Opening, closing and locking
Every window and door should open and close without catching, with handles, stays and catches working and fitted square. Stays are the arms that hold a window part-open. Keys should be there for every lock. LABC Warranty's checklist also asks whether windows and doors shut properly against their weather seals.
NHBC's standards say locks should turn easily, with keyholes properly lined up. A key that needs jiggling, or a handle you have to lift hard before it locks, is worth reporting.
Some stiffness is normal at first. The NHQB says windows and doors can feel stiff as materials dry out, especially south-facing ones in direct sun, and should ease with use. Don't force them. If one stays hard to use, doesn't close properly, or looks out of line, contact the builder.
How do I check windows for draughts?
Start by feeling. Clearview, a secondary glazing firm, suggests running your hand slowly round the inside edge of the frame. Any breeze, however small, usually means a draught.
A trick we used a strip of paper shut in the window, then pulled. Try the same strip in several places round the frame. If it slides out easily in one spot and grips in the others, note that spot.
The frame should have a seal all the way round it, inside and out. The NHQB lists draughts or cold air coming through closed windows and doors as a snag.
Scratched or misted glass
Check glass in daylight, from inside the room, standing at least 2m away. NHBC allows some small marks if they aren't obtrusive or bunched together. That includes fine scratches up to 25mm long, small bubbles and tiny particles. The outer 6mm of each pane, by the frame, isn't judged.
For toughened, laminated or coated glass, the distance is 3m.
Report scratches straight away. NHBC's Buildmark doesn't cover cosmetic damage, such as scratched glass, reported more than seven days after completion. The NHQB says light scratches can sometimes be polished out, but deeper ones may mean a new pane.
Mist or condensation between the two panes of a double-glazed unit is a different problem. LABC Warranty's checklist asks you to look for it. Condensation on the room side of the glass is common in a new home, where warm, damp air meets the cold pane. The year one page covers that.
What are trickle vents for?
They are the thin slots in the window frames that let a little fresh air in when the window is shut. Where a home relies on trickle vents and extractor fans, building regulations guidance says every room with an outside wall should have one or something similar. Homes with whole-house heat-recovery ventilation (MVHR) shouldn't have them. NHBC's standards say a window's "night vent" position doesn't count instead.
Slide each vent open and shut. It should move freely and close fully. Then leave them open. The NHQB says keeping trickle vents open helps a new home dry out.
Door gaps: how big is too big?
For internal doors, NHBC's standards allow a gap of up to 4mm at the top and sides, and it should be even. A door frame can be up to 5mm out of upright over its height. LABC Warranty uses the same 4mm limit.
The gap under an internal door is meant to be bigger. NHBC allows 10mm to 22mm above the bare floor, partly for ventilation. You choose a floor covering to suit, or have the door adjusted. So don't ask for that gap to be closed up.
A trick we used a £1 coin is about 3mm thick at the edge. If it slides easily into the gap at the side of a door, measure that gap.
Do I have fire doors?
You may. Building regulations guidance has two common cases in houses.
- An integral garage. The door between the house and the garage should be a fire door with a self-closing device. Its opening should be at least 100mm above the garage floor, unless the floor slopes away to the outside.
- A storey more than 4.5m above the ground. One option in the guidance is a protected stairway, with fire doors onto it. Inside a house, these don't need self-closers. If you have three storeys, ask the builder whether this applies to you.
The official checklist says fire doors should have gaps of 2mm to 4mm at the top and sides, no more than 4mm at the bottom, undamaged intumescent strips (the strips round the edge that swell in a fire), and an ID label on the top edge. A self-closer, where fitted, should work. Don't prop fire doors open.
Upstairs windows and restrictors
Restrictors limit how far a window opens, to reduce the risk of falls. The NHQB says to use them as intended.
Some upstairs windows are also your way out in a fire. The guidance says an escape window should open to at least 0.33 square metres, at least 450mm high and 450mm wide, with the bottom no more than 1100mm above the floor. It should stay open without being held. Locks and stays with child-resistant catches are allowed. If a bedroom has an escape window, check it stays open on its own.