Your new home will often come with a defect liability period. This is usually 12-months from the date your home was legally transferred from the builder to the housing association (not 12-months from the day you complete your purchase).

The housing association should provide you with information on what constitutes a defect, how to report defects and how long they would expect different types of defects to be resolved.

Certain items in your home may come with warranties. For example, any built-in appliances or the heating and hot water system. The housing association should advise you if you are responsible for registering these warranties yourself.

Your new home will often be sold with some kind of structural warranty or insurance cover, which often lasts for up to ten-years. This cover protects you against structural defects due to poor workmanship or faulty materials. Be aware that such warranties often have an excess that you have to pay if you make a claim (like you find with other kinds of insurance product).