A Gulf buyer reserving a London tower flat is told it comes with a ten-year warranty, and reads that as ten years of cover for anything that goes wrong. It is not. The warranty insures against major structural defects; the developer answers for everything else for two years and the buyer after that. The kitchen tap, the sticking balcony door and the cracked tile are the buyer’s to find, and the developer’s to fix if reported in time.
Buying from abroad
New-build warranties and snagging: what the ten-year warranty covers, what it does not, and how to inspect a flat you cannot visit
What a new-build structural warranty is and how it works
A new-build warranty is an insurance policy against structural defects, not ten years of cover for everything. For the first two years the developer must fix any defect the buyer reports; from year three to ten the provider pays for structural and weatherproofing damage only, with an excess; after that the buyer carries everything. A snagging inspection costs £350 to £700 and finds forty to a hundred items in a typical London tower flat. The catch: a buyer who completes unseen accepts the flat as seen.
A structural warranty is a policy bought by the developer from a warranty provider and transferred to the buyer at completion. It is required by most lenders and by the leasehold market, and without one a new flat is hard to mortgage or resell for ten years. It covers the structure and the building’s weatherproof envelope against defects that arise from a failure to build to the provider’s technical standards; it does not cover wear, poor finishing, condensation, or anything the policy lists as excluded, which is a long list. The provider inspects during construction, which is the real protection, and issues the certificate at completion.
The two-year defects period and the ten-year structural warranty
The two periods and who carries the risk in each:
Who is responsible for defects at each stage of the ten years
| Period | Who is responsible | For what |
|---|---|---|
| Completion to two years (the defects period) | The developer, under the sale contract and the warranty’s developer’s obligation | Any defect caused by a failure to meet the provider’s standards: finishes, fittings, services, doors and windows, plumbing, as well as structure; the buyer reports, the developer fixes |
| Years three to ten (the structural period) | The warranty provider | Physical damage caused by a defect in specified structural and weatherproofing elements: foundations, load-bearing walls, roof, external render and cladding, and in most policies the drainage; nothing else |
| After ten years | The buyer | Everything |
Source: NHBC Buildmark cover; LABC Warranty, October 2026.
In the two-year period the warranty provider acts as a resolution service if the developer does not respond; after year two it pays claims itself, with an excess, for structural damage only. The most common dispute is a year-four problem that the buyer thinks is structural and the provider thinks is finishing or maintenance.
What a new-build warranty does not cover
Wear and tear; condensation and mould not caused by a defect; damage from the buyer’s own alterations; defects reported late; minor cracking and shrinkage below set widths; damp from blocked gutters the buyer should have cleared; appliance failures (covered by manufacturers’ guarantees, usually one or two years); the common parts and the lifts, which are the freeholder’s and the service charge’s; and, in most policies, anything the buyer could have seen at completion and did not report. The policy document is in the completion pack and should be read; the firm has seen buyers assume cover for a leaking shower in year five that the policy excluded on page three.
New-build warranty providers: NHBC, LABC, Premier Guarantee and others
NHBC (Buildmark) covers the majority of new homes in England and is the name lenders know; LABC Warranty, Premier Guarantee, Checkmate, Build-Zone and ICW are the alternatives, each accepted by most lenders. The cover is broadly similar; the differences are in the claims process, the excess, and the financial limits, which should be at least the price of the flat.
Questions to ask about the warranty provider before reserving
A developer that has changed provider mid-scheme, or whose provider is not on the lender’s list, is a question to ask before reserving. The warranty is separate from the developer’s own customer-care promises, which are only as good as the developer’s survival; a warranty from a sound provider outlives a developer that fails.
What a new-build snagging inspection is and what it costs
A snagging inspection is a detailed check of the finished flat for defects, by a specialist snagging surveyor, before completion or within the first weeks, producing a list with photographs that the developer is obliged to address. It costs £350 to £700 for a flat and finds, in the firm’s experience, forty to a hundred items in a typical London tower flat: scratched glass, misaligned doors, unsealed bathrooms, missing extract fans, balcony drainage, uneven floors, paint.
When to arrange a snagging inspection before completion
The developer fixes most within weeks when the list arrives before completion and is slower afterwards, which is why the inspection must be arranged in the period between the developer’s notice to complete and the completion date, usually ten working days.
For a buyer abroad the firm attends with the snagging surveyor and sends the report the same day; a buyer who completes without one accepts the flat as seen, which for a buyer who has not seen it is a poor position.
The New Homes Quality Code and the New Homes Ombudsman
Since 2022 most large developers have registered with the New Homes Quality Board and signed its Code, which requires a fair reservation agreement, a right to a pre-completion inspection, a defects process with timescales, and access to the New Homes Ombudsman for complaints about the developer’s conduct in the first two years. The Code is voluntary for developers but binding once they have signed, and a buyer should check the developer’s registration before reserving; the Ombudsman can order a developer to fix, apologise or pay up to a set limit. It does not replace the warranty and does not cover structural claims after year two.
Completing on a new-build flat when you are abroad
The developer serves notice to complete when the building is ready, often with two weeks’ warning after two years of waiting, and completion is on a fixed date whether or not the buyer is in London.
The sequence that works for completing a new-build from abroad
The sequence that works: the firm attends the pre-completion inspection with the snagging surveyor; the snagging list goes to the developer in writing; the solicitor completes on the date with the balance already in sterling (our guide on currency transfers explains why it is converted beforehand); the firm takes the keys, meter readings and the completion pack, and has the letting agent or the porter in the flat the same day; the developer’s defects period starts; and the firm chases the snagging list to sign-off.
Stamp duty due after completing a new-build flat
Stamp duty is due within 14 days of completion at the rates in our guide on stamp duty for overseas buyers, on the full price agreed at reservation.
When a new-build flat is worth the premium, and when it is not
A new flat is worth its premium for a buyer who wants a warranty, a porter and no maintenance for ten years, who has inspected it before completion, and who has read the service charge estimate and the policy exclusions. It is not worth it for a buyer who assumes “ten-year warranty” means ten years of cover for everything, who completes unseen, or who has paid a launch price the resale market will not return, as our off-plan guide explains.
Three rules for protecting yourself on a new-build purchase
The firm’s three rules: a snagging inspection before completion, every defect reported in writing within the two years, and the warranty certificate, the policy and the snagging sign-off kept in the file that the next buyer’s solicitor will ask for.
Sources: NHBC Buildmark cover · New Homes Quality Board · LABC Warranty · Stamp Duty Land Tax: non-UK residents (GOV.UK) Figures verified 14 October 2026.
Frequently Asked
Questions about new-build warranties and snagging
You do. After the two-year defects period the warranty covers structural damage only; a cupboard door is neither, unless the manufacturer’s guarantee still runs.
You can, and the developer must still fix defects reported within two years, but the leverage is gone; a list served before completion is fixed in weeks, one served after in months.
Yes, with the flat, for the balance of the ten years; it is one of the reasons a new flat under ten years old resells more easily than one just past it.
NHBC (Buildmark) covers the majority of new homes in England and is the name lenders know. LABC Warranty, Premier Guarantee, Checkmate, Build-Zone and ICW are the alternatives, each accepted by most lenders. The cover is broadly similar; the differences are in the claims process, the excess and the financial limits, which should be at least the price of the flat.
£350 to £700 for a flat, by a specialist snagging surveyor. In the firm’s experience it finds forty to a hundred items in a typical London tower flat: scratched glass, misaligned doors, unsealed bathrooms, missing extract fans, balcony drainage, uneven floors and paint. The list, with photographs, is one the developer is obliged to address.
Wear and tear; condensation and mould not caused by a defect; damage from your own alterations; defects reported late; minor cracking below set widths; damp from gutters you should have cleared; appliance failures, which sit with manufacturers’ guarantees of one or two years; the common parts and lifts; and, in most policies, anything you could have seen at completion and did not report.
Since 2022 most large developers have registered with the New Homes Quality Board and signed its Code, which requires a fair reservation agreement, a right to a pre-completion inspection, a defects process with timescales, and access to the New Homes Ombudsman for the first two years. Check the developer’s registration before reserving. It does not replace the warranty or cover structural claims after year two.
Within 14 days of completion, on the full price agreed at reservation, at the rates in our guide on stamp duty for overseas buyers. The balance should already be in sterling by then, which is why the currency is converted beforehand.
Yes. The developer serves notice to complete when the building is ready, often with two weeks’ warning, and completion is on a fixed date whether or not you are in London. The firm attends the pre-completion inspection with the snagging surveyor, takes the keys, meter readings and the completion pack, and has the letting agent or porter in the flat the same day.
A warranty from a sound provider outlives a developer that fails, because it is a policy bought from the provider and transferred to you at completion. The developer’s own customer-care promises are only as good as the developer’s survival. A developer that has changed provider mid-scheme, or whose provider is not on the lender’s list, is a question to ask before reserving.
