New homes built by Barratt, one of Britain's best known housebuilders, will be covered by a five-year guarantee of fixtures and fittings from today.

The items covered at no extra cost to the buyer will include appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators, kitchen units, wardrobes, the central heating system, fires, doors, windows, drainage, the hot and cold plumbing system and even the driveway.

The five-year guarantee of fixtures and fittings in place at the time of purchase is in addition to the existing ten-year warranty on the structure of new homes and remains valid even if the home is sold on to a new owner.

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Barratt was the only major housebuilder to be given a four star rating – its highest ever score – in this year's HBF Customer Satisfaction Survey, in which consumers are asked if they are satisfied with the quality of their new home and whether they would recommend their builder to a friend.

Site managers working for Barratt Group also won the highest number of NHBC Pride in the Job Quality Awards for a record fifth consecutive year.

"Because we have confidence in the outstanding quality of our build, we are confident that we can offer this additional reassurance to our customers at relatively little cost to our business," said Mark Clare, Chief Executive of Barratt Developments PLC.

"Our five-year warranty covers just about everything in the home for the first 1,824 days of occupancy. We will act as a one-stop shop for addressing any problems with components or workmanship."

The warranty is available to all private purchasers of a Barratt or David Wilson home, including investors.

(CD/BMcC)