Finishing and handover · Worth care
What happens if something goes wrong afterwards?
Agree the defects period, what it covers, and how you raise a problem.
- When it lands
- At handover.
- What it costs to get wrong
- Without an agreed aftercare route, small faults become arguments and end up as your cost.
Handover is not the end of the relationship. A defects period — usually six or twelve months — is the window in which the builder returns to put right things that emerge in use.
Diarise the end date the day you move in
A homeowner noticed damp staining around a roof light in the second winter and reported it in month thirteen of a twelve-month defects period. The builder declined to return, and they were right to be able to. One calendar entry would have changed the outcome.
Set a reminder for two months before the end as well, so there is time to inspect and report.
Report in writing as things appear
Email, dated, with a photograph, even for small things you are happy to wait on. A defects log with dates is the difference between a request and a claim.
Group non-urgent items rather than sending eleven separate messages; one visit fixing eight things is more likely to happen than eight visits.
Know what it does and does not cover
Defects are failures of workmanship or materials. Shrinkage cracks in new plaster, normal settlement and wear are not usually covered, and neither is damage from how the house is used. Structural warranties, where they exist, run far longer and are separate.
Inspect before releasing the retention
The final half of the retention is your last piece of leverage. Walk the house properly at the end of the defects period, including a full winter of heating and rain behind you, then release the money in writing once you are satisfied.
Why this one matters
Buildings settle and adjust in their first year. Knowing in advance who fixes what, and for how long, turns a stressful phone call into a routine one.
Do this week
- Put the defects end date and a two-month warning in your calendar.
- Start the defects log with dates and photographs.
- Confirm the retention amount still held and its release condition.
The realistic choices
Contractual defects period
Commonly six or twelve months from completion.
Insurance-backed warranty
Protects you if the builder ceases trading. Worth it on structural work.
What good looks like
- A written aftercare commitment with dates
- One named contact for problems
Questions worth asking
- When does the defects period end?
- What is not covered?
From real projects
Reported in month thirteen
A homeowner noticed damp staining around a roof light in the second winter and reported it in month thirteen of a twelve-month defects period. The builder declined, correctly. The repair, including internal making good, cost £3,100.
The lesson: Set the reminder on the day of practical completion. The period is short and it does not pause.
Putting it into practice
What this decision should leave behind
The steps to work through, the paperwork worth keeping and the questions to send your builder today.
- · Diarise the end date
- · Report defects in writing as they appear
- · Inspect thoroughly before releasing final retention
- · Template: End-of-defects inspection and retention release
- · Paperwork: Defects log with dates and photographs
- · Paperwork: Final retention release, signed