How much does a retrospective structural warranty cost?
As a rough guide, around 1.25% of the rebuild cost for a build already under way and around 1.5% for a finished building, compared with around 1% when cover is registered before the start (plus a modest broker fee, only charged if we arrange your cover). Here is what drives the price and what you pay when.
- Instant response
- An honest answer, early
- UK FCA Regulated Broker
- 10 and 12 year cover
- Part built and finished projects
The rule of thumb
Retrospective warranty cost as a percentage of the rebuild cost
The rebuild cost is what it would cost to build the homes again - not their sale value or the gross development value. The percentage covers the insurance premium and the provider's inspection and administration fees (plus a modest broker fee, only charged if we arrange your cover).
For example, a pair of houses with a combined rebuild cost of £500,000 would typically come to around £6,250 if the warranty is arranged part way through the build, and around £7,500 once they are finished - against around £5,000 had cover been registered before the start (plus a modest broker fee, only charged if we arrange your cover).
These are indications, not quotes. The warranty provider sets the price after reviewing the project and the evidence. Minimum premiums and fixed survey or inspection fees can push a small scheme or a single home higher as a percentage, and extras such as 12 year cover or deposit protection add to it.
What affects the price
What drives the premium on a retrospective case
- Rebuild cost - the starting point, as the percentages show
- How far the build had gone when the warranty was arranged - the more that was built unseen, the higher the price tends to be
- Quality of the evidence - complete records and dated photographs reduce the provider's uncertainty
- Surveys and opening up - any intrusive checks the provider asks for add cost
- How it was built - construction method, basements, flat roofs and ground conditions
- Age and condition of a finished building, and anything found at the survey
- Number of homes - minimum premiums weigh more heavily on small schemes
- Policy length and extras, such as 12 years instead of 10
What you pay
What a retrospective warranty quote is made up of
Your quotation sets out each part of the cost on its own line, so you can see exactly where the money goes.
Insurance premium
The cost of the cover itself, set by the provider or insurer, plus insurance premium tax where it applies.
Survey, inspection and admin fees
The provider's charges for reviewing the evidence, surveying the building, inspecting the remaining stages and administering the policy.
Our broker fee
Our modest broker fee is only charged on success - if we do not arrange your cover, you pay us nothing. It is shown separately in your quotation.
When fees are payable
Retrospective cover is usually paid for in full before the provider confirms it, and some providers charge for their survey or review at the outset. That fee may still be payable if the provider decides not to offer cover, so we tell you about it before you agree to it. Any opening up is arranged and paid for separately. Our broker fee is only due once your cover has been arranged. Your quotation says exactly what is due and when.
Example scenarios
How the price changes from one project to another
Illustrations, not quotes - they show why projects of a similar size can be priced quite differently.
Four houses, roofs on, no warranty
Foundations and walls went up unseen, so the provider relies on building control records and photographs, then inspects the rest. Expect around 1.25% of the rebuild cost (plus a modest broker fee, only charged if we arrange your cover), more if opening up is needed.
Six flats finished with an architect's certificate
The consultant's site reports make a strong evidence pack. Cover for a finished building is typically around 1.5% of the rebuild cost (plus a modest broker fee, only charged if we arrange your cover), subject to the survey.
A single finished home needed for a sale
One home, one survey and a minimum premium. Around 1.5% of the rebuild cost is the starting point (plus a modest broker fee, only charged if we arrange your cover), but fixed fees can push a single home higher as a percentage.
A stalled site restarted by a new developer
Part built, left for a year, now being completed. Around 1.25% of the rebuild cost is a fair starting point (plus a modest broker fee, only charged if we arrange your cover), with extra checks on how the earlier work has weathered.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Ask as soon as you know there is no warranty - every stage the provider can still inspect helps
- Pull together building control records, photographs and site reports before the provider asks
- Photograph anything about to be covered up, with the date and plot clear
- Put right any known defects before the survey
- On your next project, register before work starts on site - it is the simplest and usually the cheapest route
Request an indication
Tell us the rebuild cost, the number of homes and the stage reached. We will come back with a rough idea of the likely cost and what the provider will need.
- Takes under a minute
- Instant reply by email with your reference
- We call you, usually the same working day, with an honest view of what is possible
- Part built and completed sites across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Free and no obligation
Already filled in a proposal form? Email it to us or send it on WhatsApp with any drawings you have and we will take it from there.
