Customer Charter

We are committed to building and selling New Homes of the highest quality, and continually striving to improve our service and delivery. We know that buying a New Home is a significant financial and emotional investment for most people and so our aim is to provide first-class service for all our customers and to make the process of buying a New Home from us as easy as possible.

As a registered member of the Consumer Code for New Homes, we comply with the requirements of the Code, which has been established to ensure that best practice is followed by registered Developers in respect of the marketing, selling and purchasing of new homes, and also sets expected standards of after sales customer care service.

This Customer Charter sets out our commitment to excellence. It provides a clear guide to the procedures we will follow and the information we will provide as you go through the home-buying process.

Before you decide to buy a New Home from us, we will:

• Ensure all marketing and advertising is clear and truthful, and complies with all relevant codes of advertising and the law.
• Ensure our staff are fully trained in our high customer service standards and are knowledgable about the New Home purchase process and the Consumer Code for New Homes.
• Ensure you are safe when you visit any of our locations and explain any Health & Safety considerations to you.
• Provide you with sufficient and suitable information so that you can make an informed decision about buying a New Home from us (this includes informing you about the Consumer Code for New Homes).

When you are buying a New Home from us, we will:

• Provide you with detailed information about the New Home when you decide to reserve a New Home with us.
• Ensure that the Reservation Agreement clearly sets out fair terms and conditions.
• Provide you with guidance regarding any choices and options available to you.
• Provide you with a Missive that sets out clear, fair and compliant terms and conditions.
• Give you clear information about your right to cancel at each stage of the process.
• Explain how we will protect any deposit or pre-payment that you make to us.
• Explain the Structural Warranty we have arranged for your New Home and what to do if you need to make a claim.
• Provide you with regular updates on the construction progress of your New Home, and when it will be ready.

When your New Home is completed and ready for you to move in, we will:

• Show you round your New Home before you move in so we can show you how everything works.
• Provide you with a comprehensive Homeowner Information Pack (which will include suitable Health & Safety Information) so that you have everything you need to live in and maintain your property.

Once you have moved into your New Home, we will:

• Arrange for two follow-up visits to make sure you have settled in and answer any questions you may have.
• Ensure you and your family are kept safe from any construction activities which are still going on at the development.
• Provide our After Sales Service to you for at least two years following Completion of the Sale of your New Home.
• Provide a clear complaints process to ensure you can report any issues you have which you feel we haven’t dealt with properly or if you haven’t received the service you should have.

Demonstrating our commitment to the Consumer Code for New Homes, we will not:

• Use High-Pressure Sales Techniques to pressure you into the purchase of a New Home or to sell you any additional warranties or post-sale items.
• Mislead you about any aspect of the New Home specification, size or the date it will be completed and handed over to you.

Our Customer Care Commitment

Our commitment to you doesn’t end when you move in. We expect your new home to be free from problems, but if any issues arise, we have clear guidelines covering after-sales care and emergency services. We will clearly explain these to you and ensure that you know who to contact if you have a problem. In the first instance you should contact customercare@whiteburn.co.uk who will do their best to resolve the problem.

General Service Delivery Standards

• Emergencies: as defined in our Homeowner Information Pack, we aim to have someone with you within four hours to deal with an emergency situation.
• Where there is a defect, we will discuss a resolution with you and keep you informed regularly of our progress.

Resolving issues you might have

If problems do arise, we are committed to resolving the situation to your satisfaction as quickly as possible. We will tell you about the procedures we use for dealing with issues, and inform you about third parties or external services who may be able to offer help. If you choose to use professional advisors, we will co-operate fully with them and we will ask you to
provide us with details of who you want to represent you, and their qualifications. This is to make sure you’re properly represented and getting the best advice.

In the unlikely event that we cannot resolve the situation, you can refer your complaint to your Structural Warranty provider or to the Consumer Code for New Homes, which provides an Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme (run by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution) for issues which are covered by the Code.

Your feedback is welcome

A customer charter is only worth anything if it actually works for our customers. In all our dealings with you, whenever we meet and whatever we do, you should experience our Customer Charter in action. If you think we could improve any aspect of our Charter then we hope you’ll let us know so we can put things right; it is our sincere aim to ensure any dealings you have with us are as enjoyable and stress-free as possible.

At every stage of the process, we will always work hard to communicate effectively with you and strive to deliver what we promise. If you have any feedback, comments, suggestions or views you wish to express please contact us at on 0131 558 2710 or using customercare@whiteburn.co.uk.