For New Home Buyers

As part of the New Homes Quality Code (NHQC) (where the new home you are buying has the benefit of this code), as well as some of the other industry consumer codes, you have the right to arrange at your cost an independent snagging inspection of the new home shortly prior to legal completion. We can help arrange this inspection for you, explain anything in the report which you don't understand and provide you with a service to manage any remedial works required following the inspection. These works do not have to be completed prior to your move in date and therefore is it likely that some works will be completed after you have moved into your new home. The protection from a consumer code is different and separate to any new home warranty.  

Most new home warranty insurance policies operate an initial two year period (from the date of the first purchase of the home) where any damage and/or defects should be reported to the developer of the new home. The developer has a clearly defined liability, under the terms of the insurance policy, to remedy certain issues which may arise. We can help you to understand what is their responsibility and what items/issues will be your responsibility as owner of the property. Should the issue be more serious or you have a number of issues requiring remedy we can provide you with a service to manage the remedial works and ensure that, as far as is practical, they are completed in a timely manner and to the required standard. The new home warranty is separate to a consumer code and each provide limited protection for different aspects of the new home and sales process.   

New home warranty policies are a type of insurance product and sometimes rely on more than one linked cause and effect to enable a claim to be deemed valid. They usually need to be read in conjunction with a set of building technology standards and/or regulations. These standards and regulations are not always easy to understand without the right qualifications or experience. We can interpret your policy for you in relation to the potential claim you may have and help you understand if it likely to be covered by the insurance; or if it maybe covered under the terms of any consumer code which applies to your new home.  

Should you require assistance in accurately submitting a claim to the underwriter of your new home warranty policy we can help you prepare and complete any claim form correctly and accurately. You can instruct the insurer to liaise with us on your behalf, in dealing with them on any ongoing discussions and information requests, as well as arranging and managing any remedial works, which may be covered under the insurance policy. Any claims under a consumer code will be different even where the consumer code is operated by the new home warranty provider.

There are several different consumer codes in the new home building sector and whilst the vast majority of new homes are covered by one or other, not all homes will have the benefit of a consumer code. This is because belonging to a consumer code is not mandatory at the present time. Therefore you will first need to establish if the new home you are purchasing is covered by a consumer code and if so, which one.

The main consumer codes, in no particular order, are:

• Consumer Code for Home Builders (CCHB) - the longest established code which currently represents the largest share of the new homes market.
• Consumer Code for New Homes (CCNH) - a more recent code which represents several of the smaller warranty providers.
• New Homes Quality Code (NHQC) - the recently set up code which aims to be the only consumer code in the new homes sector in the future and has the involvement of Government Ministers and the support of the Home Builders Federation (HBF). 

Most consumer codes are affiliated to one or more of the new home warranty providers and representatives from the warranty providers are usually on the board of that consumer code. The NHQC is different as it is independent from the warranty providers and is operated by the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB), details of the board can be found here: https://www.nhqb.org.uk/who-are-we/the-board.html

The NHQC has appointed the New Homes Ombudsman Service (NHOS) to complete independent assessments of any claims under the NHQC, instead of dispute resolution services which are more widely used. You can find more about the NHOS via their website:  https://www.nhos.org.uk 

Paul Cooper was involved in the development of the first consumer code to be assessed by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) and which achieved "Approved Code" status. More recently he was part of the working group, Chaired by the Home Builders Federation (HBF), which developed NHQC. He formed part of a separate working group chaired by the Residential Property Surveyors Association (RPSA) to develop a set of industry adopted "Snagging standards" which have been largely incorporated in to the NHQC. Many of the RPSA members offer the pre-completion snagging inspections which are mandated for within the NHQC. Details of the RPSA and their members can be found on their website: https://www.rpsa.org.uk

Using this experience we can help you to prepare a claim under a consumer code and explain any decision made by a dispute resolution or ombudsman service.