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Author Topic: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim  (Read 3774 times)

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Caz37

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Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim
« on: November 19, 2023, 03:10:42 pm »
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



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Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim
« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2023, 07:44:34 am »
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.
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Caz37

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Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2023, 04:02:21 pm »
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?

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Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2023, 06:22:35 am »
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.
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Caz37

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Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2023, 05:19:10 am »
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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Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2023, 12:08:38 pm »
Shocking brush off. NHBC Warranty now worthless as "Peace of Mind" for new home buyers.
Now it would appear the "policy" is just send cheques for claims and escape managing the actual works to correct defects!

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Caz37

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Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2023, 04:39:48 pm »
I responded with this.

"To whom it may concern,

I am not willing to accept a cash settlement I wish for the NHBC to rectify the defects at my property.

At no point has anyone adequately inspected the roof to ascertain the cause of the problem.
Speaking to a few roofer firms they said scaffold is required to get access to the roof to thoroughly inspect & find what the problem is before anyone can rectify the issue.
This hasn't happened. An educated guess has been given to what the problem is & that is all.
As far as I am aware I may need an entire new roof & new rafters due to how long the leak has been going on.

A repair of the roof to this property has already taken place by the NHBC and the roof is still leaking.
Which makes me question how adequate this type of roof is for the property?



NHBC response

"Thank you for your email of 08 December 2023 about your concerns over your roof.

Unfortunately, we no longer have any registered contractors on our books so our only option now is to cash settle your claim. This is the quickest way to resolve your roof issues.

I agree that with most building issues there is an element of the best educated guess to what's happened based on experience and similar issues.

However, the exact cause may not be apparent until it is fully opened up. Where there are any additional issues or the cause of the problem is different to what was considered then these are treated as unforeseen works.

Where unforeseen works are identified and it is covered under the policy, a variation order is then raised for cost of that additional work.

If you wish to obtain some quotes for a cash settlement (normally a minimum of three) for your roof repairs which can then be sent into us for consideration. If any unforeseen work should arise during the repairs, then you can submit evidence in the form of photographs etc for us to review."


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Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim
« Reply #7 on: December 26, 2023, 12:36:03 pm »
A diabolical reply from the NHBC.
The once heralded Buildmark warranty is now little more (probably at lot less) than a standard insurance policy.  It would appear that the poor new home buyer must now do all the legwork and admin and just get a cheque covering only the cost of the works!

Your first course of action is to carefully check your new home warranty policy and the wording thereof.  It may have changed since your policy was issued.
I still find it hard tp believe this is the only way the NHBC settle warranty claims.

Next up you need a drone survey of the roof. That will show any gaps in tiles, broken tiles, missing leadwork etc.

Then you need to get three quotes, all of which need to be inflated by say 20-30% to cover everything.
This is standard when you tell a trades "it's a quote for an insurance claim"

As for anyone reading this thread, it does seem the NHBC warranty policy is pretty much now useless, after the first two years!
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Caz37

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Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim
« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2024, 04:52:03 pm »
What's the timeline for moving to a ombudsman claim?

Is there a minimum wait time before I can start.

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Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim
« Reply #9 on: January 12, 2024, 12:57:22 pm »
You need to check NHOS website and the Code of Practice Conduct.
You have to have used the housebuilder's complaints procedure first and have reached a point where they have failed.

Plenty of hoopps to jump through before NHOS will accept a complaint.
Most builders are still promoting the should be defunct Consumer Code for Home Builders which has failed new home buyers for over a decade. Now revised to mirror what the New Homes Ombudsman does or was set up to do.
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