The examples below describe published products, not a guarantee that every project has equivalent cover. [1] [2]
Start with the contractor’s promise
Ask what the contractor guarantees, who can enforce it, how a defect must be reported and whether cover transfers when the property is sold. Keep those terms separate from statutory consumer rights: a promise described as a guarantee is not the only possible remedy for services that were not carried out with reasonable care and skill. [3] [4]
A workmanship promise from the trading business also needs to be distinguished from an insurance policy issued for the installation. Request the actual document rather than assuming a trade-association logo means every guarantee is insured.
Check the insurance-backed guarantee trigger
Installsure describes insurance-backed guarantees intended to support specified installer guarantees if the installer ceases trading. That is not the same as insurance paying whenever a customer and a still-trading installer disagree. The installation, policy conditions and relevant trading-failure trigger must be checked. [1]
Ask for confirmation that the policy was actually issued for your address and work. Record the claim contact and notification requirements. Do not settle for a statement that the contractor is eligible to offer cover if no certificate for your installation has been provided.
Understand structural warranty cover
NHBC’s Buildmark is a specific example: its published cover combines a two-year builder warranty and NHBC guarantee with eight further years of insurance for defined defects or damage. It is not ten years of cover for every possible problem. NHBC expressly excludes later alterations such as extensions and loft conversions undertaken after its final inspection. [2]
For any product, ask what is covered before completion, what changes after handover, what limits or excesses apply and which defects are excluded. A structural warranty should not be confused with the builder’s public liability insurance or your normal buildings policy. [5] [6]
Keep the statutory framework separate
Section 144 of the Building Safety Act 2022 contains a new-build warranty framework, including provision for regulations requiring at least 15 years of insurance. The published commencement annotation records commencement for specified purposes on 6 April 2023. This does not establish that every current building project automatically has a 15-year policy. [7]
Retain the policy actually issued and obtain advice on its suitability for the transaction. Check the statutory framework's operative commencement and implementing requirements before assuming that it imposes a universal warranty requirement.