Advice on buying a brand new home > General discussion

New Build Warranty

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whammer:
I'm looking at buying a new build.
Looking at the literature and speaking to the salesperson, I was told that the house would be covered by a 10-year NHBC warranty.
However, upon investigating some more it would appear the warranty is actually provided by Premier Warranty.
Surely they can't say it's an NHBC one when it's not, or am I missing something?

Regards,

Colin

New Home Expert:
No, you are most definitely NOT "missing" anything!

Whoever the house builder is (please name and shame as a warning to others!) they cannot mislead and give false information (knowingly or by mistake).
Not only does this breach the requirements of their own Consumer Code for Home Builders it is also against the law! Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008.

A business is carrying out a "misleading action" if information it gives "in anyway deceives or is likely to deceive the average consumer"
Please report this house builder to your local Trading Standards Office.

My advice is to run a mile. 
The fact that they are knowingly lying to you now, does not bode well.
The Premier Guarantee is, in my opinion, a very poor imitation of the NHBC Buildmark warranty.
In fact I would question why the builder is not offering an NHBC Warranty.  Is he even on the NHBC's register?

Anyone buying a new home should only do so if it has an NHBC Buildmark Warranty.

whammer:
Thanks for the reply.
I have discovered the source of the problem.
The current company took over the site after the previous one went under, having partially completed a terraced row.
As the previous company had used Premier Guarantee during the build, the decision was made to continue with them but only for those particular houses.
The rest of the development, indeed the rest of all their developments are covered by NHBC warranties.
I have phoned their head office and point out the error on the document I received, they agreed that it should already have been withdrawn as the terraced homes had now all been sold.
I am local to the development, and that explanation sounds perfectly plausible to me.

Thoughts? 

New Home Expert:
On the face of it this would seem a plausible and reasonable explanation.
It still leaves you with what I consider a sub standard warranty though.

Perhaps you should get your solicitor to ensure that your warranty, whilst with Premier Guarantee, is a like for like policy with the NHBC Buildmark warranty, even if the standard Premier warranty is, as I suspect, not as good.

And through error or not, you have been misled by the builder.
Some from of compensation would be warranted, even if it is only turfing your rear garden for free.

whammer:
Thanks for your reply.

I'm not sure I made it clear in my previous post, but all of the previously started houses are now sold. (with a Premier Guarantee warranty)
The rest of the development including the house I'm interested in have NHBC cover.

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