Start with your own Buildmark policy
NHBC provides warranty and insurance cover for newly built or converted homes. Buildmark typically combines pre-completion insolvency protection, a builder warranty and later insurance cover. It is a contractual product, not a government guarantee that every defect will be repaired. Other providers and NHBC products have different terms. See NHBC's Buildmark overview (opens in a new tab).
Find your certificate, policy schedule and the booklet for your home's registration date. Check the start and expiry dates, exclusions and endorsements. NHBC’s current document list (opens in a new tab) pairs the April 2025 booklet with CB and CC policies. Its 2026 product summary covers CC plots registered from 1 April 2026. These documents do not replace older policy terms. Cover requires policy activation and issued documents. Use NHBC's policy-document guidance (opens in a new tab) and the 2026 product summary (opens in a new tab).
Checked on 8 October 2026. This guide summarises the provider's terms; your policy controls your claim. Separate statutory or contractual claims need advice for your UK jurisdiction.
Understand the cover periods
The builder warranty: usually the first two years
Report defects to the builder in writing during the builder warranty period. The warranty concerns failures to meet NHBC requirements, subject to the policy's scope and exclusions. NHBC's Resolution Service and guarantee may help if the builder does not meet its obligations; this is not an automatic acceptance of every complaint. See NHBC's first-period guidance (opens in a new tab).
The insurance period: usually years three to ten
The later insurance covers specified damage caused by defects in specified parts of the home. It is narrower than a general promise to fix poor workmanship. NHBC says the damage or issue must occur and be reported during this cover period. Do not wait for a builder's reply while your insurance deadline expires. See NHBC's insurance-period guidance (opens in a new tab).
Check special deadlines and shared parts
Under the April 2025 Buildmark edition, shared parts have a three-year builder warranty. It starts on the later of the first home’s completion date (as defined in the policy) and NHBC issuing its warranty release confirmation for that first home sharing the parts. That edition excludes cosmetic damage reported more than seven days after completion. Clause 2.2.4 requires a Resolution Service request as soon as reasonably possible during the builder warranty, and no later than three years after it ends. The three-year outer limit is not permission to wait. You must still notify the builder of the defect during its warranty. Follow the builder's complaints procedure and the policy's request conditions. Check sections 2 and 3 and the general conditions on page 31 of the 2025 policy booklet (opens in a new tab) and your own edition before relying on them.
Check the defect, damage and exclusions
A defect in foundations, walls or a roof does not establish cover on its own. Identify the insured part, the damage, the relevant NHBC requirement and the applicable policy section. The 2026 product summary excludes wear and tear, accidental damage and damage caused by fire or severe weather; it also warns of financial limits and general exclusions. Buildmark does not replace ordinary home insurance. Read the 2026 product summary (opens in a new tab) alongside your full terms.
The 2025 booklet has specific exclusions for cosmetic damage during the later insurance period and for certain roof-covering damage where water is not entering the home. Gardens, outbuildings and shared parts also need their own policy checks. Ask NHBC to identify the exact clause if it declines a claim. See the 2025 booklet's definitions, exclusions and section 3 (opens in a new tab).
A minimum claim value is not an excess
For relevant insurance claims, NHBC uses a minimum claim value (MCV). The threshold uses NHBC's cost of repair, not your contractor's quotation. At or above the threshold, NHBC pays reasonable covered costs or arranges the work, subject to policy limits. It does not deduct the MCV as an excess. Below the threshold, it will not pay or carry out the repair. Use the amount and calculation that apply to your policy; do not assume one published figure covers every home. See NHBC's claims guidance (opens in a new tab).
Shared-part claims have additional allocation and threshold rules. Ask NHBC to confirm the relevant homes, policy periods and applicable threshold before commissioning work. The policy's section 3.1.4 explains the shared-part calculation for the April 2025 edition (opens in a new tab).
Prepare and submit the claim
- Record the problem, when you noticed it and its effect. Keep dated photographs and the original files.
- Keep the policy documents, builder correspondence, inspection reports and a short chronology.
- During the builder warranty, report to the builder and retain proof. Ask NHBC about resolution if it remains unresolved.
- During the insurance period, notify NHBC promptly through its claims route and obtain a claim reference.
- For shared parts, coordinate with the managing agent or other responsible representative and record who will follow up.
NHBC asks for the policy number, details of the issue, supporting documents and photographs where available. It may need the managing agent's details for shared-part problems. Use its claim or Resolution Service entry point (opens in a new tab). Ask what inspections or authorisation it needs before arranging permanent repairs, and request written confirmation of the next step. A reported claim is not confirmation of cover.
If you disagree with NHBC
Ask for the decision, policy clause and supporting reasons in writing. Explain the outcome you seek and use the relevant complaints procedure. NHBC has separate routes for insurance products, its Resolution Service and Building Control. Building Control complaints cannot go to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), and Resolution Service complaints are not usually within its remit. Certain guarantee-related circumstances may be. See NHBC's complaint routes (opens in a new tab).
For an eligible insurance complaint, you can normally approach FOS after NHBC's final response or after eight weeks without one. The usual referral deadline is six months from the final response. Check the rights and deadline in that letter; do not assume every dispute with a builder is an insurance complaint. See NHBC's insurance complaints procedure (opens in a new tab) and FOS guidance on building warranties (opens in a new tab).
A warranty rejection does not answer whether you have a separate claim against the builder. Take advice on the contract, defect and relevant jurisdiction before a legal deadline expires. Avoid treating an ongoing complaint as an extension of a court or policy deadline.