Leasehold: Repairs and Maintenance
Question
Darren Paffey
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding to leaseholders with construction defects relating to roof waterproofing where the (a) developer, (b) freeholders and (c) warranty underwriter are in dispute.
Answer
Samantha DixonMost new build warranties cover damages caused by structural defects for a 10-year term. The developer is often held accountable for the first two years of this period. The terms of warranty should give more detail on what developers would be expected to cover in this timeframe.
Where a homeowner is dissatisfied with the service given, warranty providers should have a clear complaints procedure for warranty holders to follow. This procedure should be followed in the first instance.
If this still does not resolve the issue, the next step would be to refer the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) for a decision.