New builds and warranties
What did the visit record about the show-home specification, about this plot, and about finishes the survey of this house did not find?
The visit recorded that a show-home specification is not this plot, and that finishes the survey of this house did not find were not inspected here. A show home is a dressed example used for selling. This plot is the house you are buying, with the kitchen, doors and surfaces actually fitted. Where a finish from the show literature was not found, the survey has not pretended it was there. Differences are not automatically defects. The report has separated the sales example from this building. It has not decided that every difference is a snag.
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?
Show homes are often upgraded and fitted with choices that were never in the plot specification. The survey records what is on this plot. It does not audit the brochure, and it does not fail an item for being absent if it was never part of this house. NHBC describes Buildmark as a 10-year warranty and insurance product. This visit has not opened a claim about a finish it did not find.
Ask the solicitor for the specification that belongs to this plot, and compare it with what the survey found, not with the show home. Tell the developer about missing items only where the plot specification promised them. Do not open a warranty conversation for a show-home extra the survey never saw here. Buildmark is a 10-year warranty and insurance product, and this report has not started a claim. Keep the dressed example out of the snag list unless the contract for this plot included it.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which finishes were actually present on this plot?
- Which show-home items did you not find, and therefore not inspect?
- Have you left the plot specification to the solicitor rather than the brochure?
What are the typical next steps?
- Compare this plot with its own specification, not the show home.
- Snag only what this house was supposed to have and does not.
- Do not open a Buildmark claim from the survey's silence.
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 show home had a better kitchen, is this plot defective?
Not on that fact alone. The show home is a sales example. The survey recorded the finishes it found on this plot and did not inspect show-home items that were not here. A difference is not automatically a snag. Check the specification for this plot with the solicitor. The survey has not opened a warranty claim.
Does Buildmark upgrade this house to the show-home list?
No. NHBC describes Buildmark as a 10-year warranty and insurance product. It does not transplant the show-home specification onto this plot, and the survey has not opened a claim to try. Finishes not found in this house were not inspected. The contract specification, not the dressed example, is the list that matters.