My Sky-House - Home maintenance

We provide all new homeowners with warranty cover for the first two years of ownership. Our warranty provides protection against most defects within this period and is supplemented by additional insurance protection provided in years three to ten (through the ICW or a similar industry regulated insurance scheme). Please see our guides for more information.

A defect is defined as non-compliance, or a failure to perform to the regulatory standards covering all aspects of your new home.

Defects do not include damages caused by storms, negligence, abuse, or a failure to maintain a product in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations. A drainage issue caused by the flushing or disposal of inappropriate products or substances into the drainage system. Normal settlement and shrinkage cracks. Condensation or associated problems caused by a failure to adequately ventilate the property.

To report any defects in the home covered by your warranty, please log onto the Clixifix “Residents Portal”. You should have been sent a link on handover to create your own log-in details. Please get in touch with the customer care team if you have not received these.

In case of an emergency, please contact us immediately during office hours. For out of office hours, please call SafeGuard on 01207 503293.

The following situations are considered to be emergencies:

• A water leak that cannot be contained or is penetrating an electrical fitting.
• Gas leaks (you should also call out your gas supplier immediately, who will isolate the leak and have your home made safe).
• Complete failure of the heating and/or hot water system.
• Complete loss of water or gas supply (please check with relevant authority/supplier that the problem is not caused by a temporary supply interruption).
• Loss of electricity supply. You must check first with your supplier to ascertain whether there has been an interruption, such as a local power failure, to the supply. This will only be considered an emergency situation if there is a complete loss of power to the entire unit which cannot be rectified by resetting the trip switch on the consumer unit.
• A failure of locks or mechanisms leaving the property unsecured.
• A blockage in the underground drainage system, causing water to back up in WCs.  In such circumstances, please do not allow any more water to enter the drainage system and contact the customer care team immediately.

Your new home needs a ‘cooling off’ period during the first few months. During this time remember that your house is still drying out, as thousands of litres of water were used in the construction. As your home dries out, it will release moisture into the air which can create condensation on cold surfaces, such as windows and exterior walls. You can reduce this by keeping background central heating as low as possible, and you may choose to open windows for a while each day, to circulate fresh air around the house. During this period, a few small cracks may appear in the walls and woodwork. This is quite normal and can be cured when you re-decorate. Please refer to homeowner guide for more information.

The kitchen extractor above the hob is designed to catch grease and food particles, helping to keep the air in your kitchen clean and free from smells. This is usually a grill that can unclip and drop down for cleaning. These can be washed gently with hot soapy water to remove grease and can be replaced once dry. Please refer to the manufacturers guide for more information.

Your carpet may need re-stretching. Please contact the customer care if the carpet was fitted by us.

This is usually due to shrinkage of the property, which is a natural occurrence. It is not considered a building defect, however if considered to be excessive, please contact us.

Related guides:

All appliances/white goods supplied by us are covered by a manufacturer’s warranty and are therefore not covered by our two-year warranty. Please refer to manufacturers booklet for details and contact the manufacturer directly.

If you refer to your homeowner information pack that you received on completion, you should find these details.  If these details are not included, please contact the customer care team.

Please contact us if the flooring was fitted by us.

Please refer to your homeowner information pack for information on how to maintain your laminate flooring or refer to the manufacturer’s guidance.

We recommend that you inspect your flooring carefully on legal completion of your new home. We would expect any damage to be reported to us within 1 week of completion. If reported after this time then it will unfortunately not covered by your warranty.

This is normal and usually due to the glass manufacturing process. From time to time, glass will contain bubbles or fine scratches that can be seen at close quarters. Glass should be viewed at a distance of no less than 2 meters from inside the room in natural daylight, or 3 meters for toughened laminated or coated glass. If viewed under these circumstances and it is still visible please contact the customer care team.

Always check for cables and pipes prior to attempting to fix anything. Please contact us if you are unsure of the location of pipes or cabling.

Locate the position of the framework by tapping across the wall. The studs are usually about 600mm or 450mm apart and produce a dull solid sound. If you can’t find the studs, make a small hole where you think the stud may be – if you hit the cavity you’ve missed the spot. If the fixing is to go on a stud, drill through the plasterboard into the timber until you get to the metal and use fixings directly to it. Please contact us if you are unsure.

Ceilings are made of the same construction as walls and you should fix to them in the same way – locate the joists and fix to them. If you don’t do this, use a toggle or patent anchors. Make sure you don’t suspend heavy weights from the ceiling, it is not designed for this purpose. Make sure you locate wires and pipes prior to installation of fixings. Please contact us if you are unsure.

We are responsible for the installation of the caballing for phone and broadband services. Once you have moved into the property you are free to choose your own service provider who you will need to contact directly to get an account set up. It may not always be possible for us to connect telephone or broadband services to every property before move-in day. Please contact the customer care team who will be able to confirm if your property is connected.

You should receive your first bills within the first three months of moving in. After legal completion your meter readings will be recorded on your Key Release Certificate which will be available on your Clixifix portal.

You will be responsible for all utility charges from legal completion. If you don’t receive a utility bill, please contact your utility supplier. Whilst the energy provider is determined on completion, you are free to shop around for your own preferred energy provider.

Condensation is common in new homes whilst the home dries out. Condensation is caused by water vapour or steam when it comes into contact with a cold surface. This is the same as when steam in the bathroom condenses on the window or mirror.

If it is allowed to persist it can sometimes lead to mould on surfaces. Here are a few tips to reduce moisture and prevent condensation:

• Use fans and open windows when showering.
• Use the cooker hood and extractor fan when cooking.
• Always keep doors closed when cooking, washing, bathing and drying out clothes indoors.
• Cover pans when cooking to reduce steam.
• Avoid drying clothes over heaters and dry outside whenever possible. If using a
  tumble dryer, make sure it is vented to the outside air (unless it is self-condensing).
• Avoid using kettles, toasters or microwaves under cupboards where possible, to prevent steam from damaging the cupboards above.
• If your home has a ventilation system fitted, these should not be switched off at
  any time.
• In rooms or cupboards with no direct access to fresh air, keep air circulating
  regularly and try to keep free from clutter.
• Always keep fresh air circulating by opening windows on the catch mechanism
  whenever possible.

As your home is lived in and heated, materials will shrink and this can cause small cracks
on walls and ceilings, at joints and in corners of skirting boards. These are known as shrinkage cracks.

These natural cracks are an unavoidable part of the build process and therefore are not covered by the two year warranty. If you have any concerned about wide cracks (enough to fit a £1 coin in), please get in touch with the customer care team.