We are NHBC
Established in 1936, we are the UK's leading provider of warranty and insurance for new homes.
We are recognised and trusted
We are the UK’s leading independent provider of warranty and insurance for new-build homes.
Our purpose is to raise standards in house building by championing high-quality homes and protecting homeowners.
We do this through training and quality services and by assessing, inspecting and directly insuring new homes registered with us.
Independent, non-profit distributing
We are a company limited by guarantee, with no shareholders. We are independent of government and the construction industry.
Any profits that we generate are reinvested in the business to support our core purpose: to build confidence in the construction quality of new homes.
We are run by our board of directors and governed by our council members.
Active in research and development, including our pioneering NHBC Foundation, we also work with key stakeholders and government to contribute to all aspects of the housing agenda.
NHBC Vision
To be a quality pioneer, trusted insurer and agent of change for next-generation home building.
Our mission
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
We are committed to promoting and encouraging diversity and inclusion in everything we do, mirroring the wider community to help us to better serve our customers, consumers and colleagues.
Sustainability
We’re committed to supporting the Government’s ambition to achieve net zero carbon by 2050 and are working to deliver positive and lasting change in the industry.
Trusted
Our purpose is to raise standards in house building. As the UK’s leading provider of warranty and insurance for new homes, we are recognised and trusted by homeowners and builders alike.
Buildmark – an industry leading home warranty and insurance product
We first introduced a two-year building warranty in the 1940s, followed by the first 10-year warranty in 1965. This was the foundation for our current Buildmark policy which comprises deposit protection; a two-year builder warranty period backed by the NHBC resolution service; and a further eight years’ insurance cover against damage caused by defects in the structure of the property.
Buildmark is designed to give homeowners peace of mind over the largest purchase they will ever make. It currently protects around 1.5 million homes in the UK.
Setting the standards
To sell homes covered by Buildmark, our registered builders and developers must comply with the requirements set out in the NHBC Standards.
The NHBC Standards define the technical requirements and performance standards for the design and construction of new homes to be covered by Buildmark and provide guidance on how these can be achieved. Through the application of NHBC Standards homeowners should benefit from a new home build process that is compliant with the relevant building and fire-safety regulations and which incorporates leading practices in the construction industry.
We regularly review and update the NHBC Standards. A full electronic version, with additional explanatory notes, videos and 3D models is available on this website.
Support for construction excellence
We provide an inspection service to our registered customers. This takes the form of independent inspections, undertaken at key build stages, as identified in the NHBC Standards.
Last year, we conducted over a million inspections, with feedback provided to our registered customers for every new build home protected by our Buildmark warranty product. This is an integral part of the drive to improve construction quality for the benefit of homeowners, with these ‘key stage inspections’ being supplemented by intermediate inspections and other services:
Construction Quality Services is our range of additional services focussed on raising build quality including Construction Quality Reviews, Construction Quality Forums, Build Quality Inspections and Bespoke Workshops.
Many of our registered customers also choose to work with us for Building Control, which supports builders and developers in meeting Building Regulations on residential, mixed-use and commercial projects. We also provide additional services such as land quality endorsement, NHBC Accepts and training services.
Our Communities
Our Communities is the name for corporate social responsibility at NHBC and it is how we support the communities in which we operate and where our colleagues live, working with charity partners who are aligned with our values. We deliver the aims of our Communities through a combination of activities and events, working with and fundraising for our charity partners, matched funding for money raised by our people for their own local causes and volunteering.
Climate change – we are taking action
We are committed to supporting the Government’s ambition to achieve net zero carbon by 2050. With a proven track record of supporting house builders and developers on sustainability and environmental matters, we are ready to help the industry make the requirements of the Future Homes Standard technically and commercially viable. We are also working to deliver positive and lasting change within our own operations.
Our commitment to workplace safety
We are dedicated to high health and safety standards, adhering to ISO 45001 for effective risk management and safety practices. NHBC has earned the RoSPA Gold Award recognition for the seventh consecutive year. This accolade highlights our exceptional safety performance and commitment to a safe working environment, underlining our ongoing dedication to maintaining a robust safety culture.
