Local guide, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

DLP inspections in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

The defects liability period is the window after handover when the contractor has to put right any defects in their work, at their own cost. Once it closes, the cost usually moves to the client. A DLP inspection makes sure nothing is missed before that happens.

What is the defects liability period?

Most building contracts include a defects period after practical completion. Twelve months is common, though some contracts use six or twenty four, so it is worth checking yours. During that time the contractor must return to fix defects that show up. Near the end, the client lists any outstanding items, the contractor puts them right, and a certificate is issued that closes the period.

The problem is that by then, residents have moved in, the site team has moved on, and nobody has walked every home with fresh eyes. Defects that are not listed in time can end up being paid for out of the client's own maintenance budget.

What a DLP inspection covers

• Every home on the scheme, or an agreed representative sample on larger schemes
• All communal areas, external works, paving, drainage and landscaping
• Items residents have reported, checked and confirmed
• Typical issues such as failed sealant, cracking, sticking windows and doors, extractor faults and water getting in
• A photograph, location and risk rating for every item

You can see how this is set out on our example DLP inspection report.

When to book

Ideally two to three months before the period ends. That leaves time to inspect, issue the schedule, let the contractor attend and still reinspect the urgent items before the certificate is signed.

Who we work with

Housing associations, councils and developers with new build or refurbishment schemes across Luton, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Stevenage, St Albans, Hitchin, Welwyn and Hatfield, and Milton Keynes. The work is led by someone with 23 years in construction, mostly in social housing and new build, who has managed schemes through handover and the defects period from the contractor's side.

Common questions

Can the contractor not just do this themselves?

They can, and many do a good job. But an independent inspection, carried out for the client, removes any doubt about what was missed and gives the client a clear record to rely on when the certificate is signed.

What if residents are not at home?

We agree access in advance with your housing officer or resident liaison team, and list any homes we could not enter so they can be picked up on a second visit.

SML also covers RAMS and CDM documents, CHAS and SSIP applications, DLP and defects inspections, building condition surveys and damp and mould reports.