Troubleshooting in your home

As a homeowner you’re responsible for repairs and maintenance inside of your new home.

This includes fixtures, fittings and any goods or appliances you own, as well as looking after any garden, garage and driveway you may have within your property boundary.

• Interior decoration.
• Central heating, boilers and radiators.
• Kitchen appliances, eg fridges and freezers.
• Door handles and locks.
• Plumbing and blockages.

If your home is a house

Your Lease makes you responsible for all repairs and maintenance, including the structure of the building. You're responsible for arranging or carrying out any repair and redecoration works necessary. Unless the property is still under its defects period you're also responsible for meeting the costs of these works.

If your home is an apartment

You're responsible for repairs and maintenance and the costs associated with this for the interior of your property. The repairs and maintenance to the structure of the property and the communal areas will be the Landlord’s responsibility.

Latimer takes customer care seriously. Following the completion of your home, the building contractor is responsible for any defects that occur within the defects liability period (DLP) of your home. This starts from the date the property is handed over from them to us and covers a set period, which is usually from 12 months.

Up until two years after the building contractor completed the property, you're able to raise certain items with the organisation providing your Building Warranty. After this, you can also report certain structural items until that warranty expires. You'll find details in the terms of your warranty.

New-build properties will naturally adjust over a period time as materials, and the ground around the new structure, settle. This is covered through your home's defect liability period (DLP).

A 'snag' is a minor defect or flaw that remains in a property after building work is complete. A scratch on a window or a loose hinge on a door, for example. Some of these will be identified when you move in to your new home. 

A ‘defect’ is something in a newly built property that doesn't work as it's expected to, such as a door that won't close properly.

At the end of the DLP we'll confirm that any repairs we're responsible for have been dealt with.

Responsibility for a 'repair' is defined by what’s caused the issue. For example, we'll organise the repair of a leak from a waste pipe as it’s expected to be in working order. We won't repair the pipe if the fault is caused by accidental damage. In that instance you’re liable for repair of that damage.

It’s your responsibility to ensure the property is well maintained and to manage any repairs that are not due to a defect. Examples of these are: annual gas servicing, changing lightbulbs, cleaning and clearing gutters, ensuring good ventilation. There's a wide range of home insurance policies available that could help cover instances of accidental damage.

Our homeowners are able to report urgent and non-urgent defects for repair from this page. Scroll down to 'Next steps for reporting an issue'.