How to Make an NHBC Buildmark Warranty Claim: Stage by Stage Guide

Understanding What NHBC Buildmark Covers

NHBC Buildmark is the UK's most widely used new build warranty and insurance scheme. It covers the vast majority of new homes registered in England, Wales, and Scotland — roughly 80% of new builds — with the remainder covered by alternative providers including LABC Warranty, Premier Guarantee, Checkmate, and ARK (Advantage Residential Kahuna).

Buildmark is not simply a guarantee from your developer. It has three distinct components that operate in sequence over a ten-year period, and understanding which component applies to your situation determines how you pursue a claim.

The **deposit protection period** runs from exchange of contracts to legal completion. If your developer becomes insolvent after you have paid a deposit but before you complete, NHBC will refund your deposit (up to certain limits, currently the lower of the deposit paid or 10% of the purchase price, subject to a maximum of £100,000).

The **builder warranty period** covers the first two years after legal completion. During this window, your developer — not NHBC — is responsible for remedying defects that do not meet the NHBC Technical Standards. NHBC acts as a backstop: if the developer refuses to repair a valid defect or goes out of business, NHBC steps in and funds the work itself.

The **structural and physical damage insurance period** runs from years three to ten. From year three onwards, NHBC covers you directly for major structural defects and physical damage to the load-bearing structure, including foundations, floors, walls, roof structure, and staircases. Cosmetic defects, normal wear and tear, and routine maintenance items are not covered after year two.

Years One to Two: Making a Builder Warranty Claim

In the first two years, your first step is always to contact your developer's customer care team in writing. Email is preferable to telephone because it creates a timestamped record. Include:

• Your property address and NHBC registration number (on your Buildmark policy documents)
• A numbered list of defects, each with a description and a dated photograph
• A reasonable deadline for response — 14 days is standard for acknowledgement, 30 days for a repair plan on non-urgent items

The developer should respond with a schedule of works. Keep a log of every promised repair date and whether the repair was completed on time and to a satisfactory standard. If a repair is done poorly, reject it formally in writing and request a re-inspection.

If the developer fails to respond, disputes your defect, or goes into administration, escalate to NHBC's Resolution Service. You can register a dispute online at nhbc.co.uk or by calling NHBC directly. An NHBC inspector will visit the property, assess the defect against the Technical Standards, and issue a written determination. If the defect is upheld, NHBC will direct the builder to repair it or, if the builder cannot, fund the repair itself from the insurance element of the scheme.

Years Three to Ten: Structural Insurance Claims

From year three, you deal directly with NHBC as your insurer. You no longer have any route back to the developer. The threshold for a claim is higher: NHBC will only cover "physical damage to or failure of a load-bearing part of the home" caused by a defect in the design, workmanship, or materials that existed at the time of construction.

Common year three to ten claims include foundation movement causing cracking to brickwork or internal plasterwork, roof structure failure, and serious water ingress through the building envelope. NHBC will not cover damage caused by the homeowner's failure to carry out routine maintenance, storm damage, or accidental damage.

To make a structural claim, contact NHBC's claims team and provide your policy number, a description of the damage, photographs, and any relevant maintenance history. NHBC will appoint an independent surveyor to assess the claim. If upheld, NHBC manages and funds the repair using approved contractors.

**Document everything in advance.** Storing annual photographs of walls, foundations, and roof in your Property Passport UK new build passport means that if a structural crack appears in year seven, you have photographic evidence showing when it first appeared and how it has progressed — which can be decisive in a disputed claim.

Alternative Warranty Providers: LABC and Premier Guarantee

If your home is not covered by NHBC, the most common alternatives are LABC Warranty and Premier Guarantee (now underwritten by Stonebridge International). Both follow broadly the same two-year builder / ten-year structural structure as Buildmark, with some differences in Technical Standards and claims handling.

LABC Warranty is issued by Local Authority Building Control and is considered broadly equivalent to NHBC. Premier Guarantee has a more variable reputation for claims handling speed, and holders of Premier Guarantee policies should read their policy documents carefully to understand the excess that applies (typically £250 to £1,000 on structural claims).

When buying a new build — or a second-hand property still within its warranty period — always verify which warranty scheme applies, confirm the policy is transferable to you as the incoming buyer, and check how many years of coverage remain. Store the full policy documentation in your Property Passport UK new build file so you and any future buyer can access it instantly.

Common Reasons Claims Are Rejected and How to Avoid Them

NHBC and other warranty providers reject claims for several predictable reasons. The most common are: the defect arose from the homeowner's own works or modifications; the damage results from a failure to maintain the property (e.g. blocked gutters causing water ingress); the defect was known at the time of purchase and was not in the warranty scope; or the claim is made outside the relevant coverage period.

To protect your position: never carry out structural modifications without appropriate consents; keep maintenance records; submit defects formally and in writing within the warranty period; and retain all original purchase and warranty documentation. Gaps in the paper trail give warranty providers grounds to dispute otherwise valid claims.