Raising standards to protect homeowners
Inspection
Your guide to the inspection service
By registering your plots with NHBC you will benefit from the use of our key stage inspection service.
This has developed in response to the changing needs of the industry and customers' expectations, and fits in with your production programme whilst allowing our inspectors to concentrate on sites that require extra inspections to ensure that construction meets NHBC Standards.
Key stage inspections
Inspection is focused on specified key stages for each plot, so that our inspectors are on site at the times when their independent quality control function can be most effective. Your site manager is responsible for notifying the inspector in advance (normally 24 hours) when the following stages are ready for inspection:
- Foundations excavated
- Superstructure
- First fix (pre-plaster)
- Pre-handover
- Drains - if you use NHBC Building Control
Risk assessment
In addition to key stage inspections, our inspectors make an initial assessment of your site based on criteria including ground conditions, site exposure, the complexity of the design specification, professional input, and the past performance of your company and site manager. We then judge the level of risk the site is likely to pose - in other words, the likelihood of there being any problems as the building work progresses. Those sites with a high level of risk are then targeted with extra inspections. The assessment is adjusted accordingly during construction depending on the standards of work being produced.
Site record book
You will also be given a site record book providing a clear breakdown of the inspector's findings and a record of the stages which have passed key stage inspection. This will enable you to maintain a good level of communication with your inspector, in turn helping you to achieve your targets and meet your customers' expectations.
Further information
If you have any questions about the system, please contact your inspector or telephone our Inspection Admin department on 0844 633 1000 and say "Inspection Admin".