Customer Care Procedures and Complaints Policy
We are committed to providing the highest standards of Customer Care and will make every effort to ensure that your experience with Thakeham throughout your journey is a positive one. Our homeowners and the communities in which they live is at the heart of everything that we do, but we do understand that despite the care we take things can sometimes go wrong.
Our hope is that you will be fully satisfied with how any issues you report are dealt with by our dedicated Customer Care Team. However, if you are unhappy with the service you receive, or you feel we have not met the commitments set out to you, we would like you to tell us using our three-stage complaints policy process.
Thakeham complies with the Consumer Code for Home Builders. The primary aim of the Code is to ensure that home buyers are treated fairly, understand what service levels to expect from their new home builder, are given reliable information on which to make their decision and understand how to access speedy, low-cost dispute resolution arrangements if they are dissatisfied.
Quality Control
Thakeham follows structured inspection procedures and quality control through the development process. Following completion of your property your home will have all services commissioned and an energy performance assessment and certification. It will then receive a drop in visit by a director of the business to confirm it is ready for its final quality inspection. This is carried out by one of our dedicated Managers to ensure it meets our high standards, with any identified items discussed with the Site team so they may be addressed. In addition, your home will be subject to a building control final inspection which is carried out by the independent warranty provider to guarantee requirements concerning Building Standards and Tolerances are met.
Our Sales team will offer you access to carry out a pre-completion inspection prior to legal completion. Any issues reported by homeowners either just prior to or following occupation will be assessed in accordance with the warranty provider’s tolerances. If you are having your property inspected by a third party, please be advised that we will only accept reports carried out by a suitably accredited Surveyor e.g., RICS Accredited or equivalent.
In the final week prior to your move we will invite you to a home demonstration to show you how everything works, walk you around your new home and answer any queries you may have.
Stage 1 – Your New Home Warranty and Customer Care
Your home benefits from a two-year Thakeham Warranty backed by the 10-year NHBC buildmark insurance warranty.
In the first 2 years following legal completion, Thakeham commits to rectify any defective or faulty work within your home; including issues with fixtures and fittings that were included in the sale where these do not relate to wear and tear or lack of maintenance. Further details of our Customer Care service along with guidance and advice on new home maintenance can be found in your Home User Guide.
For your peace of mind, we also offer an out-of-hours emergency call out service, Davies Emergency Response, for the duration of Thakeham’s two-year warranty. Davies can be contacted on 0345 155 0905.
It is important to be mindful that every home has been individually hand built by skilled trades through all seasons of the year. Despite our thorough inspection procedures, it is to be expected that homeowners may see some variation in the finished appearance of constructed elements, particularly where natural materials are used.
We have a dedicated Customer Care team who are on hand to respond to any issues, concerns, or complaint you wish to raise. They can be contacted on 01403 787333 or alternatively by email at customercare@thakeham.com or on the dedicated development email contact provided to you at occupation.
We will provide you with a timescale for resolving such issues and if a delay arises, due to availability of materials for instance, then we will discuss and agree proposed actions and timescales with you.
Our Customer Care team strives to resolve any issues raised effectively, arranging an inspection visit, if required, to allow for a suitable resolution to be agreed and completed.
Stage 2 – Escalation and Formal Complaints Process
If our Customer Care team fail to agree on the resolution with you or you feel that our service or workmanship has been poor, or you have been treated unfairly then you may escalate the matter within Thakeham through our formal complaints process.
Please raise your formal complaint with Thakeham’s Director of Customer Care who has overall responsibility for our standards of service; contactable by email on CCD@thakeham.com
We will undertake to deal with your complaint fairly and confidentially, keeping you updated on progress through to resolution, which will include:
- Acknowledging your complaint in writing within 5 working days of the date it is made.
- Investigating your concerns and providing you with a more detailed response within 20 working days.
- Provide you with a final response within 30 working days or, if resolution is still underway, we will write to provide information on the cause of the delay, proposed next steps and our commitment to keep you regularly updated until the matter is fully resolved and closed.
In the unlikely event that through the above escalation and complaints process we have been unable to fully resolve matters you may ask the matter to be passed to Thakeham’s Chief Operating Officer for a final consideration.
Stage 3 – Independent Resolution
We hope that we can resolve most matters without the need for further escalation, however, if the matter cannot be settled amicably between us or you remain dissatisfied with the outcome and your complaint becomes a dispute, then you can refer your complaint to either the NHBC, your home warranty provider, for any matters that fall under their dispute resolution service or to the Consumer Code’s Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme. Both bodies offer customers a free resolution service.
You can contact the NHBC on 0800 035 6422 or email ccsupport@nhbc.co.uk. Under their dispute resolution service, the NHBC will investigate the dispute and forward their findings to both parties and under the terms of the warranty the builder is obliged to carry out recommendations within the timescales set out in the report.
You can contact the Consumer Code through their website https://consumercode.co.uk/
where you will find full details of the Consumer Code Scheme and the scope of their Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme. This includes that a dispute may be brought to the Resolution Scheme after 56 calendar days have passed since raising the formal complaint and no later than 12 months after Thakeham’s final response to the complaint.
Using Thakeham’s Escalation and Formal Complaints Process or Independent Resolution does not affect your statutory legal rights.
Note: These procedures and Complaints Policy relates to homes reserved from 1 January 2024.
