did not obtain completion certificates for newly-built homes in Carterton.

The certificates prove that the houses have been inspected by building control experts and meet regulations.

Without them, residents are unable to re-sell their house without having inspectors in to make the necessary checks.

Another cause for concern is the fact that David Wilson Homes seems not to know how many houses lack certificates.

West Oxfordshire District Council has been forced to step in to inspect the houses.

The council and residents are now turning up a catalogue of problems that should have been spotted and dealt with when the homes were completed.

These range from chimneys moving and leaking roofs to gates not being fitted correctly and plumbing rattling.

These should have been corrected before sales were completed and people moved into the houses.

Houses are the largest purchase of most people’s lives and, especially with new homes, they should expect to get a quality product.

David Wilson Homes has failed some of its customers in Shilton Park and needs to act quickly to fix the homes and restore confidence.

But other developers also need to learn from this situation. Thousands of new homes are set to be built in West Oxfordshire in the next decade, including hundreds across sites in Carterton and Witney.

People cannot be allowed to have concerns or doubts about these houses.