What info in NHBC certificate?

[whatafineday]

We are very close to exchange but seller has been reluctant to provide the NHBC certificate, saying it's past ten years so the document is useless. The house is a non-traditional build and I'm keen to find out anything I can on the construction, which the seller has refused to shed any light on. They bought it directly from the developer.

At the moment I only have guess work from the survey. Will i get this kind of info from the NHBC certificate? Or what kind of info is in there? My solicitor doesn't seem to know or maybe has been too busy to get back to me. Hence me turning to MN again! thank you

Your best bet is to look on NHBC’s website to see what it covers. They have standard wording for just a few types of warranty and I can’t think of any major changes in the last 15 years.

But thinking about it, can you track down the building regulations application and the building regulations completion certificate from the local authority? There will be plans with that.

We have requested building regs certificate from the seller but they have refused to go down this route. They did provide the NHBC certificate. But just the page with policy number and address. I was hoping/wondering if the NHBC certificate would have any info on plan and construction materials. Nobody can tell me whether the house is a timber frame or steel frame!

The only thing i could find online is the planning permission not the completion certificate. But it has no such information. My solicitor isn't bothered by the seller's refusal to look for the completion certificate as the NHBC certificate confirms the approval. But it's not legality that im seeking confirmation on. I am trying to understand what kind of house it is.

If NHBC did the building regulations, there won’t be a separate certificate.
Get full details of the planning permission application then. The seller doesn’t have to provide the planning permission if it’s over 10 years old but I would argue that they should given that the seller was the first owner. Or pay to get a copy yourself if your local authority doesn’t have everything online.

Hi, I have worked in construction. The NHBC cert will only ever have the address and the cert number. Your best bet is to look at planning permission, you might have to work out which plot your house is as there will be different styles and designs across the development in all likelihood.

Thank you for the pointer! So I was looking at the wrong place! I did look for the planning permission. But what i could download for free online was the first drawing and initial permission (if it exists in stages?). The number of bedrooms at the end is not the same. I will look in the archive.

@whatafineday You can download all planning documents for free (unless there is a lot of confidential info - usually surrounding company finances). There will be initial planning - maybe outline - then there will be reserved matters and potentially discharge of conditions. There could also be amendments to the application. It can be a minefield even if you know what you are looking for and work in Construction/Planning