Moving in and settling down

Upon legal completion of your new home our key release team will make contact to arrange a formal handover of keys and guide you through the property familiarisation process.

Approximately seven days after legal completion we will contact you to arrange for a member of the Customer Service team to visit you. Prior to the visit, we would ask you to list any items you feel need attention, so that we can investigate the points raised and discuss them with you. We will then leave you the list agreed to be rectified under our Customer Service Agreement. At this visit, we will schedule your 1 month inspection visit with you. We would emphasise that you are scheduled to receive two general Customer Service inspection and it is therefore important that you raise any matters you feel may require attention at that time.

If the proposed date is inconvenient, or there are any items requiring urgent attention before that date, please contact the Customer Service Department on 020 8023 7092, or write to our Customer Service Department at 50 Lancaster Road, Enfield, London, Middlesex, EN2 OBY, alternatively email to - customerservices@fairview.co.uk. 

This information is intended to highlight site hazards to visitors and property occupants who may have taken up early residency of a new Fairview property whilst construction works are still in progress.
It is emphasised that the safety of visitors and customers is taken very seriously. Please ensure you follow any directions given on site or advised by Fairview staff.
Whilst we endeavour at all times to minimise risks on our development sites, we draw your attention to the following potential hazards and precautions.

1. Access/Egress
   Entrance and site roads may be used by site and delivery vehicles, beware of road conditions and slow moving vehicles.
2. Hard Hat Areas
   The active construction areas are “hard hat” designated and all personnel viewing new developments will be accompanied and provided with safety helmets.
3. Paths & Walkways
   The surfaces to be used as pedestrian ways will have been prepared. However, you should be aware of debris, uneven floors and slippery surfaces. Ladies may need to consider the appropriateness of footwear. Deviation from the recognised walkways must not be made.
4. Children
   Children tend to use an active building site as an adventure playground, whereas in reality it is full of dangers. Whilst danger areas are protected with fencing and other means, children must not be allowed to roam freely on to the site.
5. Parking
   Where possible, vehicles should be parked in the car parks provided and away from the roads used by site vehicles.
6. Warning Signs
   All hazards are highlighted by various safety warning signs, e.g. temporary manhole openings etc.
7. First Aid
   All Fairview sites have qualified first aiders present during normal construction working hours. In addition, all sales offices are equipped with a first aid kit.

If you have a question or need to make us aware of a new issue, please contact us via Telephone 020 8023 7092 / Email customerservices@fairview.co.uk / Website www.fairview.co.uk

If your enquiry relates to an emergency during office hours (between 9am and 5.30pm weekdays), please telephone the Customer Service team using the information provided above.

If you have an emergency situation on a Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday between 9am – 5.30pm please telephone: 020 8023 7092

Should you have an emergency during the times we do not provide cover, please either contact your Managing Agent (if applicable) or engage your own contractor if the issue cannot be contained. Please forward any invoices or reports supplied by your own contractor for review. In the event of an emergency please remember to isolate water at your stop cock or contain the flow of water and turn off any electrics at the consumer unit.

Please note, the following situations constitute an emergency:

•    Complete failure of the heating systems and/or hot water system between November - March*
•    A water leak or flooding that cannot be contained 
•    A complete failure of the electrics*
•    Security - a fault to a window or external door causing a loss of security
•    Any other situation that causes a risk to life

*Before reporting an emergency, please ensure that the problem is not caused by a general failure in the area.

Your home has been constructed by a number of different trades in accordance with relevant Building Control requirements.  Although every care has been taken to ensure it is handed over with no problems, there can occasionally be some minor issues that only become apparent once the home is occupied.  These are known as snags or snagging issues and they are covered by the two-year Builders’ Warranty.

If you identify any snags, or believe something could be a snagging issue, please contact the Customer Service team using the details above.  They will log the details and either arrange for a repair, or in the event it is a more complex issue, they may arrange for somebody to come and inspect the problem in order to confirm the appropriate next steps.

Under normal circumstances, we expect to resolve most snags within 30 days.  Where this is not possible, for example, due to having to order materials which have a longer lead time, we will keep you regularly updated and confirm an anticipated date for the repair as soon as we can. We will not pay compensation for attending to snagging issues.

During the first few months, your home will need to ‘settle’.  This includes allowing it to dry out gently. During construction, a new home is subject to the weather and many thousands of litres of rainwater can be absorbed by the structure before it is made watertight.  

As the structure is drying out, you may notice minor cracks in interior walls (shrinkage) or white deposits on any brickwork (efflorescence).  Shrinkage happens when timbers and plaster contract as they dry out.  Efflorescence deposits are natural salts that come out of the wall materials and are quite normal. These salts are not harmful and usually disappear over time. 

Shrinkage and efflorescence may occur regardless of what you do, but there are steps you can follow to try and minimise them:

•    To keep cracks and gaps to a minimum, you need to allow your home to dry out gradually.  
•    Leave windows or trickle vents open and use extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms to help to ventilate your home and allow moisture to evaporate more naturally.  This will also avoid condensation forming which can damage timber and paintwork.
•    The length of time your house takes to dry out depends on how it was built and in what sort of weather conditions.  Generally speaking, it will take around nine months to a year. 
•    After this time, shrinkage can normally be put right very easily with ordinary filler and a simple lick of paint during routine redecoration carried out by yourself.
•    Shrinkage is accelerated by heat, so try to keep an even temperature throughout your home.  
•    If you move in during winter, it may be tempting to turn on the heading to its highest setting.  This is not recommended as the high heat may accelerate shrinkage. 

Some elements of your new home will require regular maintenance.  These are not snags and are part of routine homeowner maintenance.  These could include areas such as annual servicing of your central heating boiler, protecting any garden fencing, or painting external timber or render.  Please review the warranty and service information we have provided and contact the Customer Service team if you have any other questions.

Defects that arise after the Customer Service inspection which are judged to be sufficiently serious to be considered “outside the normal building tolerances” must be notified to the Company in writing within the period of two years from the date of the NHBC Certificate for your property. Items such as normal drying-out cracks, shrinkage of timber or general wear and tear are not included in this category. Further details are given in the Warranty section below.

The Warranty Scheme offered by the NHBC covers your new home. You should have received details of the scheme directly from NHBC following reservation, as the cover is effective from exchange of contracts. Your Solicitor will also provide you with the insurance Cover Certificate on completion.

The cover provided by the NHBC incorporates two stages:
During this ‘Initial Warranty’ which runs for the first 2 years from the date of legal completion we cover everything supplied as part of your new home in the event of defects caused by either faulty workmanship or materials.

During the Initial 2 year Warranty it is essential that you maintain your property, including servicing of the boiler and heating systems, decoration and garden maintenance etc. Exclusions from the cover are carpets and white goods (which fall within the manufacturer’s warranty), cosmetic defects, damage caused to roof tiles following the installation of satellite dishes or aerials, natural shrinkage, condensation, materials or appliances installed after your purchase, storm or accidental damage. We cannot accept any responsibility for any damage to kitchen worktops, fitted bedroom or bathroom furniture, sanitary ware, appliances or glass that has not been noted on the key release form.

On expiry of the ‘Initial Warranty’ period your property continues to benefit from the ‘Structural Warranty Period’ which runs for the remaining 8 years. This insurance is in place to protect you against stuctural damage, if this is a result of non-compliance with the technical requirements set down by the NHBC.

The NHBC has produced a helpful 'Guide to your New Home' document, which can be downloaded here, and gives details of thing to be aware of when moving into a new home including possible problems to look out for.

Transfer of Ownership:
The NHBC’s ‘Initial Guarantee Period’ is transferable to new owners should the property still be within the 2 year ‘Initial Guarantee Period’.

The NHBC’s ‘Structural Guarantee Period’ continues from years 3 to 10.

Renting your Property:
Should you wish to rent your property, please note that we will only take instructions regarding defects from the original owner of the property and not agencies or tenants. The ‘Initial Guarantee Period’ does not cover any damage caused by tenants through negligence, damage or poor maintenance.