New builds and warranties
After the first two years, does NHBC Buildmark turn every leftover snag into an insurance claim?
No. NHBC says the builder is liable for defects reported in the first two years, and that NHBC guarantees that obligation. For the following eight years the insurance covers the cost of repairing damage caused by defects in specific parts described in the policy. Unfinished decoration is not that sentence. NHBC says the policy documents are the full wording, and that some claims have a minimum value set out there. This page does not quote that value.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
A scratch, a missing shelf and a door that was never adjusted may be snags for the builder in the early period. They are not, on NHBC’s own summary, the damage-from-a-structural-defect cover that follows. A crack that appears later may be, if it is damage from a defect in a part the policy names. The survey, or a later inspection, can describe the crack. It does not award the claim.
Notify in the way the policy requires, and keep photographs. Do not cover the item up and then ask a surveyor to confirm what it used to look like. If your warranty is not Buildmark, do not borrow this split. Read that policy.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which items look like unfinished work, and which look like damage from a defect?
- Are you able to say whether a claim would succeed?
- What should we photograph before anyone covers it?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the policy schedule and notify the party it names.
- Do not wait out the two-year period and then present a decorating snag as structural damage.
- If the warranty is not NHBC, get that wording instead of this summary.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a minimum claim value mean small damage is never real?
No. It means the policy may not pay below a figure printed in that policy. The damage can still matter to you. Ask the provider. Do not guess the figure.
Is year one different from year two inside Buildmark?
NHBC describes both as the builder warranty period. Read the policy for how you must report items during it.