Post-handover defects on housing schemes are almost inevitable within the first two years. What varies significantly between contractors is how well the response is handled. Where multiple trades were involved on the original scheme, the defect resolution conversation often becomes an argument between contractors about who is responsible.
How separately procured defect responses create developer-facing arguments
Under separately procured trade packages, each contractor holds their own defect liability period and their own commercial terms for return visits. When a defect appears at the interface between two packages, the developer typically fields inconsistent responses. One contractor argues the issue is the other trade’s responsibility. The other argues the reverse. The occupant waits.
The delay is not usually about the physical work required to fix the defect. It is about the commercial conversation needed to establish who pays for it. Where the interface is unclear at handover, the conversation can take weeks.
Under group supply, that argument does not happen. The group holds internal responsibility for cross-trade interfaces and resolves them without escalating to the developer. The developer sees a single defect response process rather than four.
Group-level defect tracking and the single point of contact
The Globe Group’s approach to post-handover defects on multi-trade schemes uses a single defect log accessible to all group trades. Each defect is triaged internally. Cross-trade defects are assigned to whichever trade takes ownership commercially, with internal cost adjustment happening later.
The response speed matters as much as the resolution mechanism. Occupants raising defects expect acknowledgement within days, not weeks. Group-level defect tracking gives us the visibility to acknowledge, schedule and complete within the timescales housing warranty providers now expect.
There is a specific benefit around the warranty provider relationship. NHBC, LABC and Premier Guarantee all track defect response times as part of their contractor performance scoring. A contractor with a strong track record on defect response gets treated better on subsequent schemes. Group-level defect tracking produces the record.
The commercial and warranty benefits of consolidated defect management
For portfolio developers running multiple schemes concurrently, the group approach also gives a portfolio view of defect patterns. If a particular detail is producing defects across schemes, we see it before the developer’s own quality team does. The specification or the install method can then be adjusted for future schemes.
The commercial arrangement with developer clients on defect management is explicit. The developer’s contact is the group commercial director, not four separate contract managers. Escalation, priority setting and completion evidence come through one channel.
For developers evaluating group suppliers, the defect management process is one of the checkable behaviours. Ask how cross-trade defects are handled internally. Ask what the tracking system looks like. Ask for evidence of response times on the last twelve months of handovers. The answers separate genuine group operations from four contractors under a shared name.
Talk to the Globe Group
To discuss post-handover defect management across group trades on your scheme, contact the Globe Group on 01223 890727 or email enquiries@theglobegroup.co.uk.
