Structural warranties date back to Napoleon

The evolution of structural warranties in the UK

Over the last century there have been many changes to the construction of houses in the UK, the most notable of which was the introduction of council housing following the First World War. This sparked a housing boom and a change in the way houses were built to keep up with demand. The construction industry turned towards mass-produced homes built out of concrete and steel-frames.

Although these new construction methods meant homes could be produced more quickly it also meant that the housing market became flooded with substandard homes. The Government decided to take action and enforced a legislation on newly built homes where the builder must pay a 10% deposit of the total build cost as a guarantee against any defects arising in the property up to 2 years after completion.

In 1965 these building standards developed into the ten year warranties we are more familiar with today.

Since this date the policy cover and competition in the new home warranty market has changed greatly including the entrance of LABC Warranty in 2007.

Despite all these changes we can all be thankful to the little corporal who built an empire.