Our Commitment to our customers

Ashgrove Homes is a customer focused business which is committed to building and selling New Homes of the highest quality; we aim to have a culture of excellence, continually striving to improve our service and delivery. We know that buying a New Home is a significant financial and emotional investment for most people so our aim is to provide excellent service for all our customers and to make the process of buying a New Home from us, as easy as possible.

As a Registered Member of the Consumer Code for New Homes, we comply with the requirements of the Code which has been established to ensure that best practice is followed by registered Developers in respect of the marketing, selling and purchasing of New Homes, and also sets expected standards for after sales customer care service.

This Customer Charter sets out our commitment to excellence. It provides a clear guide to the procedures we will follow and the information we will provide as you go through the home-buying process.

Before you decide to buy a New Home from us, we will:

• Ensure all marketing and advertising is clear and truthful, and complies with all relevant codes of advertising and the law.

• Ensure our staff are fully trained in our high customer service standards and are knowledgable about the New Home purchase process and the Consumer Code for New Homes

• Ensure you are safe when you visit any of our locations and explain any Health & Safety considerations to you

• Provide you with sufficient and suitable information so that you can make an informed decision about buying a New Home from us (this includes informing you about the Consumer Code for New Homes)

When you are buying a New Home from us, we will:

• Provide you with detailed information about the New Home when you decide to reserve a New Home with us

• Ensure that the Reservation Agreement clearly sets out fair terms and conditions

• Provide you with guidance regarding any choices and options available to you

• Provide you with a Contract of Sale which sets out clear, fair and compliant terms and conditions

• Give you clear information about your right to cancel at each stage of the process

• Explain how we will protect any deposit or pre-payment that you make to us

• Explain the Structural Warranty we have arranged for your New Home and what to do if you need to make a claim

• Provide you with regular updates on the construction progress of your New Home, and when it will be ready

When your New Home is completed and ready for you to move in, we will:

• Show you round your New Home before you move in so we can demonstrate how everything works

• Carry out an inspection of the property with you at the point of legal completion and complete a snagging checklist to record any items which require further attention.

• Take meter readings at the point of legal completion so you can contact the relevant utility companies

• Agree and confirm the date of your post completion appointment, usually six weeks after you have moved in

• Provide you with a comprehensive Buyer Handover Pack (which will include suitable Health & Safety Information) so that you have everything you need to live in and maintain your property

• Provide a clear complaints process to ensure you can report any issues you have which you feel we haven’t dealt with properly or if you haven’t received the service you should have.

Once you have moved into your New Home, we will:

• Carry out the follow up visit to make sure you have settled in, answer any questions you may have and sign off any outstanding snagging items noted at the time of legal completion.

• Ensure you and your family are kept safe from any construction activities which are still going on at the development

• Provide our After Sales Service to you for a period of two years following legal completion Demonstrating our commitment to the Consumer Code for New Homes, we will not:

• Use High-Pressure Sales Techniques to pressure you into the purchase of a New Home or to sell you any additional warranties or post-sale items

• Mislead you about any aspect of the New Home specification, size or the dates it will be completed and handed over to you.

Our Customer Care Commitment

Our commitment to you doesn’t end when you move in. We expect your new home to be free from problems, but if any issues arise, we have clear guidelines covering after-sales care and emergency services. We will clearly explain these to you and ensure that you know who to contact if you have a problem. In the first instance you should contact our Customer Care team at customercare@ashgrovehomes.com who will do their best to resolve the problem.

General Service Delivery Standards

• Emergencies: we will endeavour to respond within four hours to deal with an emergency situation

• For issues which are easy to resolve, we expect to resolve your issue within 10 working days

• If replacement parts are required, we expect to resolve your issue within 20 working days

• If an issue is more complicated or likely to take longer to resolve, we will discuss this with you and keep you informed

Resolving issues you might have

If problems do arise, we are committed to resolving the situation to your satisfaction as quickly as possible. We will tell you about the procedures we use for dealing with issues and inform you about third parties or external services who may be able to offer help. If you choose to use professional advisors, we will cooperate fully with them and we will ask you to provide us with details of who you want to represent you, and their qualifications. This is to make sure you’re properly represented and getting the best advice.

In the unlikely event that we cannot resolve the situation, you can refer your complaint to your Structural Warranty provider or to the Consumer Code for New Homes, which provides an Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme (run by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution) for issues which are covered by the Code.

Your feedback is welcome

A customer charter is only worth anything if it works for our customers. In all our dealings with you, whenever we meet and whatever we do, you should experience our Customer Charter in action. If you think we could improve any aspect of our charter then we hope you’ll let us know so we can put things right; it is our sincere aim to ensure any dealings you have with us are as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. At every stage of the process, we will always work hard to communicate effectively with you and strive to deliver what we promise. If you have any feedback, comments or views you wish to express, please contact us:

T: 01483 209600

E: sales@ashgrovehomes.com