A new home can be ready to live in and still have a list of small faults: a scratch in the glass, a door that catches, a tiled edge that is unfinished. Finding those items, writing them down, and knowing who is responsible for each kind of fault is the practical side of handover. The warranty, the developer’s after-sales promise and the building-regulations certificate are three different documents. You want all three.
Look before you complete, and again after
Ask for a pre-completion inspection while the developer can still reach the home easily, and bring a written list. Many buyers also pay an independent snagging inspector, which is worth it if you are unsure what a reasonable finish looks like. Photograph each item, note the room, and keep the email or form you sent. A conversation in the kitchen is hard to prove later.
Go back in the first days after you move in. Everyday use shows faults that an empty viewing misses: locks, windows, the shower, the heating controls. On an NHBC Buildmark policy, cosmetic damage such as a scratched window or damaged sanitaryware needs to be reported to the builder within seven days of the completion date, or that part of the builder’s responsibilities may not cover it. Other policies set their own deadlines. Read yours on the day you get the keys, not in month three.
The first two years, and the warranty after that
A common new-home warranty, such as NHBC Buildmark, splits cover into periods. In the builder warranty period, usually the first two years, you report defects to the builder and they must put right a failure to meet the warranty standard, at their cost, within a reasonable time. Keep the record that you told them during that period. If they will not, or the work is not done properly, the warranty provider may offer a resolution route once you have been through the builder’s complaints process and have a final written response.
After that builder period, the policy turns into insurance for specified problems, often structural, for the rest of a term that is frequently about ten years from the start of cover. It is not a promise to repaint scuffs or replace anything you have damaged. Different providers write different policies. Ask for the policy booklet and the start date for this plot, and check the excess and the exclusions before you assume an item is covered.
After-sales and the ombudsman
Developers registered with the New Homes Quality Board must give you an after-sales service for at least two years from completion, a written explanation of how to report a problem, and a complaints procedure. The code expects snags to be dealt with promptly. In most cases the developer should be able to settle an after-sales issue within 30 days, and if they cannot they should explain the delay and update you at least monthly.
If you reserved after the developer’s activation date on that code, and you are not satisfied after their procedure, you can refer the complaint to the New Homes Ombudsman Service. You generally have two years from reservation or completion, whichever is later, to use that route. A developer who is not on the code may belong to a different consumer code, or to none. Ask which one applies, and get the contact for customer care in the handover pack rather than from a sales number that stops answering.
The paperwork that should be in the pack
Building regulations approval is separate from the warranty. A new home needs to comply with the building regulations, and the building control body issues a completion certificate when it is satisfied the work it has inspected complies. Your solicitor should be collecting that, along with the warranty documents, the guarantees for the boiler and other kit, the EPC, and any manuals. Keep copies. They are what a buyer’s solicitor will ask for when you eventually sell.
Also keep the specification you paid for. Snagging is about defects. A missing upgrade you were charged for is a contract point, and it belongs in the same written list so it does not get lost among the scratched skirting. If something is a safety issue, a leak, or a loss of heating, report it as urgent on the day you find it and follow the emergency process in the after-sales leaflet.
What to know
- Inspect before completion, write everything down, and photograph it. Report cosmetic damage quickly, because warranty deadlines can be a matter of days.
- The builder period and the later insurance period of a warranty cover different things. Read the policy for this plot.
- A New Homes Quality Code developer owes you an after-sales service for at least two years, with a route to the New Homes Ombudsman if the complaint is not resolved.
- The building regulations completion certificate, the warranty and the EPC are separate documents. Keep all of them.
Questions to ask the developer
- Can I inspect before completion, and do you accept an independent snagging report?
- Who is the warranty provider, when does the two-year builder period end, and how do I report a defect?
- Are you registered with the New Homes Quality Board, and how do I reach after-sales?
- When will I receive the building regulations completion certificate, the warranty and the manuals?
Sources
General information only, not financial or legal advice. Rules and offers change, so check the sources and your own adviser before you rely on a figure.