Total warranty management is a concept that increasingly more and more developers are signing up to. It’s a holistic approach to managing all of the new build developer’s obligations under their warranty cover.
From the point just prior to handover through to the end of the 2 year Builder’s Liability period, After Build will manage each aspect of the homeowner’s needs through a tightly defined suite of services.
This unique service works for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the cost is based on a FIXED-PRICE per plot which means that as developer you know exactly what to budget for (this removes the issues normally associated with defect management i.e. facing 2 years of unknown/open-ended cost).
Secondly it works because it means that the developer’s obligations under their warranty policy are managed in a professional and cost effective fashion – and remember, After Build operate to Consumer Code compliant standards.
Total Warranty Management is the most apt description of the After Build business … there are a range of obligations that sit with every developer from pre-purchase to the end of the Builder’s Liability period and we have tailored a specific solution that meets each of the core challenges.
Furthermore it is common sense that you may not need all of the services we provide and on that basis you can select what you need to compliment whatever you already have in place. Increasingly we’re finding that developers recognise After Build as the benchmark standard for managing warranty issues.
Pre-occupation handover
It’s the real start point – get this wrong and you have a long term relationship with an unhappy customer. Get it right and life will be easier and your good name and reputation will continue to flourish in tact. The After Build package is a fixed-price (per plot) pre-occupation inspection and handover with a full list of snags (to no more than warranty provider level). With ever tightening costs and the inevitable reduction in resource this creates, the ability for the developer to thoroughly survey every single plot at practical completion and follow through on each and every snag has become harder and harder. It is not really surprising that we find a significant increase in unresolved snags following occupation.
All snags rectified
Either hand all identified snags back to site for resolution – or if you prefer we can carry out the work using our own multi-trade teams.
Homeowner manual
We have an in-house design and production unit to handle homeowner manual needs and ensure the necessary ‘Consumer Code’ elements are all incorporated at the same time.
Defect management
We will take ALL calls from the homeowner for 2 years, diagnose the defect, instruct the original sub-contractor or deploy our own team, close the job down and report to you regularly. This is our core service and has been taken by developers for over 6 years. The real difficulty inherent in managing defects is maintaining a regular dialogue with the homeowner and getting commitment from original trades to return to site when required (under the terms of their own contract). Experience confirms that the amount of time this process will typically consume is above and beyond that a busy developer in today’s challenging market, can really resource.
Emergency cover
Reliable emergency cover is essential and there are few options available in this specialist area. We take calls 24/7 and ensure your customer is covered in all eventualities.
Good customer service doesn’t happen by accident, or because you’re lucky. It is the result of careful planning and a willingness to create an environment in which the consumer has a positive experience. To achieve this requires attitude, knowledge, experience and a determination – because getting it right once does not constitute good practice – getting it right all of the time is the real objective – and challenge.
If you would like to know more about any of the After Build services please don’t hesitate to call and discuss your specific area of interest.
