When your house is ready for you to move in and you have signed your letter of satisfaction (otherwise known as the happy letter), the responsibility of maintenance becomes that of the homeowner.
The items below are covered for the first three months after occupation. Thereafter, it becomes the homeowner’s maintenance.
Covered for the first three months:
In the first year, Central Developments will do the following repairs provided they were not caused by misuse or alterations:
Lastly, your house’s structure comes with a 5-year warranty by the NHBRC, but please note that if you do any structural work or make any changes to your house’s structure, this warranty will also be invalidated.
The NHBRC’s role is to protect homeowners’ interests and ensure that builders comply with the prescribed building industry standards as contained in the Home Building Manual, regardless of the size or value of your home.
This includes protecting homeowners from:
The NHBRC is governed by the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act, 1998 (Act No.95 of 1998). This act states that the NHBRC’s role is to:
(a) Represent the interests of housing consumers by providing warranty protection against defects in new homes.
(b) Regulate the home building industry.
(c) Protect housing consumers in respect of the failure of home builders to comply with their obligations in terms of this act.
(d) Establish and promote ethical and technical standards in the home building industry.
(e) Improve structural quality in the interests of housing consumers and the home-building industry.
(f) Promote housing consumer rights and provide housing consumer information.
(g) Communicate with and assist home builders in registering in terms of this act.
(h) Assist home builders, through training and inspection, to achieve and maintain satisfactory technical standards of home building.
Should you experience issues with your house that are covered under the NHBRC warranty, you can lodge a complaint by downloading a complaint form from their website or through their online services portal at this link: https://www.nhbrc.org.za/how-to-lodge-a-complaint/.
You can lodge a complaint if:
Before you submit a claim, you must:
The NHBRC will ensure that the home builder rectifies the following:
To lodge a complaint with the NHBRC, you will need:
Then you should:
The NHBRC will then provide a dispute and resolution process.
For more information, you can visit their website at https://www.nhbrc.org.za, or call them on their toll-free number at 0800 200 824.