NHBC Anmeldelser 507

My husband and I moved into our home in June 2020. Shortly after moving in we noticed that the tiles were coming away from the walls in the en-suite, main bathroom and cloakroom. We contacted the NHBC immediately because the Property Developer Paramount 2012 ( Darryl Powell ) carried out substandard remedial work. In February 2022, the NHBC finally sent an inspector to access the issues. He agreed that the walls were not bonded and the tiling was not installed correctly. At the sometime, we discovered that the cloak room had not been boarded !!! Once again, I was referred back to Darryl Powell who did not agree to the NHBC report. Finally the NHBC agreed to take on the remedial work. The remedial work was completed on the 17th May 2023 nearly three years from my initial complaint. We have since been offered £400 compensation. This amount is an insult !! I have cancelled family occasions, re arranged my diary to suit. My husband has taken days off work. Constant visits from workman. My house has been in constant chaos !
Come on NHBC !!!! your guarantee is not worth the paper it is written on !!!

Absolutely useless. We had a legitimate claim backed up with evidence and they failed to acknowledge anything we said. Hand in glove with the building contractors we think. We spent hours and hours liaising with them to no avail. Emails they said they didn’t receive when we had confirmation from various staff but they refused to admit it. Even went to the Ombudsman but they backed up the NHBC. It’s all a club. Good luck to anyone who tries to claim but be prepared to waste time you’ll never get back. Can’t even reply to them when they email you.

As a small business the NHBC are now wanting to charge me in the region of £30k to retest a product that we have been supplying to housing companies for years. This could in fact put me out of business. As a small family run business i cannot afford this. They do not care and so all small business owners will not exist as only the large commercial businesses can cover the costs. Thanks for thinking out us!! I cant even find help ie grants to help me with this cost so that i can keep supplying to sites.

Given the reviews here, I was expecting to have to fight tooth and nail to get the render repaired on our house. However, everyone I have dealt with so far have been excellent. Paul Rushton investigated the claim swiftly and was clear in explaining next steps and was very helpful in general. The contractors who carried out the work were arranged quickly and carried out the work efficiently. No complaints on my end!

I have no words to describe the frustration we have with NHBC. We live in a new build - one of two identical houses constructed at the same time, both with the same, identical damp problem. The claim for our neighbours has been open 2 years and for us for 10 months (the problem was visible until later in our house).
STILL we don't have a plan or timeline and the response times are utterly appalling. I am at my wits end living in house with damp air and mould crawling up the walls.
Clearly we are not the customer (the builder is) so they are not acting in our interests but if I could give them 0 out of 5 I would. If you are a building company I encourage you to insure your new build with anyone other than NHBC if you care about the home owner's peace of mind.

We contacted NHBC over 18 months ago now
to carry out repair work to my shared drive.
The said they needed permission to gain access to the drive by all the residents even though we have other contractors coming on to the shared drive who are not asking me for permission.
Is obvious that NHBC don’t want anything to do with my claim.
I am not surprised to read the appalling reviews that NHBC have received and they clearly need investing.

Redrow and NHBC are absolutely useless.. raised a claim 18 months ago and yet one winter and copious amount of rain water later I am still mopping up water in our bedroom. Redrow promised to fix it as it was a construction issue when the house was built. But I see no end in sight as Redrow have stopped replying to emails and NHBC aren’t interested after their incorrect assessment back in April 2022…. Absolutely disgusted with their service

Still no response from NHBC…. Still no reply to my complaints email…. They new build guarantee isn’t worth the paper it’s written on based on these jokers!

As a homeowner who has recently gone through the NHBC inspection process, also known as the CML (Council of Mortgage Lenders) process, I am compelled to share my deeply frustrating experience and express my dissatisfaction with this system. In theory, the NHBC is supposed to act as an independent body to ensure that builders adhere to quality standards, providing peace of mind for homeowners. However, my encounters with the CML process have revealed a stark reality: the NHBC is a self-serving organisation, serving the interests of builders while leaving homeowners high and dry.

One of the most concerning aspects of the NHBC inspection process is its funding structure. Builders pay fees to be registered with the NHBC, creating an inherent conflict of interest. By relying on builder funding, the NHBC becomes beholden to these companies, compromising its ability to act in the best interests of homeowners. It is a system that is fundamentally flawed, prioritising the financial well-being of builders over the protection of consumers.

Furthermore, the supposed independence of the NHBC is called into question when observing their approach to inspections. Despite claims of thoroughness and stringent evaluation, the reality is far from it. During the CML process, the inspections conducted by NHBC inspectors seemed cursory at best, with little attention to detail or genuine concern for quality. They appeared more interested in ticking boxes and ensuring the project meets minimum legal requirements rather than upholding high standards.

Even when issues were identified during inspections, the NHBC's response was lackluster. Instead of holding builders accountable for shoddy workmanship or construction defects, the NHBC seemed more inclined to protect the builders' reputation, often dismissing homeowner complaints or downplaying the severity of the problems. This dismissive attitude further reinforced the perception that the NHBC is primarily interested in preserving the interests of the builders who fund them, rather than supporting the homeowners who rely on their oversight.

The lack of transparency in the NHBC inspection process is equally frustrating. Homeowners are left in the dark about the details of inspections, often receiving vague reports that fail to provide a clear understanding of the issues found. This opacity only exacerbates the feeling of powerlessness and erodes the trust that should be inherent in such a process.

In conclusion, the NHBC inspection process, known as the CML, is a disheartening exercise that falls far short of its intended purpose. With its funding structure tied to builders and a clear bias towards their interests, the NHBC fails to serve the people who put their trust in the process. The lackluster inspections, dismissive responses to homeowner concerns, and overall lack of transparency all contribute to an overwhelming sense of betrayal. If the NHBC truly seeks to rebuild its credibility, it must undergo a complete overhaul, becoming an independent, consumer-focused organisation that prioritises homeowners' interests above all else. Until then, homeowners should approach the NHBC inspection process with caution and scepticism.

Utterly useless and obstructive. They couldn't be more unhelpful. They and your builder (who funds the NHBC) are trying every delaying tactic possible to put you off, wear you down and make you give up. Quite despicable and a national scandal - it's not surprising new build homes are held in contempt even by those who build them.

We have issues with external windowsills falling back into our house, drip tray must be full as pool of water just sits there, reported within a week f moving in— TW wouldn’t do anything, went to NHBC as we don’t have a leak YET, then they won’t do a thing, him and the customer service manager found it highly amusing.
NHBC get paid by these companies, so they won’t bite the hand that feeds them….
They’re probably allocated x amount per month that they will help the home owner…
NHBC are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Time for all to go to those to get answers as to why the NHBC warranty isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, within tolerance is not an answer!
We are still fighting with TW with more issues.

My 10 year NHBC warranty (for warranty read worthless bit of paper) is about to expire in a couple of months. In that time I have made four claims, the last just a week ago for a roof problem. Claim 1…no, not covered. Claim 2…no, not covered. Claim 3…no, not covered. Claim 4…no, not covered. It would appear the people they employ to come up with a reason why claims are not covered are called “Customer Experience Consultants”. My latest claim was rejected because the repair according to them would be less than £2234 which is a joke as I have had an estimate of just under £6000 (could be more dependent on findings) to
investigate the cause and repair the roof. This organisation is so overtly dishonest as to be laughable. It is no wonder that the letter I received today rejecting my latest claim has a sentence at the bottom “Please note that if you’re threatening or abusive to our staff, we will take appropriate action”. I wonder if they ever stop to consider why they might have that effect on people….it says it all!

Another horrible experience with NHBC.

I discovered that a mechanical ventilation unit had been installed in my property with no way to access or service it by the builder.

The NHBC technical standards make clear a mechanical ventilation unit must be installed in a way to allow access for maintenance and servicing, so the guidelines were clearly breached. NHBC do not care and closed my claim down without even so much as speaking to me.

Imagine my (non surprise because the NHBC is basically a scam) when NHBC informed me that they DO NOT cover breaches of their technical standards outside of the first two years of the policy, despite it being marketed as a 10 year buildmark policy and the technical standards being created by NHBC as a set of rules the builders should construct and install to.

Honestly, truly, please do not get suckered into buying a property covered by this organisation. It is nothing more than a marketing logo. The actual wording of their policies means barely anything is covered and relies on you finding the defect before their arbitrary 2 year time limit expires. God forbid you find a hidden, serious defect with your house after 2 years, you're basically left hung out to dry and the patronising staff take great pleasure in telling you to sod off.

Not worth the paper it’s writing on. Didn’t enter the loft until year 3 of our new build. Decided to get the loft boarded out for additional space. Upon entering with contractors and full light of the loft, noticed one of the rafters was broken. Structure to the roof not sound. NHBC refused to fix although they claim to cover warranty on roof. BS excuses, going into small print.

Headline - NHBC are improving their performance, based on Trustpilot reviews!

Over the last few years the 1 star rating has been around 98% of all postings - it is now 95% - may be they are turning a corner.

If the stories behind the complaints were not so serious it would be a laughing matter, but NHBC are adversely affecting peoples lives. So this transformation is not good enough.

When you are offering a service you need to be able to trust the work being done. How can anyone trust them if 95% think it’s worth 1star or less.

probably the worst company I have ever dealt with just an insurance company who protect there paymasters ( housing builders () complete liars useless don’t know what there doing terrible customer service complete shambles like I say complete liars bought a new build of miller homes protected by the liars nhbc absolutely no back up in building defects please do t be fooled by ten year warranty as it is worthless just an insurance company with no knowledge at all

Please, please do not be fobbed or by the new build sales advisors advising you that your new build is covered by 10 year policy to cover anything that goes wrong- this must be the worst insurance policy out there, the NHBC will do everything they can to avoid paying out on a claim.

I would like to be constructive so I will. Eventually the NHBC paid out but only after 14 months of strife and emotional toil. It would seem that Claims handlers are targeted on ensuring minimum financial leakage (check out their job ads). The eventual building error was found (by our contractor) to be missing and poorly fitted cavity wall trays, lack of adequate weep vents and poorly joined dpm. This took 8 years to reveal itself through a soaked concrete floor slab which had been evaporating into our beds, carpets and furniture causing them to be full of mould spores...the walls had to be continually wiped with bleach solution. The builder told us and the NHBC that it was our lifestyle causing the damp and moisture issues. When we initially reported it to the NHBC they shut us down after doing a desktop assessment from the UK (we are island based). It was only when we complained and wrote a legally worded email that they opened up the claim again. We eventually had to move out of our home - due to the dangerous levels of moisture and damp. 16 months later, we are still not home as the 2 bed bungalow had to be ripped apart to fix the floor; kitchen and bathroom removal. We had to move 9 times in this period as we were unable to give landlords a solid time for how long we would need to rent. Every step of this process has been incredibly hard and we've had to fight tooth and nail to be heard and finally get the claim accepted.
I would not wish this experience on anyone and I genuinely believe that the NHBC is so far removed from why they are there that they have little or no concept of the impact that this process has on its so called customers. This area of building and warrantee scheme provision feels like the wild west at times and without the will to fight, having friends who are lawyers and surveyors we would now have an uninhabitable house on our hands with no monetary means to be able to fix the problem (which had cost circa 30k to fix.
The builders who use these very enticing and 'reassuring' schemes seem to be allowed to carry on making major errors like this with only cash penalties to pay or an increase in premiums (small change to the big builders).
The whole experience has taken a very heavy toll on us and impacted us massively.
The NHBC should be made more accountable and I'm not sure how transparent they are in terms of how they make the process as easy as walking on a burning rope with no shoes on over an erupting volcano. The weight of proof of problems with a building is placed firmly, on the shoulders of the house owner and this puts the customer in a place of disadvantage right from the get go. There seems to be a lot of leverage gained by the NHBC and builders in the fact that most of us don't know how houses are built. We spent months researching basic house building and used the knowledge of friends to put us on a more level playing field. Nobody should have to do this...
Appalling - but what is more appalling is that this is evidently happening to what seems to be the vast majority of home owners who attempt to a genuine and founded claim.
Incredible.

After reading the reviews I had my doubts on whether it would be hard to get my roof looked at when it leaked, however, after a slow start the service was very good. They sent round an investigator Mr Pope who was excellent, he completed a review of the roof and damage, sent me a report and appointed a contractor to complete the works. The roofing company was also very good and completed the works in a few days. My only issue is NHBC wanted me to contact my household insurer first which slightly delayed things but very good overall.

The 5 star reviews look very suspicious and simular!

This NHBC policy is not worth the paper it is written on. Please don't buy a new house thinking you can rely on this cover, should you have problem. We made a claim for our upstairs floors creaking . The noise is horrendous downstairs. We have waited months , just to be told this claim doesn't meet the criteria. According to these reviews , I would like to know what does. So we are left to foot a hefty bill ourselves. Terrible service. Very unhappy.