New builds and warranties
The warranty in the pack is not Buildmark and the agent still said NHBC. Has the survey identified which warranty body, if any, is named on the policy?
No. The survey has not identified which warranty body, if any, is named on the policy. The pack itself says the warranty is not Buildmark, and an agent saying NHBC does not rewrite that. NHBC describes Buildmark as a 10-year warranty and insurance product. A different policy is a different product, with its own provider named on its own pages. The inspection has not read that name across as if it were NHBC, and it has not opened a claim. You have to read the policy schedule for the body that actually issued it.
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?
Agents often say NHBC as a shorthand for any new-build warranty. Buildmark is the NHBC product, described by NHBC as a 10-year warranty and insurance product. Other providers issue their own policies. The cover, the periods and the claims route are whatever that document says, not a copy of Buildmark. The survey can note that a warranty was mentioned or that a pack was present. It does not identify the body by accepting the agent's word, and it does not start a claim.
Ask the solicitor for the policy schedule and read the name of the warranty body printed on it. Compare that name with what the agent said. If it is not NHBC, do not brief anyone with Buildmark's description. NHBC's 10-year warranty and insurance product is Buildmark, and this pack says the warranty is not that. The survey will not fill in the missing name. A later claim follows the policy that is actually in force, not the sales line.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you identify a warranty body on the policy, or leave the name unread?
- Have you treated the agent's NHBC remark as not evidence of the policy?
- Is the warranty in the pack recorded as not Buildmark?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the policy schedule for the warranty body actually named.
- Do not treat the agent's NHBC comment as identifying the policy.
- Remember the survey has not opened a warranty claim.
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
If the cover is also described as lasting ten years, is it Buildmark?
Not because of a similar period on a brochure. NHBC describes Buildmark as a 10-year warranty and insurance product. Another policy can use a similar period and still name a different body. The pack says this warranty is not Buildmark. Read the name on the schedule. The survey has not identified the body, and it has not opened a claim.
Can the surveyor phone NHBC and attach this plot to Buildmark?
No. Phoning a warranty body is not part of the home survey, and the survey has not identified the body named on this policy. The pack says the warranty is not Buildmark. Asking NHBC to adopt a different policy would be a registration question for whoever holds that policy. The inspection does not open that claim.