NHBC

What is NHBC?
NHBC is the standard setting body and leading warranty and insurance provider for new and newly converted homes in the UK. Providing risk management services to the house-building and wider construction industry, NHBC has approximately 18,000 registered builders who agree to comply with our Rules and Standards.
NHBC registers around 85% of new homes in the UK and around 1.6 million homeowners are currently benefiting from our 10 year warranty and insurance cover. NHBC has protected over 30% of the existing homes in the UK.
Established over 65 years ago as a non-profit distributing company, NHBC's primary purpose is to help raise standards in the new house-building industry and provide consumer protection for new homeowners.

Who are our customers?
NHBC's two main customers are homebuyers and registered house builders. We provide buyers of new homes with a 10 year 'Buildmark' warranty and insurance protection, and our comprehensive range of products and services assists registered builders improve the quality of new homes.

This is the Cityshape PLC charter which sets out our commitments to provide service, procedures and information at appropriate stages during the purchasing process.

• We will provide our customers with detailed information about the property to be sold (A)

• We will provide our customers with reliable information about the Buildmark Cover from the NHBC, and any other cover from which they will benefit. (B)

• We will provide our customers with health and safety advice to minimise the risk of danger during construction and of the use of the property. (C)

• We will assist our customers in request of questions, choices and options throughout the purchase process. (D)

• We will provide our customers with reliable information about the completion and occupation of the property. (E)

• Once a completion date is set we will ensure that the property is complete, the transfer of ownership takes place, and that the functions and facilities of the
property are demonstrated to our customers. (F)

• We will inform our customers clearly about the after-sales service we will provide within defined response times for a stated period after completion. Our aim will be to deal effectively both with routine service matters and with emergencies. (G)

• We will tell our customers who to contact if they believe we have not satisfactorily fulfilled our Charter commitments. (H)

A: The property to be sold
• Terms of sale including price
• Details of the home including land and communal areas, location, site layout, demarcation and boundary details
• Sketch layout plan with appropriate room sizes marked
• Summary details of the type of construction of the house
• Energy efficiency/rating of the home
• Fixtures and fittings to be included
• Type of heating and number of radiators or outlets
• Kitchen and bathroom layouts
• Summary of external works and materials
• Details of things that will not be finished before you complete the purchase, such as the road wearing course and landscaping

B: The NHBC Buildmark Cover and other warranties and guarantees
Your new home will benefit from Buildmark Cover from NHBC

Buildmark Cover gives you protection in the unlikely event of the builder’s insolvency and against the cost of repairs made necessary by damage, caused by the breach of any mandatory NHBC Requirement occurring in the third to tenth years. It also includes an obligation on the part of the builder to repair defects which appear in the first two years. It does not cover wear and tear or lack of maintenance.

The full extent of the cover provided is defined in your own Buildmark Cover document which you will receive from us from your solicitor during conveyancing. You should read it carefully and ask your solicitor to explain anything you do not understand.

A specimen Buildmark Cover document can be inspected at our sales office. You can also obtain a copy of this from the NHBC if required. NHBC can also supply a video describing the cover. You can telephone NHBC on 0845 845 6422 (or 028 9038 6000 for Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man).

C: Health and Safety
We appreciate that you may wish to loo at your home while we are building it. However, building sites are dangerous and are defined in health and safety law as ‘workplaces’. The builder is legally responsible for them and must not, by law, allow access to the general public.

Under no circumstances must you go onto the development without our prior agreement. We will make arrangements and provide any necessary protective clothing, footwear and other equipment which you must use while no our site.

On completion of your purchase we will provide you with the Health and Safety File for you home required under the construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994.

D: Communication during the purchase process
If you have any queries during the purchase process, please contact our Sales Office at telephone 020 8340 0293, who will be pleased to help you.
We will want to contact you from time to time as necessary.

E: Physical completion of the property
Once you have reserved your property, we will maintain regular contact to keep you informed of progress.

We will give you information about the completion date, which will become more definite as builders work nears completion.

We will give you at least To be confirmed (TBC) weeks notice of the legal completion date.

F: Legal completion of the property and handover
You should appoint your own solicitor and conveyancer to deal with the legal formalities of the purchase including completion, handover and occupation.

Arrangements needed, for example surveys by lending institutions and for handover and occupation, should be made by contacting our sales office, telephone 020 8340 0293.

After we have given you notice of the legal completion date, we will do the following:

Information Pack
At, or just before, handover we will give you an information pack about your home.
This will contain:
• Health and Safety information
• Product information including instructions for the central heating boiler
• Guidance on items needing service and maintenance
• An explanation of emergency procedures
• A copy of NHBC’s booklet ‘Guide to your new home’
• An explanation of NHBC Buildmark Cover, including our liabilities to you.
• Details of when the NHBC Buildmark Cover expires.

Demonstration visit
At an agreed time around completion and handover, we will offer to meet you at the property to demonstrate its functions and facilities.

This will allow us you show you how everything works and to point out important items including stop valves, the electrical consumer unit, gas valves and the central heating controls.

Handover
When your solicitor has paid the money due to us and legal completion has occurred, we will release the keys to you. Please note that, in order to safeguard your position and our own, this legal formality must take place. To avoid delay and disappointment, please ensure that your solicitor and any mortgage lender are fully aware of your timetable and arrangements.

We will arrange with you for a member of our staff to be available and ensure that your home is clean and that there is safe and clear access.

G: After-sales service
Although we hope there will be no problems after you have moved in to your new home, our commitment to you continues for (TBC) after the sale has been completed.

We will give you details of the person to contact about any emergency or service requests. We will ensure that you know what to do if you need a non-urgent service call or there is an emergency.

While we will repair defects in your home under the terms of Buildmark Cover, you are responsible for wear and tear, decorating and routine maintenance. We are not responsible for problems caused by these items.

Emergencies
By emergencies we mean a problem which is, or seems to be, immediately harmful to your property, or to health, safety and security. This excludes: anything caused by your failure to follow operating instructions or take reasonable precautions; fair wear and tear; and events such as storm damage that are outside the builder’s control and normally covered by household insurance.

Our information pack gives details of our emergency contacts and procedures. We will respond to emergency calls within (TBC) hours and, if necessary, arrange for an emergency visit.

Non-emergency service calls
Our information pack contains the telephone number and contact address for non-emergency problems.

We will respond to requests within (TBC) working days, and at an agreed time we will send someone either to do the work or inspect and decide what needs doing. In the latter case we will agree a new date within a similar timescale.

Following our inspection we will normally carry out any agreed work within (TBC) days of our visit. However, delay may occur if parts or materials are not available, or there is adverse weather, or there are other circumstances outside our control.

When we carry out repairs, we will send workmen who are used to working in occupied property. They will call at a pre-arranged time. If you are in doubt about their identity, do not let them in until you have contacted us for conformation.

We will in any case contact you after (TBC) months to arrange a warranty inspection. Unless, therefore, an item is causing you too much inconvenience, it might be preferable for you to list it for attention when we make this planned visit.

H: Mediation arrangements
If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the service you have received from us under our Charter, in the first instance please contact our Customer Service Manager at (TBC).

Cityshape PLC Customer Charter NHBC