Welcome to your new home

We want to make your move as enjoyable as possible and our welcoming and knowledgeable colleagues will be with you every step of the way to provide a service that's tailored to you and your needs.

• On the day you move a dedicated sales advisor will welcome you to your new home.
• When moving into one of our new build homes, a detailed 'Welcome to your new home' booklet will be provided to help you settle in (this service isn’t available for resales, this is undertaken by the agent/vendor you purchase through).

If your home is a new property, it comes with a certain number of guarantees.

If the property you#ve purchased came with any appliances, such as a cooker, washing machine or fridge freezer, any faults have to be dealt with by the appropriate manufacturer.

You should've been given guarantee registration cards for those appliances and you'll find contact details for the manufacturers listed on these guarantees.

The general guarantee period for appliances is usually 12 months, but please refer to the manufacturer’s details for confirmation of this. Any extended guarantees can only be agreed between you and the manufacturer.

You're responsible for completing and returning the manufacturer’s registration forms for the appliances in order to register your ownership under the terms of the guarantees. Subsequent claims against manufacturer’s guarantees may be difficult to achieve if your ownership has not been registered in this way.

Your new home is covered by a NHBC or similar industry regulated 10 or 12-year insurance scheme covering the fabric and structural integrity of your new home.

If you find any faults in your home after the defects liability period has ended, claims are dealt with by NHBC or the insurance company covering your property.

When you move into your new home, please ensure that the supply of any service is transferred into your name and that meters are read to ensure you're not charged for previous usage.

As the owner of your home, you're responsible for paying the property’s utility bills.

Should your home have gas central heating, it's your responsibility to ensure that your boiler is serviced on an annual basis by a competent Gas Safe registered heating engineer.

If you decide to sell your home, you may be asked by the purchaser to provide proof of the annual servicing.

With the exception of a genuine defect during the defects liability period, you're responsible for the maintenance of all the plumbing within your property. Please seek the advice of an experienced plumber.

If you live in an apartment where the lease dictates that we're responsible for looking after the structure and outside of your home, you'll pay a service charge.

We'll undertake repairs to the following:

• Roof.
• Outside walls, doors and windows (with certain exceptions for example glass)
• Gutters and outside pipes.
• Drains.
• Garden walls and fences (unless sold with an individual home).
• Pathways and steps (unless sold with an individual home).
• Shared communal areas.
• Shared TV and entry-phone installations.

If you'd like to make improvements or alterations to your home, please refer to the ‘About your lease and rights booklet’.

Some of our developments have communal parking areas for use by you and your visitors. Usually parking is based on a first come, first served basis but on some developments, parking is allocated with the property. The plan within your lease will outline the area within your demise.

If you have wheelie bins, it's your responsibility to ensure that they're placed in the specified area at the right time and are emptied by the refuse collectors.

Some of our developments have larger communal refuse bins which are stored in designated bin store areas. If you use the large communal refuse bins, please ensure your rubbish is packed into polythene bags.

Under the terms set out within your lease, you must obtain our written permission to keep any animal in your home. Should you be granted permission to keep a pet, it's your responsibility to ensure that the pet is kept under control at all times and no nuisance is caused to your neighbours.

If your property is a flat, we're unable to grant permission for a pet to be kept, with the only exception being an assistance dog which provides support for a person with a disability.

The Defect Liability Period (DLP) is usually a period of either six or 12 months under which the builder is responsible for addressing defects within your property. The DLP commences when your landlord takes handover from the builder, not from when your sale completed.

A defect is a repair or problem with the structure, components, or finishes, which can be reasonably attributed to the builder.

Any defects should be reported to our customer service team. They'll liaise directly with the builder.

You'll be contacted when the DLP expires and an inspection of the property will take place at this time. We'll arrange the date for this inspection, during which a list of any notable repairs will be made for the developer to address. The inspection will be carried out with the attendance of one of our representatives and the developer.

If a builder attends a defect repair, and it's apparent it's due to action by the owner, the builder will charge the landlord for attending and for any works carried out. If the owner is insistent that the problem reported is a genuine defect, a representative from your landlord will attend the property and give their opinion as to whose responsibility the repair is.

Typical instances of non-defective repairs that builders are asked to attend include:

• Radiators leaking after being removed to decorate behind.
• Pipes leaking after attempts to fit appliances.
• Electrical faults after attempts to install appliances.
• Doors requiring adjustment following carpet fitting.
• Damage to walls or floor coverings after moving furniture.
• Defects such as these will be recharged to you.

At the end of the Defects Liability Period you'll be responsible for addressing any defects and on-going repairs in your home.

When you move into your new home, there will still be moisture present from the construction period. This is normal but your home needs to be acclimatised gradually for the first few months to help it dry out slowly. If this isn't done gradually, cracking can occur and if this happens, subsequent repair work will be your responsibility. Generally, if a crack is less than the thickness of a pound coin, it'd be advisable to leave any cracking until the end of defects inspection so these can be checked at that time.

Gradual acclimatisation can be achieved by keeping your home at a reasonably even temperature at all times and your heating should be used sparingly. For ventilation purposes, when you're in the property we advise you to leave windows open.

Condensation can damage clothes, bedding, floor coverings, decorations and the home itself.

As a result of the structure drying out (a few months after construction), you should no longer experience condensation. However, some daily activities produce a great deal of water vapour, which can cause condensation around your home.

To manage this, it's advisable to maintain a moderate level of heating by setting the time clock so your home has pre-heated before your return. A property which is continually occupied, well ventilated and maintained at a warm temperature is less likely to suffer condensation problems.

We hope you enjoy a high level of service from us but if you feel we haven’t got it right and would like to make a complaint about our services, please visit our complaints page.

The following points apply to all residents residing on an active development. Please read the information carefully.

• Pedestrians to keep to designated walkways.
• Members of the public aren't allowed on building areas unless escorted by a developer employee.
• Children must not enter building areas.
• Vehicles to keep to designated access and exit routes.
• Vehicles to be parked on driveways at all times.
• All building areas are fenced off and shouldn't be entered.
• Gates to building areas will be closed outside of working hours.
• The site compound area shouldn't be entered at any time.
• Road sweeping will be carried out at regular intervals at the development.
• Please be aware that dust will be present whilst the development is still under construction.
• Any grievance should be addressed by contacting our service centre.