A new build needs less work than an older home, but it comes with deadlines that are easy to miss. In the first two years, your builder is responsible for putting right most defects you report. After that, the warranty narrows to the structure. This guide covers snagging, how your warranty works year by year and the upkeep a new home still needs.
This guide is general information. Your own warranty and builder's terms set out what applies to your home.
A snag is a small defect or unfinished job, such as a door that sticks, a cracked tile, missing sealant or a poor paint finish. Many buyers make a snagging list in their first few weeks, either themselves or with an independent snagging inspector.
If your builder is registered under the New Homes Quality Code, the Code's guidance says the home should be checked before completion and that you should get an after-sales service for two years after completion. Under that guidance, the builder should acknowledge a snag as soon as you report it, tell you within two days what happens next and aim to fix defects within 30 days.
However your builder works:
Most new homes come with a 10-year warranty. NHBC's Buildmark is the most common, and this is how it works. Other warranty providers have their own terms, so check your policy documents.
| Period | What Buildmark does |
|---|---|
| Exchange to completion | Protects your deposit, or extra costs, if the builder becomes insolvent |
| Years 1 and 2 (the builder warranty period) | The builder must put right defects you report that breach NHBC's requirements, and NHBC backs this |
| Years 3 to 10 (the insurance period) | Covers the cost of repairing damage caused by defects in specific parts of the home listed in the policy, such as the foundations. A minimum claim value applies |
Protects your deposit, or extra costs, if the builder becomes insolvent
The builder must put right defects you report that breach NHBC's requirements, and NHBC backs this
Covers the cost of repairing damage caused by defects in specific parts of the home listed in the policy, such as the foundations. A minimum claim value applies
What's not covered.Buildmark excludes gradual deterioration, wear and tear, neglect and failure to carry out appropriate maintenance. It also doesn't cover alterations or extensions made after NHBC's final inspection, or anything covered by your home insurance or another warranty, such as a boiler warranty.
Your first few weeks: make your snagging list and send it to the builder.
About 12 months after completion: the boiler's first yearly service. Many boiler warranties require a yearly service.
A few months before the two-year anniversary of completion: walk round the home and report anything still wrong while the builder is responsible.
When you get each appliance guarantee: register the boiler and appliances with their manufacturers if they ask you to.
Year 10: the warranty ends.
Home+ can hold every one of these dates and remind you a week before each comes round. See the maintenance schedule.
Use the builder's complaints process first, in writing.
If your builder is registered with the New Homes Ombudsman Service and your home was reserved after they registered, you can refer the complaint to the Ombudsman. You can do this once you have the builder’s final response, or once 56 days have passed since you first complained. The issue must have come up within two years of your reservation or completion date, whichever is later. You then have 12 months from the builder’s final response to refer it.
Otherwise, use the consumer code your builder follows, such as the Consumer Code for Home Builders, or contact your warranty provider.
You'll be handed a lot of paperwork with a new build: the warranty certificate, the building regulations completion certificate, the EPC, appliance manuals and guarantees. Your snagging emails will build up too. Store them all in the Home+ document vault, and you'll find them in seconds when you need to make a claim or sell.
Sign up freeCreate your free Home+ account and set reminders for your snagging deadline, boiler service and warranty dates.