Advice on buying a brand new home > NHBC Warranty

Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim

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Caz37:
So NHBC have accepted my claim for a leaking roof back in February 2023.

Said they have contacted the builders who sent round the original roofers who inspected from inside the attic.

Nothing has happened since.

No one has actually been on the roof removing tiles to have a truly good idea what the problem is.

The NHBC is guessing what the problem is.
Sagging eaves trays and/or inadequate felt overlap.

They have offered a cash settlement of £2,500 which I am worried won't be enough so didn't accept.

I live in a 3-storey town house so feel scaffold alone may be £1,000.

I am struggling to get any roofers out to even give quotes so that I have a ballpark figure to go back to the NHBC with.

I'm at a loss as to what to do ATM.

Do I chase NHBC?

Do I try chasing the roofers/builders?

Thanks

New Home Expert:
Do not accept any cash settlement from the NHBC.

Instruct the NHBC in writing to arrange for the works to be carried out.
Everyone (housebuilder/Roofer and now the NHBC) is avoiding the cost of a scaffold in the hope you will accept cash and go away.

You are correct, the £2,500 may not even cover the cost of scaffolding and re roofing could be as much as £10,000-£15,000.

Caz37:
Thanks for the response.

I was talking to someone else in the estate who has similar issues & apparently the NHBC said if they don't accept the payment then there's nothing else that can be done as the NHBC has agreed to settle but he would be refusing to accept the payment. Essentially the NHBC has fulfilled their obligations.
My 10 year warranty has run out but the problems started within the cover period & were accepted.

Wondering if that is also going to cause any issues?

New Home Expert:
I don't believe that a cash offer from the NHBC even if refused fulfils their obligations under the warranty.
They can offer it, but under the warranty the obligation is to rectify defects covered by the warranty, not pay-off claimants. 

That said many new home buyers do take the NHBC money, especially when it is minor defect for example, unsightly poor workmanship brickwork, where the buyer takes the £2,500 and has the money and lives with the brickwork.

The warranty lasts until rectified, if the defects are notified before the warranty period expires.
This means that even if the defects are addressed and not done properly, the NHBC still on the hook.
But, be aware they can play the "it's a maintenance issue"  "storm damage" "erosion" "normal wear and tear"  to avoid paying out!

At the end of the day you can complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Services as NHBC warranty is insurance.
But the FOS take a long time, with first an assessor who after six months, will try and fob you of with a few hundred and you then insist on an actual ombudsman which will be 3 months before they even allocate it to an Ombudsman and another 3 months before they reach a decision.
I know this, as I am a year into this process with a complaint about Nationwide Building Society.

Caz37:
Update.

This was their reply

"Thank you for your email of 23 November 2023 about no corespondence from the builder since our joint visit

As the original builder has failed to contact, we will take back the claim our policy is to cash settle

If you want to you can obtain quotes for the necessary repairs to your roof and send them to us for a review.

In the meantime, I will send you a cash offer with Schedule of Works for consideration based on what we believe repairs involve

Contact us

If you need any more information, you can reach us on 0800 035 6422.

You can send an email to mycase@nhbc.co.uk. Make sure you include the NHBC reference in the subject field so that your email is directed to the right case file Alternatively, you can write to NHBC Claims, NHBC House. Davy Avenue. Know Knowihil, Miter Milton Keynes, MKS REP"

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