What Do My New-Build Documents Mean? A Plain-English Handover Guide
- barbarosdenlisoz
- 16 hours ago
- 7 min read
Moving into a new-build home can come with a surprising amount of paperwork.
You might receive an EPC, warranty documents, electrical certificates, boiler instructions, appliance manuals and information from your developer — sometimes in a folder, sometimes by email and increasingly through an online portal.
The problem is that nobody necessarily explains what all of it actually means.
Some documents could be important when you sell your home. Others explain how equipment works, who to contact when something goes wrong or what warranty protection you have.
And some of the most useful information — such as your exact paint colour or bathroom tile range — might not be supplied unless you ask for it.
Here’s what is worth keeping, what it means and what else you should consider requesting.
What is an EPC?
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) records the assessed energy efficiency of your home and gives it a rating from A to G.
It also includes information about the property's estimated energy performance and potential improvements.
Your EPC shouldn't be treated as a prediction of your exact energy bills — your actual usage will depend on things such as how you heat the house, occupancy and energy prices.
Why keep it?
Your EPC provides a useful record of the home's assessed energy performance and may be required again if you sell or let the property.
If you lose it, EPCs for homes in England and Wales can normally be found through the government's online EPC register.
What is my new-home warranty?
This is one of the most important documents to identify.
Your warranty paperwork should tell you:
who the warranty provider is;
your policy or certificate number;
when the cover started;
how long different elements of cover last;
and what you should do if there is a problem.
A common misunderstanding is that a 10-year warranty means every snag is covered for 10 years.
That generally isn't how new-home warranties work. Many major UK schemes include an initial period — commonly around the first two years — when the builder or developer is primarily responsible for qualifying defects, followed by more limited structural insurance cover.
The exact cover and terminology varies, so always check your own warranty documents.
What is the Building Regulations paperwork?
Building Regulations approval and your new-home warranty are different things.
Building control is concerned with whether the construction has gone through the relevant Building Regulations process. Completion documentation records the end of that process and can form an important part of the property's legal records.
You might not have been handed this directly on moving day. Some documents may instead be within the information supplied through your solicitor or conveyancer.
Keep anything relating to Building Regulations with your main property documents — it could become important when you eventually sell.
What are the electrical certificates?
For a new electrical installation, you may receive an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) confirming that the installation has been inspected and tested.
There may also be separate documentation confirming compliance with Building Regulations.
You don't need to become an electrician to understand it.
The important thing is simply to keep the certificates. They create a record of the original installation and can be useful if electrical work is carried out later or when the property is sold.
What is the boiler Benchmark checklist?
If your home has a boiler, don't put the paperwork straight into a cupboard without looking through it.
You may find a Benchmark commissioning checklist, which records details from when the heating and hot-water system was commissioned.
Keep this alongside:
the boiler manual;
warranty information;
heating-control instructions;
servicing records;
and any relevant commissioning paperwork.
Also check whether the manufacturer warranty needs registering and whether regular servicing is required to maintain it.
The same principle applies if your home has a heat pump, hot-water cylinder, underfloor heating or another heating system.
What are the ventilation instructions for?
Modern new-build homes can have ventilation systems that homeowners may not have used before.
Depending on the property, this could include continuous extract ventilation, background ventilators or MVHR — Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery.
Don't automatically switch something off simply because it seems unnecessary.
Find out:
what ventilation system you have;
what should normally remain running;
how filters or vents are maintained;
and what controls you are expected to use.
Understanding the system is particularly useful while a new home is still drying out.
What about appliance manuals and warranties?
Keep the information for any developer-supplied appliances such as ovens, hobs, extractors, dishwashers and fridge-freezers.
One simple thing is particularly useful:
Photograph the model and serial number of each appliance.
These labels can be awkward to find when you eventually need a warranty repair or replacement part.
It is also worth remembering that a failed appliance and an installation problem aren't necessarily the same thing. A product fault may need to go through the manufacturer, while an installation issue may need to be raised with the developer.
Keep your developer's aftercare information
Your handover documents should also tell you how to report problems after you move in.
Keep details of:
the developer's customer-care or aftercare team;
the defect-reporting process;
any online portal;
emergency contacts;
and the formal complaints route.
If the development is still active, speaking to the site manager can sometimes help. But important issues should still be reported through the developer's proper aftercare system so there is a written record.
Should I have been given plans and specifications?
Not necessarily.
Homeowners don't always receive full construction drawings or a detailed technical specification when they move in.
However, it's still worth asking what information is available.
Useful documents could include:
a plot-specific floor plan;
your home's sales or finishes specification;
details of upgrades and extras;
relevant layout information;
and kitchen or bathroom product schedules.
For most homeowners, the aim isn't to obtain hundreds of technical drawings.
What becomes genuinely useful later is knowing what products and finishes were actually used in your home.
What else should I ask my developer for?
This is the information people often wish they had asked for several years later.
While the site team and original trades are still around, ask whether the following details are available.
Exact paint colours
Ask for the manufacturer, range, colour and finish.
“White emulsion” isn't enough when you need to touch in a damaged section of wall.
Even two very similar whites can look completely different next to each other.
Wall and floor tiles
Ask for the manufacturer, range, colour and size used in bathrooms, en-suites, kitchens and other tiled areas.
If spare tiles are available, keep some.
Ranges can be discontinued and different manufacturing batches can vary, making an exact match surprisingly difficult later.
Kitchen details
Record the kitchen manufacturer and, if possible, references for:
cupboard doors;
handles;
worktops;
splashbacks;
and plinths.
If a single component gets damaged, knowing exactly what was installed can make replacing it far easier.
Bathroom products
Ask for manufacturer and range information for items such as:
taps;
sanitaryware;
shower fittings;
shower screens;
trays;
and bathroom furniture.
Sometimes a small component can be replaced rather than the whole fitting — but identifying the original product makes that much easier.
Flooring
Keep details of the manufacturer, range and colour of your:
carpet;
laminate;
vinyl;
engineered timber;
or other flooring.
If spare boards, planks or tiles are offered, they may be worth keeping for future repairs.
Windows, doors and external finishes
If the information is readily available, it can also be useful to know the manufacturer or system used for your windows and external doors.
Basic details of bricks, roof tiles or slates, paving and render finishes could also save time if something needs matching later.
You don't need to build a technical archive of every product in the house.
The aim is simply to keep information that is easy to obtain now but potentially difficult to find in five years.
SNAGCLEAR TIP: If the developer can't provide a formal product schedule, even a photograph of packaging, a product label or manufacturer's reference can be worth keeping.
What if some of my documents are missing?
First check your:
handover folder;
emails and developer portal;
solicitor or conveyancer's documents;
warranty-provider account;
and manufacturer warranty emails.
Some formal documents may be recoverable later.
Product information is different. If you want to know exactly which tile, paint or kitchen door was installed, asking while the development is still active is usually much easier than trying to identify it years later.
Keep a record of what happens after moving in too
Your handover documents record information about the home you've bought.
They don't automatically record what happens afterwards.
If you find a snag or defect, keep:
photographs;
a clear description and location;
the date you noticed and reported it;
developer responses;
repair visits;
and whether the repair actually resolved the problem.
That's where The SnagClear App can help.
You can record snags room by room, attach photographs, create a clear PDF report to send to your developer and keep track of what has and hasn't been repaired.
A simple new-build home filing system
You don't need anything complicated.
Folder | Keep |
Purchase & completion | Conveyancing and completion information |
Warranty | Policy, certificate and provider details |
Certificates | Building and electrical documentation |
Heating & ventilation | Manuals, commissioning and servicing records |
Products & finishes | Appliances, kitchen, bathroom, paint, tiles and flooring |
Aftercare & defects | Developer contacts, snag reports and repair history |
Keep digital copies of important paperwork too.
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Five minutes now could save hours later
Most of this information will hopefully sit untouched for years.
Its value appears when a boiler needs a part, a tile gets damaged, a warranty deadline approaches, a snag is disputed or you decide to sell the property.
So shortly after moving in, ask yourself three questions:
What have I got?What does it mean?What am I missing?
Then gather the easy-to-find information while it is still easy to find.
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