New builds and warranties
The agent says the house is under warranty and does not name the warranty body. Has the survey identified which scheme, if any, applies?
No. The survey has not identified which scheme, if any, applies. The agent says the house is under warranty and does not name the warranty body, so the inspection has a sales sentence rather than a scheme. NHBC describes Buildmark as a 10-year warranty and insurance product. That description is not a finding that this house has Buildmark, or that it has some other policy. The survey has not seen a policy schedule, has not named a provider, and does not open a claim. Unnamed cover is not identified cover.
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?
New-build warranties are easy to flatten into one word. Several bodies offer them, and a house can be between them, outside them, or covered by a developer arrangement the agent has not named. The surveyor looks at the building. They do not phone a warranty provider to see if a plot is on the register unless that check was part of the instruction, and here the agent has not even given a name to check. Snagging defects are condition. A warranty is a contract.
Ask the solicitor for the warranty documents and the name of the body before you rely on the agent's sentence. If the name, when it arrives, is NHBC, read Buildmark as the 10-year warranty and insurance product NHBC describes, still without asking the survey to open a claim. If the name is something else, the survey has not ruled that body in or out. Do not tell a lender a scheme applies because the agent was confident.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you see any warranty document, or only hear that cover exists?
- Have you named a scheme in the report?
- Are you opening a claim, or leaving the provider unidentified?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the warranty body as unidentified.
- Ask the solicitor for the policy and the provider's name.
- Do not treat the survey as the opening of 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 house is newly finished, must the cover be Buildmark?
No. New finish does not identify a scheme. NHBC describes Buildmark as one 10-year warranty and insurance product. The agent did not name a body, and the survey has not found one. Buildmark is not the default the inspection has applied.
Can snags the survey lists be sent as a claim without a named body?
No. A claim needs a scheme to send it to. The survey has not named one and does not open claims. Snags remain condition notes until the solicitor has a provider and a policy that actually applies to this house.