New builds and warranties
The report places a missing truss clip, the loft of a new house and a warranty claim the missing clip does not itself open in one paragraph. Which of those were inspected, and which were merely named?
The missing truss clip and the loft of the new house were inspected. The warranty claim was only named, because the missing clip does not itself open it. A truss clip ties a roof truss down to the wall plate. Seeing that one is absent is a building observation. NHBC describes Buildmark as a 10-year warranty and insurance product. The survey does not open a claim by recording the missing clip, and it has not opened one. The paragraph has not decided that cover applies. It has not decided that every other clip was checked beyond the loft view.
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?
Truss clips are small metal ties. One missing clip is a fixings defect at that truss, not a judgement of the whole roof and not a completed warranty file. The loft inspection saw what was reachable. Clips buried at the eaves, or on trusses the surveyor could not reach, stay unconfirmed. Buildmark, as NHBC describes it, is a 10-year warranty and insurance product. Opening a claim means telling the warranty provider, which a survey paragraph does not do.
Tell the developer, and ask the solicitor how Buildmark claims are raised, that a truss clip was missing in the loft. Do not say the survey has already opened the claim. NHBC's product is a 10-year warranty and insurance product, and the report has not started it. A roof carpenter can confirm how many clips are absent if you want that counted, which this visit did not finish for every truss. Keep the observation as a defect seen, and the claim as a step not taken.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Where was the missing truss clip, and was it seen rather than assumed?
- Did the loft view leave other clips unchecked?
- Has any Buildmark claim been left unopened on purpose?
What are the typical next steps?
- Record the missing clip as a seen loft defect.
- Tell the solicitor the survey did not open a warranty claim.
- Ask how a Buildmark claim is started if you want one made.
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 one missing clip mean the roof will spread?
Not as a finding of this report. A missing truss clip is a fixing that was not there at the truss the survey could see. It does not by itself describe the whole roof, and it does not open a warranty claim. Other clips may be present. A roofer can check the rest. The survey has not predicted a failure mode beyond the absent clip.
If the house is only months old, does the clip fall outside Buildmark?
The survey does not decide cover. NHBC describes Buildmark as a 10-year warranty and insurance product, and the missing clip does not itself open a claim. Age in months is not a ruling on whether the provider will respond. Ask the solicitor how a claim is made. The report only inspected the loft and named the unopened claim.