New builds and warranties
Does a 10-year new-build warranty replace an electrical test or a drain test?
No. NHBC describes Buildmark as warranty and insurance for defects in the home, within the sections of the policy. It is not an EICR and it is not a camera survey of the drains. A RICS home survey does not include those tests either, unless you agreed them as extras.
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 homes should have been electrically certificated as part of building the house. That certificate is a piece of paper to ask the solicitor for, not a test the warranty repeats every year. If the surveyor sees a damaged consumer unit, an unfinished circuit, or a gulley that is not connected, those are defects to notify. They are not automatically a free retest under a policy you have not read.
If you want tests a survey does not include, instruct them and pay for them, or ask the builder to produce the commissioning certificates. Costs vary. There is no NHBC page that sets a price for a buyer’s drain camera. Do not deduct one from the price because a forum did.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which services did you inspect visually, and which did you not test?
- Which certificates should we ask the builder to hand over?
- Which visible defects should be notified even though a test was not done?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask for electrical, gas and drainage commissioning papers through the solicitor.
- Notify visible defects to the builder with the survey attached.
- Commission a camera or an EICR only if the papers and the visual inspection still leave a risk you will not carry.
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 building-control certificate mean the drains were camera-surveyed?
Not unless the paperwork says so. Completion is not a CCTV report. Ask for the drainage drawings and any test results.
If a socket does not work at handover, is that a warranty or a snag?
Notify the builder immediately. Whether it is also a warranty claim depends on the policy. A dead socket is not something to leave until year nine.