Customer Support
Your new home is covered under a 24-month defects warranty, known as the Defects Liability Period. This period starts from the date of legal completion.The building contractor, Lovell Partnerships is responsible for the rectification of snags and defects that occur during this period.
A few definitions…
What is a snag?
A snag is a minor imperfection or malfunction in your new home which does not meet the expected tolerance or finish. The Building Contractor to resolve any snags/defects within 30 calendar days of the date you notify us of the issue.
What is a defect?
A defect is a fault or malfunction in the workmanship or design of a product or system that fails to function or reach its specified standard and may require repair. The Building Contractor will aim to repair defects within 28 calendar days however more complex works and those requiring parts may take longer to complete than the specified durations. The contractor will advise in each case and provide regular updates.
What is an Emergency issue?
An issue that poses an immediate threat to safety, security, health or wellbeing. The Building Contractor will aim to attend and repair or make safe within 24 hours.
Reporting snags and defects
If you suspect that your home has an issue, please contact Lovell Partnerships on
0280 731 3800 or London.customerservice@lovell.co.uk
When you report a defect, you will be asked for your name, telephone number, together with what and where the problem is. Please provide as much information as possible including a photograph if you think this will assist.
Once a request has been submitted a decision will be made as to whether the fault is a repair, a defect or your responsibility. If you provide incorrect information which results in the building contractor attending your home to rectify an invalid defect you will be charged for the visit.
If the issue is a defect covered by the warranty, Lovell Partnerships Customer Care team will contact you directly to arrange an appointment to undertake any rectification work.
Complaint procedure
Chalkdene is committed to providing quality homes and service to the highest standard. However, we do know that sometimes things can go wrong. If you have any concerns or are dissatisfied in any way, we do ask you to let us know so we can do our best to resolve the issue for you.
In the event of you not getting a resolution to the issues raised and are not satisfied with the service within the 30 days from notification, you can make a complaint.
Should this not be responded to adequately from the initial point of contact.
The Customer Care team will follow our standard complaints procedure as follows:
Firstly, please contact the Lovell Customer Care team during working hours 9am-5pm Monday to Thursday and 4pm on Fridays.
Customer services will respond within 24 hours to acknowledge receipt of your complaint, gather any further information that is needed and if possible, resolve the complaint.
If a complaint is made over a weekend, Customer Services will respond as soon as possible the next working day.
Step 1
Written acknowledgement
A Written acknowledgement should be provided to you within 5 calendar days from the first business day after the complaint was received (complaint initiation date).
Step 2
Path to Resolution Letter
If a complaint cannot be resolved by the Customer Care team, a Resolution letter outlining the path Chalkdene intend to resolve the issue will be provided to you within 10 calendar days from the complaint initiation date. Alternative resolution routes such as with NHBC the warranty provider are noted below.
Step 3
Complaint Assessment & Response Letter
Should the complaint not yet be closed out; a Complaint Assessment providing an update of the issues raised will be provided within 30 calendar days from the complaint initiation date and if any issues haven’t been closed out, the response letter should explain why and when they will be. Also, if the Complaint is not accepted, a clear explanation on the reason.
Step 4
Eight Weeks Letter
If the complaint is not concluded and closed out within 56 calendar days from the complaint initiation date. Chalkdene will write to you explaining why and how any proposed solutions are being progressed with details of what is outstanding and reason why and the actions to be taken with indicative timescales for resolution.
Step 5
Closure Letter
A letter should be provided to you any time after the Complaint Initiation date confirming that the issue agreed in the Complaint Assessment are closed.
Should you remain dissatisfied after exhausting our complaints procedure, you may be advised to refer your complaint for independent resolution via external legal advice or the Consumer Code independent resolution scheme. Homeowners can also seek assistance through the NHBC Resolution service in years 0-2 of their policy. Homebuyers can also raise a formal complaint with the New Homes Ombudsman following our Formal Complaint process.
