"Peter Taylor" wrote in message
...
Keith wrote

Hi all,
Apologies for the X-post but the d.i.y guys always seem to know
what's
going on with regard to 'building' regs but the real domain of the
question
is my 'garden'. Basically, I've bought a new house up in Scotland and
the
garden is a bit of a nightmare. The slightest amount of rain results in
pools of standing water and the newly laid turf is apparently about to
start
rotting. Now a local landscaper has said that the problem can probably
be
rectified but I don't think it should be up to me to pay for this. The
landscaper also mentioned that standing water should be the developer's
consideration. How do you think I should approach this - should the
developer be sorting out the drainage or am I stuck with footing the
bill
for this myself ?

Thank for any guidance,
Keith


Nobody has mentioned NHBC yet. During the first two years from
completion,
assuming you have Buildmark cover and subject to certain exclusions, the
builder
is supposed to correct any defects free of charge. Your first point of
contact
is the builder but if there is a dispute or if the builder fails to act
then
NHBC Claims will take it on.

The Buildmark policy document http://www.nhbc.co.uk/pdf/policy1.pdf
expressly excludes "loss or damage resulting solely from flooding from
whatever
source or from a change in the water table level". However I would argue
your
problem is more to do with waterlogged soil and drainage than with
flooding.
The NHBC Standards require developers to carry out a thorough site
investigation
before commencing on specific design work, and particularly warns about
adequate
drainage to cope with waterlogged soil.

This is the URL concerning making NHBC Claims
http://www.nhbc.co.uk/index3.asp?pag...teps&col=green

Good luck
Peter

Hi Peter,
I look at the NHBC as kind of the last resort. I am chiefly trying to
find out how much of an argument I'm likely to get with the developer about
this before having to approach the NHBC. Thanks for the info though.

Cheers,
Keith