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Buying a home is one of the largest investments you will make. To put your mind at ease, your home is covered by a 10-year warranty – a 2-year warranty period which covers a wide range of items, followed by 8 years of more limited insurance. This gives you the reassurance of knowing the development has been built to a high standard and that any defects will be put right.
Your solicitor will give you your warranty certificate, warranty policy and the warranty information booklet when your sale completes. Keep these safe in case you need to make a claim, or to give to a new buyer if you sell your home in the 10-year warranty period.
Check your warranty policy and the warranty provider website for more information about your policy and what it means for you. You can also ask your solicitor or visit the website for the warranty provider, such as National House Building Council (NHBC) or Premier Guarantee.
A construction defect is generally defined as: a defect in the workmanship, and/or in the materials or systems used that results in a failure of a component part of a building or structure, and causes damage to the property. Your warranty policy sets out the details of what is covered.
If you have problems with your home that are not covered by your warranty, you’re responsible for repairing these at your own cost.
It is a set period of time – usually 12 or 24 months –after your home build is finished, when the main contractor is responsible for putting right any defects in the building. At the end of this period, we attend a special inspection to check if any remaining defects have been noted and fixed.
We’ll be in touch two months before this to arrange an appointment. If any defects are found, we’ll contact you for more details. Once we’ve agreed the defects we’re responsible for, we’ll inform the contractor, make appointments with you to fix these repairs, and keep you updated.
The defect liability period might end before you move in, or shortly after. You still benefit, because we maintain and clean our homes during this period and report any defects we find.
Your home has other warranties too, for things such as appliances. We’ll talk to you about these during your Home Demonstration and make sure you understand what you need to do to start them or to keep them valid. Please note as a homeowner, you will be responsible for the maintenance of your appliances such as servicing your boiler annually.