ABC+ Warranty Consumer Code

ABC+ Warranty provide Building structural Latent Defects insurance policies and Professional Consultant Certificates for all developers/self-builders of New or Newly Converted properties.

Based in Manchester since 1989, our passion for providing warranties on homes for all purchasers that are built to the highest standards and creating environments that make lifelong memories is the reason we operate every day.

All our surveyors are RICS Qualified, and all our staff work hard to provide additional support to all our Code Subscribers and new homeowners from the start of the project and throughout our policy period.

Our ABC+ Homeowners Guide contains helpful information to ensure all our homeowners have a positive ‘settling-in’ process. This has been produced with additional comments from our Qualified Surveyors based upon their collective years of inspecting homes and input from our claims team, who have first-hand experience of the types of reported concerns.

Any property displaying our ABC+ Warranty Consumer Code badge logo, should be evidence that the property is ‘fit for purpose’ and that support is on hand as and if required. All our new homeowners are treated in a fair and transparent way and offered everything they should need when purchasing a new or newly converted property.

VISIT : ABC+ Warranty (ext. website)

CERTIFIED

Approved Code of Practice

This is to certify that the published Consumer Code of Practice of ABC+ Warranty was officially granted APPROVED CODE status in 2024. Since then, the relevant provisions, processes and procedures have been continuously monitored and regularly audited by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) - the representative body of the UK Trading Standards profession, since 1881, and one of the primary Government-endorsed consumer protection bodies in the United Kingdom - operating on behalf of the Approved Code Scheme (see Code Audit Record, below).

Approved Code Registry :

Code Sector	New Home Construction and Warranties
Code of Practice	Click here to view (pdf opens in new tab)
Year of Approval	2024
Members	TBC
Last Audited	TBC
Code Audit Record	TBC

More about ABC+ Warranty

VERIFY A COMPANY : If you want to check that a business displaying the Approved Code Scheme logo is genuinely a member of the scheme, please enter their details in the search box at the top of the page (or use the main search box on the Homepage).

The ABC+ Warranty Code of Practice

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The purpose of the Code is to ensure that purchasers of new and newly converted property:

Are treated fairly and with respect at all stages in the process.
Know who they are contracting with and can be confident that the business is legitimate.
Can be confident in the quality of construction of their prospective home.
Receive exemplary customer service.
Are advised on how to look after their new property and address any problems that may arise following the occupation of their home.
Are given clear and honest information at the right time allowing them to make an informed choice.
Understand the procedure for dealing with customer enquiries and any complaints they may have; and
Know that as potentially vulnerable consumers they will be given additional support and sufficient information to suit their individual needs.

Read the ABC+ Warranty Code Of Practice (pdf)

Why is a Code of Practice so essential in this Sector?

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Building confidence in the build for future homeowners is crucial. As major investments and family homes are built, they must ensure they are fit for purpose and that steps are made from the first point of the build to ensure there is a reduction in foreseeable risk and harm to the end-users.

The provisions of the Code will apply for the statutory period (6 years or 5 years in Scotland) within which a consumer may make a civil claim for a breach of Contract. However, the level of any compensation awarded will be mitigated by the extent of the time that has lapsed between the date of the completion of the Contract and the date that any claim is made.

Summary of the ABC+ Warranty Code of Practice

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The purpose of our ABC+ Warranty Code is to ensure that all our consumers are treated fairly and honestly at all stages of the purchase and during the life of our policies. Building trust and confidence in your purchase is key to the Code.

We understand that sometimes things don't go as planned, so having this support and knowing who to turn to is vital to ensuring additional support. Flexibility and sufficient information tailored to meet your needs.

Our step-by-step guide for the Code Subscribers/Developers and their purchasers ensures you have up-to-date contact details on who to contact and when.

ABC+ Warranty offers a free adjudication and mediation service to all homeowners, through our partner CEDR (Centre of Excellence for Dispute Resolution), introducing our dedicated online complaint process.

Read the ABC+ Warranty Code Of Practice (pdf)

What types of businesses are Members of ABC+ Warranty?

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Our consumers vary greatly, from major developers of large projects to self-builders and one-off developers. From housing estates to small barn conversions and almost anything in-between.

Scope of the Code

The Code applies to any purchase of a new or newly converted property that is covered by an ABC+ Structural Warranty issued after 1 February 2018.

The Code also applies to the purchase of a new property proposed to be sold under a shared ownership scheme that is covered by an ABC+ Structural Warranty issued after 1 February 2018.

The Code does not apply to those properties:

Bought for investment purposes
That is self-built, and the builder becomes the occupier
Developed by social landlords for rental purposes
Solely covered by an Architects Professional Consultants Certificate
Taken in part exchange and re-sold
Being purchased by an investor that is allocated to another person before completion

How are businesses vetted - before and after joining?

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We have a strict due-diligence process and subjectivities before issuance of a warranty. All our consumers have to adhere to set criteria such as:

Experience checks
Inspection reports
CV & Finance checks

We monitor all the information provided to the end consumer and how they support them during our Developer Liability Period of 24 months after the practical sign-off.

Adherence to our Code is monitored by our dedicated Code team.

Any prospective Code Subscriber should be a legitimate business and be able to demonstrate financial stability.

The Code Subscriber should demonstrate a clear commitment to:

Meeting the code criteria and maintaining compliance, and
That they have the necessary infrastructure to conform to the Code.

What happens if a business breaks the ABC+ Warranty Code of Practice?

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We take all breaches of our Code seriously. Dependent upon the scale of the Breach a warning with be issues and noted by ABC+ Warranty and potentially we can refuse to accept any further business from the Code Subscriber.

Any contravention of the code may be investigated by the code sponsor and appropriate action may be taken.

After auditing if the Code Subscriber has fallen below 80% compliance an any aspect of the code and the Code Subscriber has not demonstrated how they intend to rectify the non-compliance, the matter will be referred to the Disciplinary and Sanctions Panel.

The Code Sponsor may investigate, without the prior consent from the Code Subscriber any potential breaches of the code. The Code Subscriber may refer these matters to the Dispute Resolution Service and subsequently to the Disciplinary Panel.

If the Code Subscriber is referred to the Disciplinary and Sanctions panel they should cooperate fully.

Sanctions: Where a Code Subscriber has failed to comply with the code the panel will be asked to consider those breaches of the code.

Re-training: Where a breach is deemed to be of a minor nature by the panel, they will require the Code Subscriber to identify those employees responsible for the breach and require them to participate in a training programme to ensure that they understand what they have to do to comply with the code.

Administrative Penalty: An administrative penalty may be recommended by the panel for serious breaches of the code or repeated minor breaches of the code and ABC+ Warranty commit to implementing the panel’s recommendations.

Serious Breaches: If the Code Subscriber refuses to re-train its staff the panel can recommend that a financial penalty is imposed of not less than £500.00 and not more than £2,000.00. The actual figure dependent on the seriousness of the breach.

Disputes and Complaints

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As a consumer, if you ever enter into a dispute with a business that is a member of ABC+ Warranty, the business must offer you Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). This is a simpler, cheaper and faster alternative to going to Court. And the adjudications of the independent ADR body are binding on the business (although you are still free to go to Court afterwards).

Offering customers ADR is a mandatory and non-negotiable requirement for membership of the Approved Code Scheme - ensuring that only the best, most customer-centric businesses remain in the scheme. It also acts as a powerful incentive for any member business to treat you with respect, courtesy and fairness, at all times.

ABC+ Warranty became an approved ADR body in 2024.

ABC+ are an approved ADR scheme, meaning that this process can be completed even quicker than when being referred to an Independent ADR scheme. ABC+ will work with both the developer and the consumer to mediate and to help achieve a mutual agreement in resolving the complaint.

Full information and processes are available to view on the ABC+ Warranty website.

ABC+ Warranty's Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) :

Independent ADR Body	Centre of Excellence for Dispute Resolution (CEDR)
Website	www.cedr.com/
Contact number	(0)20 7536 6000
NOTES

Complain about a ABC+ Warranty Member business

If you feel you have been mistreated by a business that is a member of the Approved Code Scheme, there are steps you can take. In the first instance, please reach out to them - explaining the nature of your complaint in clear and unambiguous language, and mentioning that you are aware of their membership of the ABC+ Warranty and the Approved Code Scheme. In most cases, this approach will ensure your complaint receives proper attention - and, ideally, a resolution will be forthcoming. If you are not happy with the result, they must offer you Alternative Dispute Resolution, or you can request it.

Only if this approach fails to bear fruit should you contact ABC+ Warranty, or their nominated ADR body (see their contact details, above) - who will then do their best to help you resolve your dispute with the business.

ABC+ Warranty's Advice :

They should inform us of the concern that has let to the dispute and copy us into any correspondence with the person they are in dispute with. They must provide us with all the supporting information to evidence their complaint. The Code Subscriber must provide a response within the set timescales of 7 calendar days to acknowledge the complaint and try to resolve the concern within 30 calendar days.

ABC+ Warranty cannot engage in any disputes of any nature; however we can offer limited support to both parties until such point as they have exhausted all attempts to resolve the complaint and a final response is provided and rejected by the customer.

We work in conjunction with CEDR and will refer them to CEDR ADR website once an application form has been completed and referred to CEDR for them to make a judgement on the suitability of the case.

CEDR’s decision is Legally Binding upon the Code Subscriber and that they understand this will be at a cost to the Code Subscriber as ABC+ Warranty will provide the referral cost free for the customers only.

Complain about ABC+ Warranty (Code Sponsor)

If a consumer is unhappy with ABC+ Warranty's services, they can write to us to make a formal complaint via the following email address: info@architectscertificate.co.uk .

Alternatively - and in the interests of complete transparency and fairhandedness - if you represent a business and would like to complain about the way that the ABC+ Warranty operates as part of the Approved Code Scheme, please contact us at: ccab@tsi.org.uk.

Organisation Information

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Code Sponsor Name	ABC+ Warranty
Website	www.architectscertificate.co.uk
Contact Number	0161 928 8804
Email or Online Form	info@architectscertificate.co.uk
Contact Address	ABC+ Warranty & Architects Certificate, 1 Anchorage Court. Caspian Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 5HH

Corporate Details (from Companies House) :

Registered Name	PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTS CERTIFICATE LTD
Company Reg. No.	07763351
Established	2011
Reg. Address	1 Anchorage Court Century Park, Broadheath, Altrincham, England, WA14 5HH

Return to the Approved Code Directory

PLEASE NOTE : We recently changed the consumer-facing name of the scheme from the Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS) to the Approved Code Scheme. However, some of our publicity and contractual materials (produced before June 2024) may still include references to the original name. Until we have adapted everything, both names remain valid - and we apologise for any confusion.