Applying for registration

You can apply for registration with NHBC whether you are building or converting homes for private sale, the social housing sector, or for your own occupation.

Being an NHBC registered builder or developer gives you access to the following:

• 10-year Buildmark cover on new and newly converted properties to protect home buyers, instilling them with added confidence in the quality of your homes.
• A free copy and CD-ROM of NHBC's Standards of construction, which are recognised and respected throughout the house-building industry. Clear and concise, they are a valuable source of reference throughout the building process.
• A range of services designed to help you during the construction process, including building control, health and safety, energy rating, training and technical advice.
• A range of free publications on a regular basis, including Standards Extra which updates you on changes in technical requirements, and Housebuilder magazine which contains up-to-date industry news.

How much does registration cost?

You will be asked to pay a non-returnable application fee. This fee is reduced for a subsidiary of a current NHBC registered builder/developer with a Premium Rating of A1*, A1, A2, B1 or B2.

Registration is renewable annually on 1 April. Renewal fees are based on the number of homes registered in the previous calendar year.

If you pay the renewal fee by direct debit you will also benefit from a 10% discount.

Application fee (effective 1st April 2006)

For builders and developers	£925.90 (£788 + VAT)
For subsidiaries of A1, A2, B1 or B2 builders	£653.30 (£556 + VAT)

Annual renewal fees (based on number of homes registered in the previous calendar year)

0 to 2 homes	£371.30 (£316 + VAT)
3 to 10 homes	£737.90 (£628 + VAT)
11 to 50 homes	£1,104.50 (£940 + VAT)
51 homes or over	£1,847.10 (£1,572 + VAT)

Note: NHBC reserve the right to review fees at any time.

How the registration process works

You can register as:

• a registered builder entitled to build homes for sale directly to home buyers, for registered developers or for housing associations, or
• a registered developer who sells homes to home buyers but must employ a registered builder as the main contractor.

Please note that as a registered developer you cannot act as a registered builder without prior written approval from NHBC.

If you wish to register with NHBC, please complete an application form and return it, with the appropriate fee, to the address stated on the form. We will acknowledge receipt of the form and fees and send you a copy of the NHBC Standards.

We will then carry out a commercial and technical assessment of your application before deciding if you can be offered conditions of registration.

Commercial assessment

We take up financial and other references for all applicants, and we may carry out company and/or personal searches via licensed credit reference agencies. If there are any adverse financial reports, your application may be rejected.

Registered builders and developers may be liable, in certain circumstances, for the obligations of other companies or firms formerly registered with NHBC. Liability normally arises when there are common director, shareholders or partners between a company or firm currently on the Register and the deleted company or firm, although the degree of liability will depend on a number of factors. In addition, if the applicant its parent company or any of its directors are resident or registered abroad, we will normally require a bond.

Technical assessment

If you are a builder, you will also be required to attend a presentation about NHBC, its Rules and procedures at one of our offices. Past and current work, together with any previous or current association with an NHBC registered builder/developer will be taken into account. As part of your assessment you will have to satisfy NHBC that you have adequate and proven technical and management capabilities, and adequate procedures for managing health and safety.

Should you be unable to demonstrate any of the above during your assessment, NHBC may have to defer (that is, you will not be offered conditions of registration) or reject your application.

If your application is deferred, NHBC will need to inspect at least one home from commencement until sufficient work has been viewed to enable a complete assessment to be made. This inspection will be without prejudice; the home(s) inspected will not qualify for Buildmark cover unless satisfactory standards are achieved, registration is offered and accepted, and inspection and insurance fees are paid.

If your application is deferred because you do not have a current site, we will keep your application pending for a year. For deferment beyond this we may have to charge a further administration fee.

Please note that until you have received written confirmation that you are registered with NHBC, you must not advertise yourself as being registered or promise cover to any party for any home. If you do so your application will be cancelled.

The offer of registration

Once the assessment process has been completed satisfactorily, we will make a formal offer of registration. This will be subject to conditions which may include:

• Personal and/or company indemnities.
• A bond or cash deposit.
• A surcharge payment on home registrations.
• A limit on the number of homes registered per year.
• An undertaking, if you are or were associated with a formerly registered builder/developer, to be responsible for their obligations under the Buildmark cover. This may include repaying debts owed to NHBC.

We will notify you of the premium rating scale appropriate to your registration. This will determine the scale of fees you pay to register properties for Buildmark cover. For details, download the Premium Rating pdf by clicking here.

Acceptance of conditions and confirmation of registration

When you have accepted conditions of registration we will send you:

• Confirmation of your registration.
• Buildmark registration forms, one of which you should use to register any home(s) we have inspected as part of the application process.
• A summary of the principal obligations of registration.
• Publicity material.
• NHBC videos produced for home buyers and sales staff.

Your responsibilities when registered

Once registered with NHBC you will have certain obligations which are fully set out in the Rules. These form the basis of the contract between you and NHBC.

To download a copy of the Rules pdf, click here.

The Rules govern the behaviour and obligations of both parties; in particular they give NHBC the right to expel any builder or developer from the Register, not only for shoddy workmanship, but also for failure to remedy defects and other significant breaches of the Rules. The names of expelled builders and developers and the reasons for expulsion may be publicised.

While it is very important that you understand all the Rules the following are particularly important:

Registration of homes

All homes that you intend to construct with the benefit of NHBC Buildmark cover must be registered at least 21 days before work begins on site.

If the site is difficult or hazardous, advance notice of the ground conditions must be given to the relevant NHBC office eight weeks prior to commencement of work. Late applications may require the payment of additional fees.

Construction should begin within one year of the date of registration and be completed within three years, otherwise additional fees may be payable.

Please remember that if you want to register homes that will be sold by another person or company you must obtain the prior written approval of NHBC before registering the homes, and NHBC may impose conditions involving the payment of additional fees or provision of financial security.

Buildmark

Once registered with NHBC you will be entitled to register your homes with us and offer Buildmark cover to your customers. During the first two years of the cover you will be required to remedy defects which are due to a failure to build in accordance with NHBC Standards. During years 3-10 of the cover, NHBC provides insurance for damage caused by defects in specified parts of the home.

For more details of the cover provided please click here for more information.

When you register a home with NHBC you will be sent a set of Buildmark documents and a booklet entitled 'Guide to Your New Home'. When you exchange contracts (or on conclusion of missives in Scotland), the Buildmark documents and the booklet must be passed to the purchaser's solicitor.

Also, the Acceptance Form contained in the Buildmark documents must be completed by the purchaser's solicitor and returned to NHBC. We will only issue the Buildmark Insurance Certificate upon satisfactory legal completion of the home (or date of entry in Scotland)

Applicant Builder Technical Training Day

If you are applying to become NHBC registered, or considering applying, or if you are about to undertake building a home yourself, this course is designed to help you through the technical inspection process. If your application is succesful NHBC will inspect your first project for technical competence and compliance against the standards. This training day has been designed to give you an appreciation of best practice and how the avoid potential costly defects.

For more information on the Applicant Builder Technical Training Day please click here

More information

If you would like more information before registering, please contact our customer helpline on 01494 735392.