Customer Care  guide

Our reputation is built on the quality of our customer service as well as that of our homes. All our staff are highly trained and dedicated to providing a smooth and professional service. Our New Homes team has systems and procedures in place to ensure that any problems or questions are dealt with as quickly as possible.

New Homes Customer Care department

Available 8.00am to 6pm Mon-Fri
newhomescustomercare@camden.gov.uk
0207 974 6617

Our commitment to your satisfaction continues after you move into your property. We’re confident your new home will be free from problems, however, if the unexpected does happen, we have clear guidelines covering after-sales care and emergency services throughout the warranty period. We will explain these processes to you clearly and make sure that you know who to contact in the event of a problem.

We offer two levels of support for our customers: a one year Defect Liability Period (DLP)* for emergency situations, and another for all other items covered by the National House-Building Council (NHBC). Please note that DLP is effective 1 year from Practical Completion i.e. the date the building contractor hands the building over to Camden Council

While we do our best to ensure there’ll be no problems after you move into your new home, unexpected issues do sometimes occur. During your Home Tour & Demonstration, you’ll be introduced to your key contacts in After Care and the Customer Care Team so you know who to speak to in the event of any problems.

After the DLP is over, our New Homes team will hand you over to our Facilities Management team who will assist you with any issues thereafter.

If any defects are identified at handover or within the following days, we will rectify them subject to availability of materials and you being able to give us access to your property.

Any remedial work to your property will be attended to within the hours of 8.00am – 4:00pm, Monday - Friday. You will also be given details of an emergency service provider for anything that happens outside of office hours.

We define emergencies as serious issues that pose significant risk to you, your home, or those immediately around your home.

Emergency repairs cover:

• Serious water leaks – burst cold water feed (under kitchen sink), large volumes of water escaping/flooding
• Electricity – total loss of power supply, water leaking through electrical fittings, sparking or buzzing light fittings or sockets
• Heating and hot water – total loss of heating and hot water during winter periods (please note that in warmer weather, this will not be considered an emergency)
• Drains – communal drains (internal or external), overflowing with sewage
• Soil Stack – external soil stack blocked
• Blocked toilets (where this is the only toilet in your property) – waste plus water not draining away
• Security – boarding up windows, ground floor, or where there is pedestrian access
• Ceiling – making safe dangerous ceilings
• Communal services – making safe boundary walls (regardless of height of wall). Making safe uneven or broken paving
• Roofing – falling masonry, render, roof tiles or slates
• Gas – blocked flue

Emergencies within your property should be reported to Camden Council on 0207 974 6617. To report an emergency after 6pm, on weekends or Bank Holidays, call 0207 974 4444.

Depending on the development your property is in, emergencies in communal areas should either be reported to the Facilities Management team or direct to Camden Council. When you buy with us, we will always advise you on exactly who to contact for your specific development.

Things we do not cover are:

• Normal shrinkage cracking which can be reasonably expected during the drying out period of the property
• Wear and tear through the use of your new home
• Damage caused by neglect or failure to follow operating instructions, or lack of maintenance
• Anything that is within tolerance of our building warranty

Our general service delivery standards are:

• Emergencies – we aim to have a contractor or a member of Camden Repairs team at your home within 4 hours to investigate any situation that poses a risk to ‘life or limb’. For all other emergencies, someone will be in attendance within 24 hours.
• According to the urgency of the work required, our priority hours are 4 hours, 24 hours, 7 days, or 28 days
• If parts are required, timescales for completion of the job are dependent on their availability
• The Camden Collection are committed to the rights and principles found in the Consumer Code for Home Builders. You will be given a copy of this Code which provides an alternative dispute resolution service.

If problems do arise that are the responsibility of The Camden Collection, we are committed to resolving the situation to your satisfaction as quickly as possible.

In the first instance, you should contact our New Homes department who will do their best to resolve the problem. If the issue cannot be rectified by our New Homes team, your query will be referred to the New Homes Manager. Only if the problem remains unresolved will it be escalated to the Head of Sales & Marketing.

Should you still be unsatisfied with the resolution after these steps, you may refer your complaint to the Consumer Codes Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme. This does not affect your normal legal rights.

It’s in everyone’s interest to deal with such matters as efficiently and quickly as possible. We will tell you about the procedures we use for dealing with issues, and inform you about third parties or external services who may be able to offer help. If you choose to use professional advisors, we will co-operate fully with them. We will ask you to write and let us know who you want to represent you, giving details of their qualifications. This is to make sure you’re properly represented and getting the best advice.

Your feedback on your experience of our service is very welcome and we’re grateful for your views on whether we meet the high standards we set for ourselves. If we’re ever required to rectify a defect or issue for you, we will send you a survey afterwards to gather for your feedback. Additionally, after the 1-year DLP is over, you will be sent a survey to share your comments on your experience.

The National House-Building Council (NHBC) also email you a customer satisfaction survey after 8 weeks of you moving into your new home. This is to gather your feedback and ensure we are performing in line with their standards. They run a further survey at 9 months to find out your experiences having lived in your home for a few months.

Throughout our relationship, we aim to communicate effectively with you and will always do our utmost to deliver what we promise. If you have any comments or suggestions you wish to share with us, please write or email us at: Newhomescustomercare@camden.gov.uk

Customer Care - Camden Council
5 Pancras Square
Kings Cross
London
N1C 4AG

We are a National House-Building Council (NHBC) registered developer and, as such, we design and build not only in accordance with the Building Regulations, but also to the exacting NHBC Standards. Each home is inspected by the NHBC at key stages, thus ensuring our compliance with those standards.

All our homes benefit from either a 10 or 12-year National House-Building Council (NHBC) warranty which is included in the purchase price of the property. We’ll give you clear information about what this covers, and about any other guarantees or warranties which apply to your new home and its fittings.

Here is a general summary of what your NHBC warranty covers:

• Before the property is completed, you are protected in the unlikely event of the House Builder becoming insolvent
• During the 12-month Defect Liability Period, the warranty states that the house builder must repair any defects that do not conform to NHBC standards or recommendations
• For the first two years after practical completion, you are covered against physical damage to the home caused as a result of any failure on our part to meet NHBC standards. The first year is covered directly by London Borough of Camden whilst the second year is covered by NHBC.
• For years three to ten, NHBC provide direct insurance cover for the full cost (if more than £750) of any major structural issues and latent defects caused to the home as a result of an issue with the structure of the building
• If you purchase your new home from us outside of the initial 2-year Builder's Defect Liability Period, you will still benefit from NHBC's Homes Warranty for major structural issues, for up to 10 years after practical completion.  The remaining time frame on the NHBC policy will be dependent on the date of purchase
• Please note however, the warranty does not cover wear and tear or lack of maintenance Additionally, settlement cracks are not covered as they are a natural occurrence in the first 18-24 months and are not deemed to be defects under NHBC warranty

You will receive your own copy of the NHBC warranty document through your solicitor which you should refer to for full details. We recommend you read through the warranty carefully and ask your solicitor to explain anything you don’t understand.

To allow your new home to fully settle, we strongly advise that no alterations (including the hanging pictures with picture hooks and wallpaper) take place during the 12 month DLP, as doing so may adversely affect all or part of your warranty. After the first year, you are then free to make any desired alterations. If you really must make changes during the 12 month DLP, please discuss with New Homes team first.

The warranty still applies if you sell or let your home. It’s advisable for you to pass the details of the warranty and what it covers on to tenants or subsequent buyers. If you sell your home whilst it’s still within warranty, the cover automatically transfers to the new owners.

Once you’ve exchanged contracts and a completion date has been agreed, our New Homes team will invite you to attend your New Home Tour and Demonstration shortly after we have served the 10 working day Notice to Complete (this is usually about one week before completion). This is an important and exciting meeting to show you where things are and how all the facilities work within your new home. It’s also an opportunity for you to fully inspect your property before you move in, pick up any defects you see whilst with the New Homes team member, and raise any questions you might have.

During the tour and demonstration, we’ll show you:

• How to operate the central heating, hot water, and MVHR systems
• Where the main switches, electrical consumer unit, and stopcocks are located
• How the warranties and guarantees work
• How to maintain your new home and what your leaseholder responsibilities are for your home

If you are unavailable for the tour and demonstration before legal completion, it will be arranged for the day that keys are handed over to you.

Your Home User Guide will be handed to you at your New Home Tour & Home Demonstration. This document contains concise and easy-to-understand information on your appliances and specification details, including advice on running and looking after your new home. This is also when you will receive the manuals for your white goods and guarantees for the appliances fitted within your home.

Please note that the warranties for appliances within the property are valid from the date of your signed lease at legal completion. You are responsible for registering your appliances in order for the warranties to come into effect.

On the date of completion, you become the legal owner of your new home - Congratulations! The full cost of the property is transferred from your solicitor to us, the seller. The keys are then yours and you can move in. For any building warranties thereafter, please refer to your solicitor.