Advice with dealing with NHBC

afm_2

Hello! (I am sorry if this is not the right place to post.)

I have recently moved to a property that still has 1.5 years left of NHBC. After we moved in we noticed that the stairs were making a lot of noise and it seems to be getting worse now that we use them every day (the house was empty for a while before we moved in). Sometimes I feel some movement but my OH says he doesn't feel anything. I was thinking about submitting a claim enquiry to NHBC online but before I do so, I would like to know if anyone has any advice on how to deal with them. What I am hoping with this post is to know how you got a claim started, how you've dealt with them, and, if you had any issues, how you've solved them.

Also, I am quite sure that they will say that there is nothing wrong and that I have to pay to fix it myself, thus do you think that I should have someone else around checking the problem before they come? Maybe get a few quotes and safety checks?

Thank you in advance!

Fire_Fox

The stairs might just need the carpet lifting and some more screws (not nails) putting in which could easily be classed as general maintenance after eight years. Yes you would need your own report that they are dangerous/ faulty before contacting NHBC.

afm_2

Thanks for your reply. Shouldn't they (the NHBC) come and check it?

Do you have any idea if that would be expensive to do and who should I ask to come and check the stairs? Is it a joiner?

Thanks and sorry to be a pain!

Fire_Fox

Any builder could do it or a joiner if you prefer, if you are thinking you want a report preparing get someone who is a member of the Federation of Master Builders or similar trade association. You need someone who also has the skills and tools to refix the carpet.

NHBC can't come out and check every last squeak or they'd go bankrupt, in any case AFAIK they only get involved if the developer is bankrupt or there is a dispute. If all you need is a few screws it won't cost you very much, arguably that is general maintenance - part and parcel of homeownership.

DevilsAdvocate1

We bought out house from new and they only came out easily when the builders were on site. I seem to remember being told that only serious things were covered after 5 years.

We found that they were not very careful when they came to fix things, often causing other more minor problems, so we would fix our own problems whenever we could.

terrierlady

look on the nhbc web site for advice and what they cover.

afm_2

terrierlady wrote: »

look on the nhbc web site for advice and what they cover.

They cover stairs if they are unsafe and if the cost of repair is over £400. My main concern is that it could be unsafe but I am unsure.

I don't think that a house with only 8 years should already squeak this much... Nor that it would be normal to put screws on stairs. I thought that was only a result of bad quality of both the stairs and the person that installed them. Does everyone put screws in theirs stairs?

afm_2

Fire_Fox wrote: »

NHBC can't come out and check every last squeak or they'd go bankrupt, in any case AFAIK they only get involved if the developer is bankrupt or there is a dispute. If all you need is a few screws it won't cost you very much, arguably that is general maintenance - part and parcel of homeownership.

Would nails do the trick? Or bits of wood supporting the stairs? We tried that before putting new carpets and we noticed that someone else had tried to fix them as well but without success. In some stairs the problem seems to be in middle an not where it joins with other bits.

Fire_Fox

If something is nailed together or is not attached the wood can move, more so if the wood has warped at all, from a leak or from how it has dried out. It's quite normal to have to screw floorboards or woodchip sheeting to joists if floors squeak, or the riser to the tread on stairs. Have you considered Googling squeaky stairs?

"The stairs might just need the carpet lifting and some more screws (not nails) putting in which could easily be classed as general maintenance after eight years."

afm_2

Fire_Fox wrote: »

If something is nailed together or is not attached the wood can move, more so if the wood has warped at all, from a leak or from how it has dried out. It's quite normal to have to screw floorboards or woodchip sheeting to joists if floors squeak, or the riser to the tread on stairs. Have you considered Googling squeaky stairs?

"The stairs might just need the carpet lifting and some more screws (not nails) putting in which could easily be classed as general maintenance after eight years."

Yes I have googled when we tried the fixes I mentioned. They seem to have been nailed by the builders as well. Maybe that's the problem

Fire_Fox

If that is the worst thing that happens in your new home you are doing well. Massive flea infestation or a boiler breakdown at the first snow are much worse! :eek: