Almost every new home in the UK comes with a 10-year warranty — but "10-year warranty" hides the detail that matters: the first two years are completely different from the last eight, and the deadlines inside them decide whether defects get fixed for free or come out of your pocket. Here's how NHBC Buildmark and the other schemes actually work, and how to use yours.
A new-build structural warranty isn't a promise from your builder — it's an insurance policy from a third-party provider, arranged by the developer and attached to the home. The cover changes shape as the years pass:
Most warranties protect your deposit from exchange of contracts — if the builder goes bust before your home is finished, you can recover your deposit (up to policy limits) or have the home completed.
The developer is directly responsible for putting right defects caused by their failure to build to the required standard — from sticking doors and cracked tiles to plumbing and electrical faults. This is where your snag list does its work: report defects in writing as they appear, and the builder must fix them at no cost to you. Cosmetic damage usually has to be reported within about 7 days of completion.
The builder's general fixing duty ends and claims go to the warranty provider instead. Cover narrows to major structural defects — foundations, load-bearing walls, roofs, chimneys — usually with a minimum claim value. Cosmetic issues, wear and tear, and minor defects are no longer covered, which is why the two-year window matters so much.
Exact terms, excesses and minimum claim values vary between providers and policies — always check the warranty documents in your completion pack.
Your reservation paperwork or completion pack names your provider. The big names all follow the same 2 + 8 structure:
The dominant scheme, covering the majority of UK new builds. Includes deposit protection before completion, the two-year builder period, and structural insurance to year ten. NHBC also runs a free resolution service if your builder won't act during years one and two.
One of the largest alternatives to NHBC, with a similar shape: a defects insurance period covering the first two years and structural cover for years three to ten.
Run with Local Authority Building Control. Again: builder responsible for defects in the early years, structural insurance thereafter. Terms and claim routes differ slightly, so read your policy documents.
Smaller developers often use alternative providers. The 2 + 8 structure is broadly standard across the industry, but exact cover, excesses and claim processes vary — your policy booklet is the source of truth.
During the builder warranty period, any defect — cosmetic, mechanical, plumbing, electrical — is the builder's problem, at the builder's cost. From year three, only major structural failures are covered, usually above a minimum claim value. A dripping shower or a warped door that would have been fixed for free in year two becomes your bill in year three.
That's why the habit that pays for itself is simple: keep one running, photographed, dated snag list from completion day onwards, report new defects in writing as they appear, and do a final full inspection a month or two before your two-year deadline. Our room-by-room snagging checklist covers exactly what to look for.
Photograph it, date it, and note the room and what's wrong. Keep every defect on one running list rather than scattered across emails and texts — you'll need the history if things escalate.
During years one and two, the builder is your first port of call — email their customer care team with your itemised list. Under the New Homes Quality Code, registered developers should resolve snags within around 30 calendar days.
Chase in writing with your dated list attached. If a Code-registered developer still doesn't act, escalate free of charge to the New Homes Ombudsman Service. Your warranty provider's resolution service (like NHBC's) can also step in during the builder period.
For structural problems after year two, claim directly with your warranty provider using the policy number in your completion pack. Your documented history of reports — what was raised, when, and what was fixed — strengthens any claim.
Every claim route — builder, Ombudsman, warranty provider — wants the same thing: a dated, photographed, itemised defect list. SnagBoss builds it for you, room by room.
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