The 12-month workmanship warranty

Your builder warrants their workmanship for 12 months from the day you sign off your project. The article describes what's covered, when the clock starts, and what happens if something needs the warranty later.

When the warranty starts

The 12-month period starts from Sign Off — the fourth and final milestone, after the snagging period and your final approval of the project. It does not start from Practical Completion, when the space first becomes usable. The article Practical completion and sign-off — what they mean describes the difference.

What the warranty is for

The warranty is the route you use when something turns out to have been built or installed in a way that doesn't hold up. If a defect surfaces during the 12 months and it's down to how the work was done, your builder rectifies it at their cost.

In practice, a few things tend to land outside this route:

Wear and tear — things age normally, and that's a different conversation.
Damage caused after handover — accident, mistreatment, or use outside the design intent.
Faulty products — the manufacturer's warranty is the right channel. The article What to do if a product I receive is faulty covers that path.
Work done by someone else after sign-off — your Beams builder isn't responsible for what another builder has done since.

For the binding terms — exact scope, exclusions, and process — your Home Improvement Contract (HIC) is the source of truth. This article describes how the warranty mechanic works in practice.

How the clock works

The 12-month clock runs continuously from Sign Off. It does not pause or restart for any reason. What matters is whether you reported the defect within the 12 months — once you've reported a defect in time, the resolution is covered however long that takes.

So: if a defect first surfaces in month 11 and the resolution stretches into month 14, that's fine. The defect was reported within the window, so the work to fix it is covered. Where the deadlock involves a supplier or manufacturer responding slowly, the time to sort it out isn't held against you.

What's out of scope

Defects first reported after the 12-month window are out of scope, even if an earlier in-window defect is still being sorted. The clock is on the report, not on the project. If something new appears after month 12, the warranty doesn't extend.

How to use it

Tell your build advisor or planner as soon as you spot something you think is workmanship-related. Photos help. We'll coordinate with your builder to assess the issue and arrange the visit and remedial works.

If a question of cause comes up — workmanship issue or product issue, or who's responsible — we work through it with you, your builder, and where relevant the supplier. The aim is resolution, not blame.

If your builder can't honour the warranty

If your builder leaves the network or goes out of business during the warranty period, Beams steps in under the network backstop. The article When Beams covers costs describes the £10,000 commitment that applies in that situation.

What this means for you

Don't sit on a workmanship issue. Tell us within the 12 months and the resolution is covered, even if the fix takes time. The warranty is there for exactly this — use it.

Practical completion and sign-off — what they mean
Snagging — the 28-day window
What to do if a product I receive is faulty
When Beams covers costs