What is building cover when buying a new build home

Building Cover, or New Homes Warranty, is designed to protect new-build homes from any structural defects within the first 10 years of construction. It is essentially an insurance policy that is taken out by the builder or developer to protect you, the buyer.

NHBC

NHBC is the UK’s leading warranty and insurance provider for UK new housebuilding. Their purpose is to give homeowners confidence in the quality of new homes. They provide inspection services, guidance and training to builders, alongside contributing to all aspects of the housing agenda by engaging with the industry, the Government and key stakeholders. Protection for homeowners is provided through their range of Buildmark warranty products.

Currently insuring over 1.5 million homes, they have provided warranty for around 30% of the total existing housing stock in the UK over the course of their history. Over 10,000 builders and developers have chosen to register with NHBC every year so that they can offer the Buildmark warranty and insurance cover on the new homes they build.

Want to know more? Visit the NHBC website: nhbc.co.uk

LABC

Local Authority Building Control (LABC) represents all local authority building control teams in England and Wales.

Working with homeowners, designers, professionals in construction and manufacturers, they ensure building projects achieve the standards defined in the building regulations. Surveyors in local councils care about the long-term safety, inclusivity and performance of buildings in every community.

Want to know more? Visit the LABC website: labc.co.uk

Premier Guarantee

Premier Guarantee is one of the UK’s leading providers of structural warranties and insurance services to the housebuilding industry. Inspections are undertaken regularly throughout every stage of construction, from the design to build completion, by one of Premier Guarantee’s independent, fully qualified and experienced building surveying inspectors.

With over 2,500 housebuilders registered, and with over 20 years experience, Premier Guarantee has provided cover for over £57 billion worth of properties across the UK, Ireland and Europe with multiple offices across England and Europe.

Want to know more? Visit the Premier Guarantee website: premierguarantee.com 

Checkmate

Checkmate delivers ten and twelve year new home warranty insurance policies across a wide range of new and newly converted/refurbished homes and commercial premises throughout the UK. Checkmate utilises a bespoke, innovative and market leading online platform for the provision of these policies which allows customers access to their developments 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from anywhere in the world. Checkmate operates a consumer code in the new homes market which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.

Federation of Master Builders (FMB)

The Federation of Master Builders is the UK’s largest trade association for the construction industry. They support and promote small and medium-sized building companies – including sole traders – across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, since 1941.

Champions of quality construction work, they advocate for continuous improvement in building standards. Before members can join the FMB, they must go through a strict vetting process and independent inspection of their work, to ensure they meet the high standards expected of a Master Builder company. Not all builders pass the test.

BLP Insurance

BLP (Building LifePlans Ltd) provides housing warranty insurance and commercial development latent defects insurance underwritten by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE. We also offer lifecycle assessments and durability design assessments for offsite construction. We have been providing construction insurance since 1999. 

BLP adheres to the Consumer Code for New Homes (CCNH). Builders do not have to pay a membership fee to purchase a warranty, but rather it can be issued for a property that is already a year old, and BLP will step in to fix any defects from day one.