The NHBC Buildmark warranty is one of the most important assurances a new build developer offers its purchasers. For the homebuyer, it provides protection against defects for up to ten years after completion. For the developer, it provides the warranty cover that makes new build plots mortgageable and saleable. Without it, the development doesn’t work commercially.
The roofing package sits at the centre of NHBC compliance on a new build residential development. Roofing failures — whether from inadequate felt and batten specification, incorrect fixing schedules, poor ventilation provision, or cold bridging — are among the most common sources of warranty claims on new build properties. And the roofing contractor’s NHBC accreditation status directly affects whether the inspection process at mid-build stages runs smoothly or becomes a source of programme delay.
Appointing a roofing contractor without NHBC accreditation on an NHBC-registered development is a risk that no developer or principal contractor should accept. Here’s why.
What NHBC Accreditation Actually Means
NHBC accreditation isn’t a single certificate issued once and held indefinitely. It reflects an ongoing assessment of a contractor’s technical standards, workmanship quality, and compliance with NHBC’s Technical Standards — the detailed technical requirements that govern how every element of a new build property should be constructed.
For roofing specifically, NHBC Technical Standards cover felt and batten specification, fixing schedules, ventilation requirements, cold bridging details, and the documentation that needs to be in place at mid-build inspection stages. An NHBC-accredited roofing contractor understands those standards in detail, applies them as a matter of course on every plot, and produces the documentation that NHBC inspectors need to see when they arrive on site.
A roofing contractor without NHBC accreditation may be capable of producing a roof that looks correct — but the likelihood of that roof meeting NHBC Technical Standards in every detail, and of the documentation supporting that compliance being in the right format, is significantly lower. The risk of failed inspections, remedial work, and programme delay sits with the developer.
The Mid-Build Inspection Process
NHBC inspectors visit new build developments at multiple stages during construction — not just at completion. For roofing, the relevant inspection stage typically falls while the roof is still accessible, before internal finishes have been applied. This is when the inspector checks that the felt and batten specification is correct, that the fixing schedule has been followed, that ventilation provision meets the required standard, and that cold bridging has been addressed.
If those elements aren’t in place at the point of inspection, the consequence isn’t a minor snag to be resolved at a later stage — it’s a failed inspection that requires remedial work before the plot can progress. On a development with multiple plots at the same stage of construction, a failed inspection on the roofing package can affect multiple plots simultaneously, with a proportionate impact on the programme.
An NHBC-accredited roofing contractor approaches every plot with those inspection requirements built into the working method. The felt and batten specification is correct from the start, not corrected after the fact. The documentation is produced as the work progresses, not assembled in response to an inspection request.
LABC and Premier Warranty Accreditation
On developments that are warranty-covered by Local Authority Building Control or Premier Guarantee rather than NHBC, the same principle applies. The warranty body’s technical standards still govern the roofing installation, and a roofing contractor who holds accreditation from the relevant warranty body provides the developer with the assurance that those standards will be met.
Globe Roofing holds accreditation from NHBC, LABC, and Premier — the three principal warranty bodies operating in the new build residential sector. That breadth of accreditation means that regardless of which warranty body is covering the development, Globe Roofing’s technical standards and documentation approach are aligned to what that warranty body requires.
The Commercial Consequence of Getting This Wrong
The cost of appointing a roofing contractor without appropriate warranty body accreditation on an NHBC-registered development isn’t limited to the cost of remedial work on the roof itself. A failed NHBC inspection delays the plot. A delayed plot pushes back legal completion. A delayed legal completion affects the developer’s cashflow and sales programme. On a large scheme with multiple plots at similar stages of construction, those consequences compound quickly.
The roofing package is not the place to reduce procurement costs by appointing a contractor who can’t demonstrate the accreditation that the development’s warranty structure requires. The commercial risk of doing so far outweighs any saving on the roofing contract.
Globe Roofing holds NHBC, LABC, and Premier accreditation alongside CHAS certification. Pre-qualification documentation is available on request.
To discuss NHBC-compliant roofing on your next new build residential development, contact Globe Roofing today.
