LABC Warranty complaints policy

It’s our duty to treat you fairly at all times.

Any complaint received, whether it’s in writing or verbal, is referred to our internal Complaints Department and formally recorded.

It is this department’s duty to ensure your complaint is thoroughly investigated in line with FCA regulations.

Your complaint will be acknowledged within five working days. We aim to resolve your complaint within eight weeks, but if this is not possible we will write to you to explain any delay.

For more information on this process, including when you should expect to see communication from LABC Warranty, please see the LABC Warranty complaints policy.

A claim vs a complaint

Claims are not the same as complaints. You may file both a complaint and a claim at the same time.

 
A claim A complaint
A claim is made against your home's warranty. It is when there is a defect in your home that comes under your structural warranty policy. 
A complaint is about a perceived failure of the service provided by LABC Warranty. 

 

If you believe you need to make a claim against your warranty, please visit our claims section below.

How to submit your complaint

Complaints can be submitted verbally or in writing.

Outcomes of your complaint and next steps

Whether your claim is upheld or not, LABC Warranty will write to inform you of our decision, detailing the reasons for the outcome.

If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint you may have the right to refer to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

When we issue our Final Response to your complaint, we will always tell you whether you have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service and explain the next steps.

You can also find further information on the Financial Ombudsman Service website.

Please note that complaints in relation to our Dispute Resolution Service are not always eligible for the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Not every complaint is eligible to be referred to the FOS. To be within FOS scope, the substance of the complaint must relate to a 'regulated activity,' as defined in the FOS' regulations at DISP 2.3.1. A link to this regulation has been provided for your reference here.

Most of LABC Warranty's insurance products and services are considered to be regulated activities. However, please note that some services provided by LABC Warranty under the Defects Insurance Period are not considered a ‘regulated activity’. This is because responsibility for remedying defects rests with the developer during the first two years of the warranty period.

During this Defects Insurance Period, LABC Warranty's role is initially limited to providing a free Dispute Resolution Service to facilitate the developers discharge of its obligations.

As the Dispute Resolution Service does not involve the effecting or carrying out of contracts of insurance, it does not generally constitute a regulated insurance activity, unless:

    • LABC Warranty has written a conciliation report.
    • The Dispute Resolution Service report has told a developer to take action by a deadline.
    • A developer has failed to complete actions ordered, is insolvent, or is not cooperating.

 

As such, actions of the Dispute Resolution Service are generally not eligible for escalation to the FOS. Further information can be found on the FOS website here.