NHBC: who we are and what we do

NHBC is the leading warranty and insurance provider for UK house-building for new homes.  As a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee, our stated purpose is to give homeowners confidence in the quality of new homes.

Established in 1936, NHBC insures over 1.5 million homes, with a new home warranty market share of approximately 80%.

NHBC is an insurer, authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

In the beginning…

We began as the National House Builders Registration Council in 1936 to tackle the sub-standard building practices seen in the inter-war years. Our aim was simple – to increase the professionalism and care shown by house builders, therefore improving the finished home for the homeowner.

NHBC registered builders

Now known simply as ‘NHBC’, around 10,000 builders and developers choose to register with us each year so that they can offer our Buildmark warranty and insurance cover on the new homes they build. We are able to provide them with technical support and assistance to help at every stage of development, from land buying, design and build, through to customer handover.

Our services

The business employs over 1,300 staff across the UK, including c. 400 building inspectors who carry out and collect data from around 1 million key stage inspections on house-builder sites across the country each year. These inspections and the data collected helps us support the industry in the delivery of high-quality, new homes.

As well as inspectors, we employ surveyors, engineers, energy assessors, health and safety, training, registration, customer service and claims staff, who deliver our key services to builder customers and to homeowners who have a Buildmark warranty and insurance policy.

NHBC has developed a position as an expert authority on the housing industry contributing to all aspects of the housing agenda; we are governed by a Council of approximately 60 people drawn from organisations or groups who have an interest in raising standards in UK house building. They include mortgage lenders, lawyers, consumer groups, architects, surveyors and house builders.