Q. What is a Guarantee?

A. A Guarantee is offered in addition to your statutory rights, in effect, it is a promise to return and rectify any defect in materials or workmanship, free of charge. However, any promise is only as good as the person (or Company) making it, and we have all experienced broken promises in our lifetimes.

Q. So how do I distinguish between a meaningful guarantee and a worthless sheet of A4 paper?

A. On the surface you can’t, they all look alike and have similar terms and conditions. To properly evaluate the validity of a guarantee you have to look further than the bottom line of the quotation page of your report. You need consider other factors, such as, how long has the company been trading?

Q. Why is that relevant?

A. There are many implications, the most pertinent being: If you have been issued a 20 year Guarantee from a company that has only been trading say, 6 years, how do you know if they intend to, or are a still able to trade in say, another 8 years time?

• Do they have the financial stability to honour that guarantee? Time spent carrying out work under guarantee is lost revenue.

• Have they undergone one or more name changes?

• Do they have a good reputation in the industry that they wish to preserve?

Abbey Woodcare has been trading in Battersea SW London since 1969, which is in itself testament to our integrity and commitment to our clients. We have seen our guarantees reach full-term TWICE OVER. We have the financial stability associated with a 40 year trading history. Our reputation precedes us, and is one of the best in the industry.

We have a ‘Belt and Braces’ approach to all works that we undertake as this reduces the likelihood of failure and a claim arising. We honestly believe that by protecting our interests, your best interests are served too. Should the need to make a claim under Guarantee arise, you can rest assured that we WILL still be here AND that your guarantee IS worth more that the paper it’s printed on.

Our guarantee provides coverage for up to 20 years. It should be kept safe in conjunction with the original report.

On the sale of the property we will transfer the remaining period to the new owner subject to the vendor having complied with our recommendations and conditions.

A prudent property owner, architect or local authority will only want to deal with a firm who can procure insurance cover for their guarantees. Insurance cover is available for our guarantees through the leading insurer in this matter, the Guarantee Protection Trust (GPT).

Call Abbey Woodcare today on 020 7228 7070 to arrange for a qualified surveyor to attend your property or complete our request a survey form.