Customer care
Before you move in
From the moment you reserve your Signature New Home, we pledge to make the experience both positive and informative every step of the way. We aim to take care of your needs, not just when you are buying but also after you have moved into your new home. Our experienced staff are encouraged to provide a high level of customer service and to deliver our comprehensive pre-move and after-sales commitment to our customers.
Reserving your Signature New Home
At pre-reservation stage you will be shown details of the appearance and location of your chosen new home together with information about our high quality finishes. Our team are on hand to answer all of your queries. The Reservation Agreement will set out the key terms of your home purchase, including the reservation period, purchase price and other very important information.
Points of Contact
We will inform you of the main points of contact who can assist you with information during your reservation period and when you have moved into your new home.
Our sales team are fully trained to offer you guidance and practical assistance throughout the home buying process. We will regularly communicate with you to keep you informed of the progress of your new home and our sales team will respond quickly and efficiently to any queries you may have.
Specification of Finishes
We will provide you with the specification appropriate to your selected new home and we will explain the selection of external materials used, for example your brick colour and roof tiles. Subject to the construction stage of your chosen home, you will be able to select certain elements of the finishes, fixtures and fittings encompassing the latest designs from leading manufacturers. If you wish to further personalise your new home, an exciting range of options is usually available to purchase. Our sales team is on hand to guide you through the choices available to you depending again on the build stage.
Signature New Homes – Quality Assured
Your new home will be built in accordance with all relevant technical and building regulations. In addition, all key stages of the construction of your new home will be inspected by our experienced construction staff to ensure the best possible standards are achieved.
Estimated Build Completion
We will provide you with an estimated build and legal completion date upon reservation, and then keep you informed of progress during the construction of your new home. In particular, should construction be delayed for reasons outside of our control, for example inclement weather or delayed connection of mains services, we will notify you of the revised build completion date.
Health & Safety
We always welcome you and your family to our developments. However, building sites can be dangerous places and should you wish to view your home we ask that you make an appointment with our Sales Advisor. When visiting your new home under construction, please follow the advice of our experienced site construction and sales staff at all times. After you have moved in, we will undertake to be as considerate as possible for as long as any construction activities continue on your development. Our aim is to maintain a safe environment for you, your family and your visitors, so please help us by making yourself aware of any potential hazards and abiding by any warning signs.
New Home Demonstration & Quality Tour
Before you move in, a member of our team will make arrangements for you to visit your new home and we will demonstrate the fixtures, systems and appliances to ensure that you are happy and familiar with their operation. During the visit, you are invited to have a good look around and tell us about anything that you consider to be below the expected quality standard, so that we can deal with it before the big day.
The big day
The Big Day!
Upon legal completion of the purchase of your new home, you will be able to move in. The keys will be available along with the following useful information:
Signature New Home Handbook
Your Signature New Home Handbook will have been prepared and tailored for you to receive at handover, to use as a reference file for your Signature new home. The Handbook contains:
- Operating & instruction manuals, plus information about key components in your home.
- Gas, Water and Electricity supply information, together with meter readings.
- NHBC Warranty certification, advice and guidance.
- Signature Customer Care contact and service information.
After you move in
Make a note
Moving in can sometimes be a stressful time, and the last thing we want is for you to be unhappy with anything about your Signature New Home. On move in day a member of our team will give you a 7 day form, which is your opportunity to note any items that need further attention. You would then give this form to a member of our Sales team to follow up with construction staff.
Dedicated Customer Care Helpline
Once you move in, should you need our advice, or should you experience a problem that needs our attention during our normal office opening hours, please call our dedicated customer care helpline on 08450 132 713 Our staff are fully trained to offer you an efficient, fair and prompt service.
Emergency Hotline
In the unlikely event of an emergency that needs our attention we will provide you with a dedicated customer hotline which is available to call 24 hours a day. The number is contained in your Signature New Home Handbook and will put you in direct contact with our contractors and their specialist engineers. The type of emergency which needs our attention outside of normal office hours is a major leak of gas or water, or complete loss of electricity, gas or water to your home. However, in these circumstances we also recommend that you contact your utility service provider for advice with this type of emergency.
10 Year NHBC Warranty & 2 Year Signature Warranty
A 2 year builder defect warranty with the developer followed by 8 years NHBC structural defect warranty to provide a maximum cover of 10 years.
Quality Assurance Home Visit
We decorate your walls & ceilings with high quality paint that allows the building to dry out naturally. Around 12 Months after completion of your Signature New Home, the signs of a little wear and tear might just be starting to show and you might be considering redecoration. At this time we will undertake to contact you and make an appointment for our experienced construction team to carry out a Quality Assurance Home Visit. Any concerns you might have will be addressed at the visit and any defects recorded for follow-up by the contract team. Once the process is complete, you can redecorate with confidence that your Signature New Home has passed its health check and is fully quality assured.
Complaints
If you wish to make a complaint, please email sales@citizenhousing.org.uk where your complaint will be recorded and responded to.
- We will provide a written acknowledgement of the complaint within 5 working days of the complaint being made.
- You can expect a more detailed response from us within 20 working days of a complaint being made.
- If the complaint becomes a Dispute, you may refer it direct to the Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme or the Home Warranty Body (or both), this is only if you are not happy with the complaint response.
A dispute may be brought to the Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme after 56 calendar days have passed since you first raised the Complaint with us and no later than 12 months after the Builder’s final response to the Complaint- complaints to the dispute service should be sent to enquiries@consumercode.co.uk or if you are covered by the NHQB code, please submit a complaint via their website www.nhos.org.uk
Keep in touch
Should you have any comments on any aspect of our service, please do not hesitate to contact us.
08457 132 713
We adopt the industry standards of good practice, procedures and information in accordance with the CONSUMER CODE FOR HOME BUILDERS