Shared owners

A ‘defect’ is something in a newly built home that doesn't work as expected, such as an external door that has dropped and is unable to be secured.

Things like paint on bannisters or floors from decorating doesn't count as a defect.

For more information, check pages 44-50 of our New Home User Guide. 

Before reporting a defect:

• Check the user manual guides from your handover pack and, if relevant, follow the instructions to see if you can fix the issue quickly and safely.

If there’s a problem with gas or electric:

• Gas – check there are no on-going works in your local area.
• Electrical – check your fuse box to make sure an appliance hasn’t tripped a fuse. Please refer to the New Home User Guide.
• Be sure that the issue is due to poor quality work or materials.
• Take a photo of the issue and email it to us.

When you move into a new-build home, you might find minor defects or issues that need attention. Depending on their cause, these can be either snags or repairs.

A 'snag' is a minor defect or flaw in a property after building work is finished. For example, a loose door hinge or bubbling vinyl flooring.  

A repair is needed where something is damaged, faulty, or worn. They are usually more significant. 

You can tell us about non-urgent repairs online or if it’s urgent, please call us on 0345 8 507 507.

• Snags – If reported within your defect period (usually the first 12–24 months), the builder will usually fix these at no cost.
• Repairs – The builder may be responsible if the issue is due to a fault in construction or materials. However, if the damage is caused by wear and tear, accidental damage, or misuse, it would be your responsibility to arrange the repair.

Our priority is providing warm, safe and comfortable homes but it’s natural to expect some minor defects to happen in new build homes, so don’t worry if you find an issue. Sometimes, defects might only be seen when a home has been lived in for a while. Please report any issues to us as soon as possible.  

All new homes have moisture in the walls and materials, which gradually needs to dry out. To help this process along, keep your house well-ventilated and consistently heated.

As it dries out, parts of the house will ‘settle’. For example, you might see cracks around architraves, or doors and windows might become more challenging to open. Don’t worry, this is normal.

Small settlement cracks are within tolerance in NHBC guidelines but if the crack is wider than the width of a £1 coin, please send photos to [email protected]

Most settlement cracks can normally be put right very easily with ordinary filler and a coat of paint. 

Structural and safety issues:

• Total power failure (not caused by a local power cut).
• Total loss of water supply.
• Serious leaks or burst pipes causing flooding.
• Collapsed ceilings or walls.
• Unsafe structures (like major cracks or falling masonry).

Gas and fire safety:

• Gas leaks should be reported to the Northern Gas Networks on 0800 111 999.
• Carbon monoxide leaks.

Drainage and sewage issues:

• Faulty drainage systems not caused by customers flushing inappropriate items like nappies and wipes.

For more information, check page 48 of our New Home User Guide.

You can report a defect on our website or by emailing [email protected]

As a shared owner, you must tell us about all defects in your home. Please do not contact the developer directly.

Sending a photo or video of the defect is essential for us to understand the issue and it helps us identify how to fix the problem.

Once you’ve reported a defect, we may contact you for more details. We need to understand the problem correctly to find the right person to help. We may ask for further photos or videos to help us assess the situation and decide how urgent it is.

We’ll then pass the details over to the developer and they will contact you to arrange an appointment.

You can find your defect end date in your key handover checklist, given to you by your sales officer when you completed.

During the defect liability period, the developer is responsible for covering the costs of fixing any defects.

We’ll contact you to arrange a final defect inspection. Our Clerk of Works will visit your home and complete a report which is sent to the developer.

After this, all repairs will be down to you as the homeowner to organise and carry out.

Your home was checked at handover by our Clerk of Works. Our Sales Officers also do regular checks on empty homes every 21 days.

Staircasing is where you buy more shares of your home until you own it outright. The minimum amount you can buy can depend on your lease agreement.

If you are thinking about buying more shares of your home, the first step is to speak to a financial advisor. They will check and confirm you can start staircasing. Once you have spoken to a financial advisor, please get in touch with us by emailing [email protected] and we will help you start the next step!

You can find out more with our Staircasing Guide. 
 

There are a few costs to think about when staircasing like valuation fees, solicitor fees, mortgage fees, admin fees, the value of the share you are buying, and stamp duty, if applicable. It’s worth thinking about the costs involved in buying more shares in your home.

There is no specific time limit. However, you should think about the cost of staircasing before deciding to do so.

Staircasing allows you to decide how much and when you would like to buy more shares in your home. As long as you buy a minimum share of 10%, the choice is up to you!

When you buy more shares in your home, we will update your rent payments in line with your new share, depending on how much you staircase. This will decrease your rent payments.

The home is then yours outright, and you are no longer restricted by the lease criteria. There may be restrictions depending on the local area. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

Yes, but you must sell your share or more. For example, if you owned 50% of your home, you would have to sell the home as 50% or more to be mortgaged and the remaining share as rent.

If you’re interested in selling your shared ownership home, please contact [email protected] for more information.

You can find out more in our Steps to Resale Guide. 

If you want to make improvements to your home, you need to complete an application form and receive written permission from us before you make any plans for work to begin. You can also find the form at one of our Hubs or we can send you a paper copy if you call us.

If you complete a hard copy form, you can hand this in at our Wakefield or Pontefract Hubs or post it to us at:

Vico Homes Survey Team 
Merefield House 
Whistler Drive 
Castleford
WF10 5HX 

Please make sure you include any plans or drawings so your application can be processed without delay.

If you have any questions please call our Survey Team on 01977 788248 or email [email protected]

If you are a shared owner, until you staircase to own 100% of the property, you will need to ask for permission for any alterations or improvements to your home. 

Not for most home improvements. However, major improvements like extending the property or changing its structure, may affect your lease.

Any legal costs to make the necessary changes will be your responsibility. We will tell you if this is the case and the costs involved before your application goes any further.

If the alterations are significant, you may also need the permission of the bank or the building society who lent you the money to buy your home.

There is a standard admin fee of £33.33 which includes VAT to cover the cost of processing your application. This needs to be paid before we can look at your request.

In a few exceptional cases, the improvements may need your lease agreement to be updated, the plans of the property amended, or additional work to amend your current service charges. If this is the case, we will tell you what the costs will be, so you can decide if you still want to continue. These costs would need to be paid before we can give written permission for the works to start.

You can pay by:

• using a credit or debit card, by phoning us on 0345 8 507 507, or over the counter at our Hubs in Wakefield or Pontefract. 
• cheque made payable to Vico Homes Limited and returned with your application form to our Survey team.

All fees are subject to an annual review.

Find out more about the fees involved.

If you carry out improvements without our written permission, there is a charge of £72 including VAT to apply for approval retrospectively and you will need to apply for approval for the unauthorised work immediately.

Doing work without our permission breaks the terms of your lease. Any costs to provide retrospective authorisation would be your responsibility to pay until permission is granted. If you can’t prove you have received written permission from us for any improvements or alterations you have carried out, the future sale of your lease may be affected.

We have a table that summarises the improvements which usually need planning or building permission from a local authority. Once you have received our permission for your improvement, it’s your responsibility to get any formal planning permission and / or building regulations approval from your local authority, or any other permission you may need, before you start the work.

Or check out our Leaseholder Guide to Making Improvements.

We assess all applications individually, but we would not permit any improvements or alterations which may:

• Adversely affect or impact on our, your neighbours’ or your neighbours’ home
• Affect any part of the building which is not designated as part of your leasehold agreement
• Affect the structure of the building
• Affect the use of communal areas or facilities. 

We won’t unreasonably refuse permission for improvements, but we may impose conditions which will apply to granting permission. Any conditions will be clearly identified in the letter we send you and they must be followed. If you don’t follow them, it will be considered as a breach of your lease agreement.

For your own safety, work must be done in line with current regulations.

Gas work – This work must be completed by a tradesperson who is registered on the Gas Safe Register, they must also be registered with the current gas registration body for the United Kingdom.

Electrical work - The work must be completed by a tradesperson who is qualified to IEE Wiring Regulations 18th Edition and a member of a government approved competency scheme, such as NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) or NAPIT (National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers).

Fire Compartmentation work - Where any work being done in your home requires certification relating to fire, this must be done by a competent person or organisation who holds the relevant qualifications and registration with one of the governing bodies.

Asbestos work - To do this work you need to use a qualified and competent asbestos removal contractor, who will be required to work to the requirements of Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

The tradesperson, in all instances, will provide you with the appropriate certificates for the work. The original certificates must be sent to us so a copy can be taken and we will return the original certificates to you. If you don’t send the certificates, we’ll send out an engineer to inspect the work and issue the appropriate certification. The full cost of this service and any payment for associated repairs or alterations will be your responsibility.

Our Survey Team will assess your application once we’ve got it. We’ll try to let you know our decision within 20 working days. If we need further information or need to visit your home to check the work you want to do, this may cause a delay. We will contact you to arrange a time to visit, if necessary.

You will receive a letter letting you know  the decision we’ve made following your application. The permission letter is only valid for three months. If you don’t do  the work and return the ‘Notification of completion’ form (contained within the permission letter) within three months, we’ll send you a letter and visit your home to check this. If you don’t start work within three months, the application will be cancelled and you’d need to apply again to complete the work in the future. 

If you’re unhappy with our decision, you have the right to appeal within 28 days of the date of the letter. Please write to the Survey Manager, giving the reasons for your appeal. We might not consider your appeal if:

• You can’t give a valid reason(s) why this requires further consideration;
•  Approval is outside our control
• We’ve complied with and followed our approved policies and procedures.

We’ll respond within 20 working days from when we get your letter.

When the work is completed, please return the ‘Notification of completion form’ with any gas, electrical, fire compartmentation and asbestos certificates you have been given. When we get these, our surveyor will come to your home to inspect the work and make sure it complies with any conditions we gave you.

If the final inspection finds any faults or that the work has not been carried out under the conditions set out by us, we’ll send a letter telling you the work you still need to do. This work must be completed within the timeframe set out in the ‘Further Works’ letter.

If you don’t complete the work, you’ll be breaching your lease agreement, and we may do the work and recharge you.

If everything is satisfactory, you’ll receive a ‘Certificate of acceptance’. The surveyor will send this out to you within five working days of the final inspection.