Snow and Ice – Winter 2010
This winter has been the worst many of us have experienced in recent years, and the deluge of snow, coupled with freezing temperatures and the build up of ice has caused problems to properties all over the country and the North East in particular. You will have noticed the number of properties in our immediate area, and not just on the Great Park, where guttering and fascia boards have collapsed under the sheer weight of the snow and ice.
The purchase of a new build property is covered by a NHBC warranty, which accepts that the property has been built in accordance with building regulations, and which is valid for 10 years from the date of the original completion to the first purchaser, and is transferrable to successors in title.
If you have experienced problems with your guttering and/or fascia boards to your property, the general advice is this: if you believe the guttering and/or fascia board of your property has collapsed as a result of defective workmanship or non-compliance with building regulations, you should in the first instance contact the NHBC and request they send out a warranty inspector to assess your property. This visit will be covered under the terms of the warranty. Their contact details will be found in your NHBC guarantee. If the inspector agrees that the problem is as a result of defective workmanship or non-compliance with building regulations, the NHBC will then be under an obligation to refer the problem back to the builder for them to rectify.
There are strict building regulations in place that set out the strength of guttering and the number of fixing required in relation to the angle of the roof. If the inspector does not agree that the problem rests with the builder, you should then contact your insurance company for advice on how to make a claim for repair works.
