The short answer
Possibly. NHBC Buildmark cover starts with a builder warranty with NHBC backing for the first two years after completion, then moves to eight years of insurance that protects certain parts of the house from defects. Whether your roof fault is inside the cover depends on the policy wording and on which year you are in, so read the documents first.
A leak in a house only a few years old feels like someone else's problem. Sometimes it is, but the route to getting it fixed depends on the date.
How the Buildmark cover is split
NHBC describes Buildmark in two stages, and the roof sits inside both of them in different ways. The builder answers for the first two years, and an insurance policy answers for years 3 to 10.
What happens in the first two years?
NHBC counts the builder period from the date of legal completion. During that time the builder is your first call. Report the fault in writing with dates and photographs, and keep a copy.
What changes after that?
From year 3 to year 10 the cover is insurance, and it is limited to certain parts of the house. It is not a ten-year promise from the builder, and it is not a blanket pledge to put right anything that goes wrong with the roof. Which parts and which kinds of damage count is set out in the Buildmark policy documents issued with your home.
Treat the policy as the authority rather than a roofer's memory of other jobs. We can tell you what we find on the roof; the policy tells you whether that finding falls inside the cover. If the papers have gone missing, ask the solicitor who handled your purchase.
Back on the homepage you will find the kinds of roof work we take on once a claim is settled or the cover has ended.
What to do when a new roof leaks
The order you do things in matters more than the speed, provided the house is kept dry in the meantime.
Who do I tell first?
Find the completion date in your legal papers and work out which period you are in. In years one and two, write to the builder. In years three to ten, look at your Buildmark policy and follow its claim steps. Have the policy number and the completion date to hand.
Can I protect the house in the meantime?
Yes. Stopping water from damaging the structure is sensible whichever period you are in. A tarpaulin from inside the loft, a bucket under a drip or a temporary cover is plenty. Take dated photographs before and after, and keep every receipt.
Hold off on permanent repairs until you know where the cover stands, because work by another contractor can complicate a claim. Check that point against your policy documents.
The same habit helps with an ordinary home insurance claim, which our guide to a roof insurance claim explains. A written record of what happened and when does the same job in both situations, and it costs nothing to start today.
Roof faults on newer estates
Newer estates around Taunton, including large developments such as Monkton Heathfield and Comeytrowe, use dry ridge and verge systems that are fixed mechanically rather than bedded in mortar.
What are ridge and verge systems?
A ridge caps the roof where two slopes join, and a verge finishes it along a gable wall. Dry-fix systems hold the tiles with clips and fixings instead of mortar, and our page on dry ridge and verge explains how they work.
What do we look for on a young roof?
When a roof is only a few years old, a fault points more often to how it was built than to age. We look for a loose verge clip, a tile left unfixed, a gap at a valley or flashing, and a ridge that was not closed properly. Our survey photos show each of these, so you can pass them to the builder or to NHBC.
We describe what is visible on the roof. Whether a defect counts under Buildmark is NHBC's decision. Keep our written findings with your policy papers, because they give any claim a clear starting point.
A claim handled well often needs nothing from a roofer beyond that written survey, and the report costs less than a rushed repair.
When a roofer should and should not touch it
It is tempting to call a roofer the moment a stain appears on a ceiling. A look from the ground costs nothing, but work on the roof deserves a pause.
Why wait for the cover to be clear?
If the problem is a building fault within the cover, the builder or insurer may want to see it as it was. Altering the roof first can blur the evidence. That is why photographs come first, temporary protection second and permanent work third.
What if the cover has run out?
After year ten, or where the fault falls outside the policy, the repair is yours to arrange and pay for. At that point the usual approach applies: a survey of the roof, a look at the photos with you, and agreement on one written price. The roofing quote checklist lists what that document should contain.
How do I know if my home is under NHBC at all?
The builder or your solicitor's completion papers will say so, because the policy documents are issued at completion. If they are not to hand, ask the builder or solicitor for copies before you spend money on repairs.
Where a repair cannot wait, say so in your first message to the builder or insurer. They will tell you what they need to see before the roof is altered.
More on new-build roofs
Is NHBC cover a ten-year promise from the builder?
No. NHBC describes two years of builder warranty with NHBC backing, then eight years of insurance cover for certain parts of the home. The builder's own responsibility sits in years one and two only. Check the policy wording carefully for what the insurance years include.
Should I pay a roofer to fix a new-build leak myself?
Make the roof safe first, then check your cover before paying for permanent work. Photos and receipts matter. If the fault is within the cover, the builder or insurer will often want to see the roof as it was, so tell them before the repair rather than after.
The full picture: Roofers in Taunton ยท More short answers