Here’s some handy hints about general homeowner maintenance, as well as some useful tips specific to your new-build home.
For more information and guidance on looking after your new home, read our homeowner manual here.
Call us on 01207 503 293 if you have any of the below emergencies:
Plumbing and Drainage
A risk of flooding, water ingress or leaving your home without a flushable toilet.
Electricity Supply
A breakdown of your electricity supply affecting your property only.
Primary Heating System
A breakdown of your heating and hot water system.
Security
Damage or fault to external doors, locks and windows that render your home insecure.
For Gas leaks, please call Gas Emergencies on 0800 111 999.
You’ve probably got lots of ideas about what to do first, now that you’ve moved into your brand-new home, but there are a few things you should prioritise to ensure you can settle in without worry.
Your boiler comes with a 2-year warranty provided by the manufacturer. You must register your boiler and ensure your boiler is serviced by a Gas Safe registered engineer within your first year of occupation or this warranty will be void.
In the first twelve months, your home will need to ‘settle’; this includes drying out gently. As this occurs, minor hairline cracks in walls and gaps in joinery can appear, as well as signs of mould in poorly-ventilated areas.
These tend not to be major concerns, and there’s no definitive way to prevent them, but you can reduce the chances by:
Nail pops are small circles that protrude from your wall and ceiling and show up where fixings have been fastened with nails. Nail pops are a normal part of the drying out process of your home and are a type of shrinkage.
Register all your kitchen appliances with their manufacturers to ensure their warranties are validated. Details of appliance manufacturers can be found in your handover documentation pack.
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Your Avant lawn has been laid using turf approved by the Turfgrass Growers Association, on a bed of at least 100mm of topsoil, approved to British Standards. Caring for a lawn, requires regular maintenance to keep it healthy and vibrant. As it’s a living plant, there are a few simple steps you need to follow to keep it looking its best and help it thrive.
Keep off the grass for a few weeks after you move in. As a rule, leave it three weeks between April and October and six weeks between October and March. If you’re not sure, a simple test is to check whether the ground is firm enough to take your weight without making impressions.
Make sure your turf doesn’t dry out by watering it regularly.
Only water in the early morning or early evening, so the sun doesn’t burn off the water you’ve applied.
It’s important not to overwater your turf at any stage as this creates boggy conditions which encourage the development of moss and grass diseases and shallow rooting. It’s also vital not to let your turf dry out, so check it regularly.
Feeding your lawn will help it stay healthy. New lawns will benefit from a first feed after two or three months. Before you apply the feed, make sure you read the instructions as too much feed can scorch your lawn and kill the grass. When feeding, look out for signs of pests or diseases and apply moss killer if needed.
Although every care has been taken to ensure your new home is handed over with no problems, there can occasionally be some minor issues that only become apparent once the home is occupied. These are known as snags. Avant Homes are responsible for addressing the issues covered under the terms of the Avant Homes Homeowner Warranty for the first 24 months of your home’s occupation.
If you identify any snags, please contact your regional Customer Services department here.
Once an issue is logged, Customer Services will arrange for a repair or, in the event it is a more complex issue, may arrange for somebody to inspect the problem in order to confirm the appropriate next steps.
Under normal circumstances, we expect to resolve most snags within 30 days. Where this is not possible, we will keep you regularly updated and confirm an anticipated date for the repair as soon as we can.
The Avant Homes warranty provision is a 10-year warranty which includes a two-year builder (Avant) warranty from legal completion and a further eight years of structural defects insurance cover from a warranty provider, which will either be the NHBC or Premier Guarantee.
With an Avant home (reserved after the 7th March 2023), you will have the peace of mind that your home is covered by the New Homes Quality Code. This provides you with confidence and assurance that you will receive a quality home with great customer service.
Occasionally, new homes will have snags. The NHQC has a guide on what constitutes as a snag. You can read this here.
Once all the urgent stuff is out of the way, there are some key things to bear in mind to help maintain your new home.
In winter months, you should isolate your outside tap and drain it to prevent it freezing and causing damage to your pipes.
If you have any other questions about your new home, our team is more than happy to help. Just speak to your Sales Advisor, or Customer Liaison Manager.
