old woodworm and damp guarantees

sandy2_2

I hope to make a claim on the guarantees that came with woodworm and damproof work we had done about 15 years ago. The guarantee paperwork says it´s valid for 30 years, so far so good BUT I can´t find the firm anymore, tho´ there are a couple with similar names. I´ve searched on the internet for the trade associations on the bills but although I found NAPS, can´t find the others or an address for NAPS. I do have a VAT no and possibly a company no, but I can´t see VAT giving me any info.
What can I do, if anything. Here are the logos from the paperwork

TJ27

I guess that if you've got a company number you could always phone companies house. But I believe this to be one of the reasons why guarantees are often pretty much worthless.

Running_Horse

Many guarantees come with insurance in case the company goes under. Not that they are worth anything anyway, as we found out a year ago when trying to claim from a so called reputable firm.

clutton_2

if you cannot find this company at Companies house and it is not a member of the "body" it claims to be then your guarantee is not worth the paper it is written on - sorry

sandy2_2

It appears this is experienced by a lot of people, perhaps Moneysaving Expert could look into damp and woodworrm guarantees generally as an advice topic for the news letter.

Running_Horse

The company we inherited our guarantees from (Medway Timber and Damp) even wanted to charge us £60 survey fee to come and inspect their work which had just failed a buyer's survey. This was last year when we were desparate to fix the problem and go back on the market for this year. Ended up paying £600 to do one area of wall that had not been treated 20+ years ago, and another that had been and we assumed was covered. Didn't want a fight as we didn't want potential buyers alerted to the fact their guarantees may not be worth the paper they were printed on. This company are members of the local council's fairtraders scheme, and keep meaning to inform the council and trading standards, but probably never will as we got our move.

dolce_vita

These guarantees are not worth the paper they are written on.

sandy2_2

Well after a long session on PC I think I've found the damproof and woodworm companies involved. They are using the initials of the original company instead of their full name, some of the offices listed are still using the original tel nos although codes are different.

As we are no longer in the UK, what is the best approach to use, phone or letter and what do I say. Do I mention at this point I probably want to make a claim under the guarantee or is it better to confirm they are the same company and then give any future purchaser of the property the new tel nos etc should they need to claim

Running_Horse

If you sell, the vendors solicitors are likely to ask not just for guarantees, but also assurance from the company that their guarantee is transferable. Our buyers lawyers did, even though it said so on the certificate we sent them. If you have a problem with damp or woodworm it may be better to deal with it before going on the market, or hope a surveyor doesn't lift floor coverings and relies on the certificate. Good luck with the claim.

sandy2_2

So what do I say when I approach the company concerned eg 'I see you are now trading as xyz, did you used to be abc'
Who would be the best person in the company to speak or write to, as the staff will obviously have changed considerably in 10 years

ixwood

Sorry to tell you this, but they've probably swapped company for a reason. Your guaruntee is useless.