NHBC

Why do I need a survey if the house is brand new?

NHBC is the standard setting body and leading warranty and insurance provider for new and newly-converted homes in the UK. They register around 85% of new homes in the UK and around 1.6 million homeowners currently benefit from their 10-year warranty and insurance cover.

Established in 1936 as a non-profit distributing company NHBC’s primary purpose is to help raise standards in the house-building industry and provide consumer protection for new homeowners.

Unfortunately the NHBC inspector only visits a property around nine times when it is being built and this can result in many defects being hidden between visits the final visit can also be undertaken (on warranty-only schemes) prior to the decoration works. The quality of the finish is therefore left to the builder to decide.

Sherwood Surveyors has a Chartered Building Surveyor who has worked with the NHBC undertaking Section 3 Investigations (after the build is completed and homeowners are living in the property). We therefore have the technical knowledge and experience of NHBC procedures and policy and also a good working knowledge of the requirements set out in the NHBC Standards.

Section 3 Investigations

If a homeowner reports a concern to NHBC within Years 3-10 of the BuildMark Warranty NHBC will normally send out one of their inspectors. The inspector is often met by a representative from the builder. The purpose of the visit is to enable the inspector to decide if a claim is valid and if either the builder or NHBC will fund the works to rectify the defect/damage.

Unfortunately NHBC have guidelines they have to follow which can mean that even if there is a defect at the property and it is the builder’s fault the repair of the damage may not be covered under the policy. If a number of defects are reported and they fail under the guidelines for ‘minimum claim value’ the homeowner can often find themselves paying thousands of pounds to rectify damage in their new home.

Sherwood Surveyors would be happy to provide expertise advise on your NHBC concerns we can prepare a case ready for the meeting by the NHBC inspector and even attend the meeting if required. We will aim to help you get your home to the standard that you should expect in a newly built home.

If you would like independent, professional and expert advice do not hesitate to contact Sherwood Surveyors by email or call us today on 01909 512 149 or 07530 291 367 to speak to us about any worries or concerns about your new build home.  Give us a call today.