Property. Surety.
One guarantee.
For over 20 years, One Guarantee has stood behind structural insurance in the UK. Now part of the Accquis Group, we are rebuilding it around one idea: a broker should get a clear answer, quickly, from people who know the build.
Over 20 years in UK structural insurance. Now writing its next chapter.
Two promises. One line.
A square for property. A ring for surety. One unbroken line joins them, and it is the shape of our shield. It is also how we intend to work: one team and one standard, from the first enquiry to the final certificate.
Structural cover for new and converted homes
Structural (latent defects) insurance protects owners and lenders if a serious defect in the structure of a new or converted home comes to light after completion.
How structural cover works → 02 · SuretyGuarantees that let projects proceed
A surety bond is a promise to a third party, such as a local authority, that obligations under an agreement will be met, without tying up the developer's cash.
How surety works →The answer, not the wait.
Brokers tell us the same story about structural insurance: quotations take too long, referrals disappear, and it is hard to find someone who can answer a technical question. We are building One Guarantee to fix exactly that.
- A named underwriter for every scheme, who you can call
- Decisions explained in plain English, with the reasons
- Inspection by our sister company, Survteq, so the people assessing the site and the people covering it work together
- Technology that keeps the paperwork moving, so people can spend their time on judgement
How can we help?
I am a broker
What we are building for you, and how to join the broker list before we open.
For brokers →I am a developer or builder
Structural cover and surety under one roof, with inspection from day one.
For developers →I act for a buyer or lender
Confirm a certificate, and find the information a transaction needs.
For lenders and conveyancers →I own a home with our certificate
Check your cover, get an LDI quote, or ask us a question.
For homeowners →Specialist by heritage. Modern by design.
Something solid is coming. Be first to hear.
Register once and we will tell you when we open, what we will cover, and how to place your first scheme.
Built around the broker who places the risk.
Homeowners benefit from structural cover, but it is brokers who place it. So we are designing every part of One Guarantee around how you work: the questions you need answered, the documents your clients wait for, and the deadlines your developers face.
Five standards we will hold ourselves to.
These are the standards we are building the business to meet. We will publish the service measures behind them before we open, and report against them.
One named underwriter
Every scheme has a person, not an inbox. You will know who is looking at your client's site and how to reach them.
A clear answer, quickly
Yes, no, or yes with conditions, given promptly and explained. If we need more information, we will say exactly what and why, once.
No disappearing referrals
If a scheme needs a second view, you will see where it is and who has it. Nothing sits unseen in a queue.
Inspection that talks to underwriting
Our technical surveys will be carried out by Survteq, a sister company in the same group. The surveyor's findings reach the underwriter directly, so conditions are practical and site issues are settled on site.
Paperwork that keeps up
We are investing in technology so that quotations, cover notes, inspection reports and certificates are produced and tracked without chasing. Our people spend their time on judgement, not administration.
Everything your client needs, in one place.
- A broker portal to submit schemes, upload documents and see where each one stands. Open the broker portal →
- Clear terms you can present to your client with confidence, with any conditions explained
- Inspection reports shared with you as they happen, not at the end
- Certificates at completion, ready for the buyer's lender and conveyancer
- Surety from the same team, when your developer needs a bond before work can start
Straight answers.
Are you quoting now?
Not yet. One Guarantee is preparing to open. Join the broker list and we will contact you as soon as we are ready to accept schemes. Until then, we can introduce you to other businesses in the Accquis Group that may be able to help.
Who will carry the risk?
We will name the insurer behind every policy, clearly, on this website and on every document, before we accept any business.
Will lenders accept your cover?
We will publish our position on lender acceptance before we open.
What types of project will you consider?
Our focus will be structural cover for new build and converted residential homes, together with surety for developers. We will publish our full appetite, including construction types and scheme sizes, before we open.
How will you work with brokers?
Through regulated intermediaries. We will publish our terms of business, including how you will be paid, before we accept business.
Who are Survteq?
Survteq Limited carries out technical surveys for the Accquis Group. Because Survteq and One Guarantee sit in the same group, the surveyor and the underwriter work from the same information and talk to each other directly. Read about inspection
Join the broker list. Hear first.
We will send you our appetite, terms of business and service standards as soon as they are published, and invite you to place your first scheme.
From submission to answer.
We acknowledge it
You get a reference and the name of the underwriter looking at the scheme.
We ask once
If anything is missing, we tell you exactly what and why, in one message.
You get an answer
Yes, no, or yes with conditions, explained.
When your email opens, attach the documents you selected. Large files can follow separately; quote your reference.
From planning consent to final certificate.
A developer often needs a bond before a scheme can start and structural cover before its homes can be sold. We think that should be one relationship, with inspection that helps the build rather than slowing it down.
One team, through the whole project.
Surety bonds
Road, sewer and other development bonds, so works can begin without lodging cash with the local authority.
Inspection that helps
Survteq surveyors visit at key stages and agree any actions with your site team while they are still easy to put right.
Certificates on time
Our aim is certificates issued on sign-off, so sales and mortgage offers are not held up.
What helps us help you.
When we open, a well-prepared registration moves fastest. It helps to have these to hand:
- Site address, plot numbers and the number of homes
- Planning consent and the build programme
- Ground investigation reports and foundation design
- Construction method, including any modern methods of construction
- Details of your design team and main contractor
Please talk to your broker. If you do not have one, we will be happy to suggest how to find a specialist.
Straight answers.
Can I register a site now?
Not yet. Tell us about your pipeline and we will contact you as soon as we open. If you need cover sooner, we can introduce you to other businesses in the Accquis Group.
Do you cover conversions and modern methods of construction?
We will publish our appetite, including conversions and modern methods of construction, before we open.
Who pays for inspections?
We will set out how inspection is priced and arranged when we publish our terms.
Tell us about your next scheme.
Typical size, region and timing is all we need for now.
Confirmation you can rely on.
Transactions should not stall waiting for a structural cover confirmation. Tell us the certificate number and address, and we will confirm the position in writing.
Certificate confirmation
Written confirmation that a certificate exists for a property, with its key dates.
Replacement documents
A copy of a lost certificate for the owner or their legal adviser, once we have verified the request.
Questions on a policy
Help with questions that arise during a sale or remortgage, such as what a certificate covers.
Help us answer first time.
- The certificate or policy number, if you have it
- The full property address, including plot number for new builds
- Your firm name and your reference
- Where the request is on behalf of a buyer, confirmation that you act for them
We share policy details only with the owner or people acting on their behalf. We may ask for confirmation before we reply.
Your home. Your certificate.
Check a One Guarantee certificate, get a quote for latent defects insurance on a new build or conversion, or ask us a question.
Choose what you need.
Use the form to ask us to confirm a certificate or to get a quote for latent defects insurance. We will reply in writing. The quote form also has its own page.
Leave the area and contact the emergency services first. Then take reasonable steps to stop damage getting worse, and tell us as soon as you can.
Talk to us
Email: info@oneguarantee.co.uk, or use the form on this page.
Please have your certificate number ready. If you cannot find it, your conveyancer or the builder may hold a copy.
Here is what to do.
Make it safe
If there is danger, contact the emergency services first. Then stop damage getting worse where you safely can.
Record it
Take clear photographs and note when you first noticed the problem and how it has changed.
Tell us promptly
Delay can make repairs harder and may affect your claim. Email info@oneguarantee.co.uk with your certificate number and photographs.
We will guide you
We will explain what your certificate covers, whether the builder or the policy should respond, and what happens next.
Homeowner questions.
Is my One Guarantee certificate still valid?
The terms of your certificate decide what it covers and for how long. Send us your certificate number and address using the form above and we will confirm the position in writing.
Who do I contact in the first years after completion?
On many policies the builder is responsible for putting right defects in the first years after completion. Your certificate will say. If you are unsure, contact us and we will explain.
Does the cover pass to a new owner?
Structural cover normally stays with the home for the rest of the policy period, so a new owner benefits from it. Check the terms of your certificate, or ask us.
What is not covered?
Structural cover is not a maintenance plan. Wear and tear, normal shrinkage, and problems caused by alterations or a lack of maintenance are usually excluded. Your certificate sets out the details.
I have a complaint. What should I do?
Tell us and we will do our best to put it right. Our complaints procedure, including when you can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service, is set out on our regulatory information page.
Get an LDI quote.
Structural cover for a new build, conversion or self-build. Tell us about the property and we will come back to you.
What helps us quote.
- The site address and number of homes
- Planning consent and the build programme
- Ground investigation reports and foundation design
- The construction method and any lender requirements
From enquiry to certificate.
How a scheme will move through One Guarantee, and the three parts we are building: property, surety and the inspection that joins them.
Five steps, one team.
Enquiry
Your broker sends the scheme details: site, homes, construction type and programme. One short form, no duplication.
Technical review
A named underwriter reviews the design and ground information and agrees the inspection plan with Survteq.
Terms
Clear terms, with any conditions explained in plain English.
Inspection during the build
Survteq surveyors visit at key stages. Reports and any actions are shared as they happen.
Completion
On sign-off, the certificate is issued for each home, ready for the buyer's lender and conveyancer.
Structural cover, explained simply.
What structural (latent defects) insurance is, who needs it, and why it matters long after the builders have gone.
What it is
Structural insurance, often called a structural warranty or latent defects insurance, protects the owner of a new or converted home if a serious defect in its structure appears after the home is finished. Policies typically run for ten years from completion.
A latent defect is one that could not reasonably have been seen when the home was completed. Typical examples involve foundations, load-bearing walls, roofs and floors, or the ability of the building to keep out the weather.
Who needs it
- Developers and builders, because most buyers need a mortgage, and most mortgage lenders look for structural cover on a new home
- Buyers, who gain protection that stays with the home if they sell it within the policy period
- Lenders and investors, who need confidence that the asset they are financing is sound
Three stages, one policy.
Design review
The design, ground conditions and construction method are reviewed and the site is registered. This is where most problems are cheapest to solve.
Inspection
A technical surveyor visits at key stages to check the work against the agreed standard.
The policy period
Once the home is signed off, the policy starts. Cover is usually ten years. In the early years, the builder is often responsible for putting defects right.
Inspection-led, broker-first, clear at every step.
One Guarantee is preparing to work through regulated brokers. Our cover terms, our appetite and the insurer behind every policy will be published before we open.
Beyond the new build.
A let property, an empty property and one in refurbishment can be three very different risks. Start with who uses the building and what a loss would interrupt.
Describe each building
Construction, occupancy and use, shared spaces and the owner's maintenance duties. Name any lender, freeholder or other party with an interest.
Allow for the whole recovery
Reinstatement can take longer than the repairs. Allow for planning, professional appointments, fit-out and re-letting when setting the indemnity period.
Say what is changing
When the building became vacant, how it is inspected and what works are planned. Heating, water isolation and site security can affect the terms available.
One line per location
A flat above a restaurant and a vacant industrial unit need separate descriptions. List reinstatement values, uses and loss history by location.
The purchase price is a poor starting point for a buildings sum insured. Ask for the latest reinstatement valuation and check what it includes for demolition, fees and access.
A promise that lets work begin.
Surety bonds give councils, employers and clients confidence that obligations will be met, without the developer tying up cash as security.
What a surety bond is
A surety bond is a three-way arrangement. The principal (often a developer or contractor) takes on an obligation. The beneficiary (such as a local authority or employer) needs confidence it will be met. The surety guarantees it, and pays the beneficiary if the principal does not perform.
Because the surety stands behind the obligation, the principal does not need to lodge a cash deposit or bank guarantee, which keeps working capital free for the project itself.
Where bonds are common in development
- Road and sewer bonds, which guarantee that new roads and drainage are completed to the standard needed for adoption
- Performance bonds, which guarantee a contractor's performance under a building contract
- Other development obligations, such as those agreed as part of a planning consent
One relationship, from consent to completion.
Today a bond and structural cover usually mean two providers, two sets of questions and two timetables. We think it should be one conversation.
Of the developer
Financial strength and build quality, assessed once and understood together.
Of the site
The same technical information informs the bond and the structural cover.
For the broker
One team that knows the scheme from the planning consent to the final certificate.
Find your bond.
Choose a category, then find what each bond is for and what to gather. The beneficiary's wording and issuer requirements are the starting point for every enquiry.
Performance bond
Supports the employer if the contractor fails to perform as the bond defines. Check the trigger for a call and the event that releases the surety.
Have ready: Contract conditions, draft bond, contract sum and programme.
Bid or tender bond
Supports obligations at tender stage, such as signing the contract or providing performance security after award.
Have ready: Tender instructions, bid validity, submission deadline and prescribed form.
Advance payment bond
Secures the unearned part of a payment made before the work or delivery. The reduction mechanism matters as much as the opening amount.
Have ready: Advance amount, payment milestones and recovery schedule.
Retention bond
Can let a contractor receive cash that would otherwise be retained, while giving the employer agreed security.
Have ready: Retention clause, release milestones and proposed wording.
Maintenance or defects bond
Supports the duty to remedy specified defects after completion. Align the bond period with the contractual defects period.
Have ready: Handover date, defects period, outstanding items and release terms.
Payment and supply bonds
May secure payments to labour or suppliers, or a supplier's duty to deliver goods. Be clear whose obligation is guaranteed.
Have ready: Supply or payment contract, beneficiaries and maximum exposure.
Road and sewer bonds
Security for infrastructure works under an adoption or works agreement. The authority's wording, inspections and release process govern the exposure.
Have ready: Draft agreement, authority estimate, approved plans and phasing.
Planning and infrastructure bonds
Can secure delivery of a defined planning or infrastructure obligation, set by an authority or linked to costed works.
Have ready: Planning obligation, works specification, cost estimate and release tests.
Environmental and restoration bonds
Security for reinstatement, decommissioning or aftercare under a permit, lease or planning condition. Long-tail duties need a realistic release date.
Have ready: Permit conditions, restoration plan, cost report and monitoring.
Land and utility guarantees
Can secure a staged land payment, utility connection or reinstatement obligation. The beneficiary may require a particular issuer or form.
Have ready: Agreement, beneficiary requirements and milestones.
Customs, duty and transit guarantees
Security for qualifying customs debts. The authority sets the procedure, amount and who it accepts as guarantor.
Have ready: Customs procedure, reference amount, territory and prescribed guarantee.
Licence, permit and travel bonds
Financial security required by a licensing body, scheme or regulator. Issuer eligibility and the approved form can be decisive.
Have ready: Scheme rules, licence terms, trading figures and required wording.
Pension and deductible guarantees
May secure an agreed contribution, deficit or insurance deductible. The underlying agreement decides the exposure.
Have ready: Trustee or insurer requirements, exposure, term and accounts.
Court, appeal and judicial bonds
Security a court or authority requires during proceedings. The order, jurisdiction and permitted issuer are the starting point.
Have ready: Court order or counsel's requirements, filing date and draft security.
Tax, fiscal and statutory bonds
May secure obligations to tax or public authorities. Establish the statutory basis and whether a local issuer is needed first.
Have ready: Authority notice, jurisdiction, amount, currency and expiry.
International and bespoke guarantees
An overseas tender or concession can require a locally accepted issuer or counter-guarantee. Assessed case by case.
Have ready: Local requirements, governing law, issuer criteria and wording.
Probate and administration bonds
An estate or court appointment can require security for a named administrator. Requirements differ between jurisdictions.
Have ready: Court papers, location, nature of the appointment and bond form.
Read the obligation first.
A bond can give the beneficiary a right to claim and give the surety a right of recovery against the applicant. Read the bond and any indemnity together.
Who needs the promise?
Use the legal names of the applicant and beneficiary, the country of issue and the law of the underlying agreement.
What starts and ends it?
Find the claim trigger, any reduction mechanism and the final release event. Attach the prescribed wording if there is one.
Will the issuer be accepted?
A tender may set a minimum rating, licence, location or prescribed form. Check that clause before relying on an indication or letting a deadline pass.
Who insures the works?
The works, the materials and any building already standing can each sit with a different party. Start with the contract and build your enquiry around the responsibilities it gives each one.
Four questions on every build.
Contract works
Accidental loss or damage to the works, materials and temporary works. Who is buying the cover, which parties need to be named and does the project include property that is already standing?
Plant and site exposures
Owned plant, hired-in equipment and off-site storage raise different questions. Have peak values, hire conditions and overnight and in-transit security to hand.
Liability and design responsibility
Liability and contract works policies cover different losses. Flag public access, neighbouring properties, work at height, excavation depth and any design responsibility, including design by subcontractors.
Structural cover
If a structural warranty is needed for sale or funding, share the lender's requirements, build stage and technical records early. Eligibility, inspection and lender acceptance depend on the scheme. About structural cover
What to have ready.
- The contract form, the parties and the insurance clauses
- Project address, scope, value and programme
- Construction method, current stage and any existing structures
- Loss history and any lender or employer requirements
Refurbishing an occupied building needs a different approach from a new build on a clear site. Tell us what stays in use during the works and who insures the existing structure.
Related reading.
A 10% performance bond. Ten per cent of what?
Check the amount, the claim trigger and the release evidence before pricing the tender.
Read the guide → The bond series · Part 3When does a retention bond actually free up cash?
Run one real valuation through cash retention and a bond.
Read the guide → SuretyThe bond directory
Find the bond your contract asks for and what to gather.
Find your bond →Cover starts on site.
Good structural insurance depends on good inspection. Ours will be carried out by Survteq, a sister company in the Accquis Group, so the person who sees the site and the person who covers it work as one team.
Fewer surprises, for everyone.
Most serious defects start as small problems during the build: ground that is not quite as expected, a detail missed at the foundations, water that finds its way in. Inspection is the moment to catch them, while they can still be put right cheaply.
Because Survteq and One Guarantee are in the same group, findings will not sit in a report waiting to be read. The surveyor and the underwriter will discuss the site directly, and the builder will hear one consistent view.
Where a surveyor will look.
The inspection plan for each site depends on its design, ground conditions and construction method. These are the stages most structural inspections cover.
Ground and foundations
Excavations, ground conditions and foundations before they are covered.
Superstructure
Walls, frames and floors as the building rises.
Roof and weathertightness
The roof structure and how the building keeps out the weather.
Pre-completion
A final check before the home is signed off and the certificate is issued.
No project too big. Or too small.
Survteq carries out all of the Accquis Group's technical surveys. Its chartered building surveyors work in the new build sector across England and Wales, carrying out structural warranty surveys, Professional Consultants Certificates, site inspections and retrospective surveys.
Survteq Limited, registered in England and Wales, company number 11931441.
Plain answers. No jargon.
Short guides to structural insurance and surety for brokers, developers and homeowners, and a glossary of the terms you will meet.
What is structural insurance?
What it covers, who needs it and why lenders look for it.
Surety bonds for developers
Road, sewer and performance bonds, and how a surety bond differs from a cash deposit.
Buying a new home
What to ask about structural cover before you exchange contracts.
Getting ready for inspection
How to make each site visit quick and useful.
Glossary
The terms you will meet in structural insurance and surety.
From the wording.
Six practical guides for tender teams, contractors, developers and importers. Each starts with a question you can answer from the bond wording.
A 10% performance bond. Ten per cent of what?
Check the amount, the claim trigger and the release evidence before pricing the tender.
Read the guide → Part 2 · For contractorsHow an advance payment bond reduces as the work progresses
Follow a £240,000 mobilisation advance through four repayments.
Read the guide → Part 3 · For contractorsWhen does a retention bond actually free up cash?
Run one real valuation through cash retention and a proposed bond.
Read the guide → Part 4 · For tender teamsBid bonds and the three dates in your tender diary
Submission deadline, bid validity and security expiry, before you order a tender bond.
Read the guide → Part 5 · For developersRoad and sewer bonds on a phased housing scheme
Section 38 and Section 104 security, phase by phase, through to release.
Read the guide → Part 6 · For importers and hauliersCustoms transit guarantees and the busiest day of the month
Size a transit guarantee from open movements, not annual turnover.
Read the guide →An employer asks for a 10% performance bond on a £4 million building contract. The tender team pencils in £400,000 and moves on. The arithmetic takes seconds. The more important question is what the proposed bond requires the surety to pay, to whom and for how long.
Put the contract alongside the bond
Check which contract sum the percentage applies to, how VAT is treated and whether the signed bond states a fixed cash limit. Then follow one variation through the paperwork. If the works increase from £4 million to £4.5 million, will the bond stay at £400,000? Will the employer require another £50,000 of security? Identify who must agree to a change before the tender price is fixed.
Read the demand a beneficiary would have to make
A conditional bond can require the employer to establish a default and the loss resulting from it. An on-demand instrument can require payment against the documents it specifies, before the underlying contract dispute has been resolved. Ask the contract team to point to the clause showing what has to happen, who certifies it and where the demand goes. Pay particular attention to how insolvency is dealt with.
The difference matters to the contractor too. A surety may seek reimbursement under an indemnity. Get the proposed indemnity alongside the bond so the finance director can see which company is signing and what a demand could mean for cash flow.
Give someone responsibility for release
Is the bond released on practical completion, on issue of another certificate or on a calendar date? Multiple sections of works can have different completion dates. Decide which certificate the surety needs and who will obtain it. For an initial enquiry, send the contract security clause, draft bond, project programme, contract value and identity of the contracting company. An amended form is particularly worth flagging before signature.
The figures show how a clause can operate. Your own contract and the signed wording decide the outcome.
Sources and further reading
- UK government guidance on supplier bonds, section 3.4
- RICS guidance on construction security and performance documents
Next: How an advance payment bond reduces as the work progresses →
A contractor needs an advance to order a long-lead item of plant. The client is willing to pay before delivery if a surety secures repayment. Both sides agree £240,000. They also need to agree how the outstanding balance will be measured once work begins.
Start with the payment route
Identify the company receiving the money, the company entitled to recover it and the account and event specified in the wording. In the JCT 2024 Standard Building Contract example, the surety’s liability starts when the employer pays the contractor. A payment made directly to a manufacturer is a different cash flow. Flag it before anyone agrees the form.
Clarify what the employer wants to secure. If the concern is ownership or delivery of goods held off site, get the purchasing and vesting arrangements out at the same time. Evidence that materials belong to an employer and a promise to reimburse an advance serve different purposes.
Follow one repayment from certificate to surety
Suppose four £60,000 deductions are agreed. After two have been made, the unrecovered advance should be £120,000. Give the quantity surveyor a simple reconciliation showing advance paid, repayments actually made and balance. Under the JCT example the employer advises the surety of reimbursements in writing. A deduction recorded only on a contractor’s internal ledger will leave the surety without that evidence.
Allow for a late delivery
If the fourth deduction is due close to the bond’s longstop date, model a delayed certificate. How much will still be outstanding on that date? Who can agree an extension and when must they be approached? Before seeking terms, send the draft bond, payment schedule and supplier quotation. Explain where the money goes and how the employer will know it has been recovered.
The figures show how a clause can operate. Your own contract and the signed wording decide the outcome.
Sources and further reading
A retention bond can let a contractor receive more of each interim payment while giving the employer agreed security. To put a value on that change, take one real application for payment and run it through the two arrangements.
Use the next valuation
Suppose the next valuation includes £200,000 of work subject to 3% retention. Ignoring VAT and other adjustments, the employer would deduct £6,000 from that valuation. If the employer agrees to pay that valuation gross against a bond, £6,000 is the additional cash received for the period. The headline bond limit tells you very little about that month’s benefit.
Repeat the calculation over the programme. Mark when cash retention would normally build up, reduce and finally be released. Against that profile put the quoted premium, any security the surety requires and the cost of keeping that security in place. This gives the finance team a comparison in pounds and months.
Agree the switch with the employer
On a live project, separate sums already held from deductions on future certificates. Ask when existing retention would actually be paid out and who needs to authorise the change. If a funder is involved, check the funding documents as well as the building contract. Get agreement on the bond form before depending on the cash in a forecast.
Read the conditions for a demand and release
The JCT 2024 Standard Building Contract retention bond uses the retention the employer could otherwise have held as a limit on a demand. It sets evidence requirements for different costs and provides for prior notice. Its release provisions identify specific events, including a certificate confirming defects have been made good and a stated final date. Ask the contract administrator which event will apply to your job and give the commercial team a copy of the agreed form.
The figures show how a clause can operate. Your own contract and the signed wording decide the outcome.
Sources and further reading
For a tender requiring bid security, the submission deadline is only the first date that matters. The tender price may have to stand for months afterwards, and the bond may need to remain live after that. Record all three dates before you ask for terms.
Submission deadline
Read the invitation, bid data sheet, security form and latest addenda together. Identify the exact bidder and beneficiary. A joint venture tender can name more parties than a single-company bid. Check who may issue the security, where that issuer must be established, what currency the procuring authority requires and whether an electronic copy is enough. Where an original must arrive, allow for signatures, delivery and the receiving office’s local time.
Bid validity
This is the period during which the bidder must stand behind its offer. Depending on the wording, withdrawing during that period, declining to sign after award or failing to supply the required performance security can trigger a call. Obtain the proposed performance bond terms while the bid is being prepared. Winning the work can create a second security requirement with a short deadline.
Security expiry
Use the actual tender instructions to find the minimum period. If a tender requires 90 days’ bid validity and a further 28 days of security, the illustrative period is 118 days from the stipulated starting point. Check the date calculation, any stated expiry time and the rules for presenting a demand. An extension to the bid deadline can change the dates you pencilled in.
Give one person responsibility for tender addenda. If the purchaser extends the timetable after the bond has been issued, get the change to the surety promptly and confirm whether amended security must be delivered. A commercial bid team accepting a new deadline does not itself extend the instrument.
The figures show how a clause can operate. Your own contract and the signed wording decide the outcome.
Sources and further reading
The final house on a phase can be sold while the estate road and drains still await adoption. For a developer with several sites, that gap matters. A bond can keep using surety capacity after sales income has arrived and the site team has moved on.
Separate the road from the sewer
In England a Section 38 agreement can provide for a highway authority to adopt a new road. A Section 104 agreement can cover the future adoption of sewers by a sewerage undertaker. The scope, beneficiary and inspection process can differ even where the pipe sits directly beneath the carriageway. Ask each body for its own agreement, marked-up drawing and security requirements. Other UK jurisdictions have different arrangements.
Cheshire East Council explains the practical consequence in its adoption guidance. Money secured for roadworks on a particular phase cannot simply be applied to a different phase or used to finish sewer works under a separate agreement.
Keep a bond schedule for each phase
Give each agreement its own line. Record the developer’s legal name, drawing revision, benefited authority, confirmed bond amount, current stage, next inspection and person responsible. If the landowner differs from the developer, tell the broker early so the parties in the surety paperwork can be checked against the agreement.
Take a two-phase scheme. If a pumping station in phase two serves homes in phase one, ask the sewerage undertaker what must be completed before it will certify phase one. Then ask the highway authority whether its road sign-off depends on that sewer milestone. Put the replies against the applicable bonds.
Close the loop after inspection
Ask for written evidence of any agreed reduction or release and send it to the surety. Keep a record of the amount the surety confirms is still outstanding. An engineer’s site note may document completed work while the formal certificate or authority consent required by the agreement is still to follow.
The figures show how a clause can operate. Your own contract and the signed wording decide the outcome.
Sources and further reading
- Cheshire East Council road and sewer adoption guidance
- Water UK sewerage sector guidance and model adoption agreement
Next: Customs transit guarantees and the busiest day of the month →
For a haulier or importer using transit, annual turnover is a poor starting point for sizing a guarantee. The figure that matters is the potential customs debt on all the movements open at the same time. A Friday departure and a slow Monday discharge can change that figure materially.
Build the calculation from movements
Start with the busiest representative week. For each consignment, list the opening time, discharge time and relevant potential duties and taxes. HMRC gives guidance on calculating potential debt for the goods. Add the open amounts together at several points during the week. An average per load can hide the day when several higher-duty consignments overlap.
For illustration, three open movements with potential debts of £22,000, £18,000 and £31,000 give a combined exposure of £71,000. If another £20,000 movement opens before the first is discharged, that rises to £91,000. These figures show the timing effect. They are not a tariff calculation or a proposed authorised limit.
Check whose authorisation is being used
Confirm the holder of the transit procedure, the EORI involved and whether you are using your own guarantee or one made available through another business. HMRC distinguishes individual guarantees from comprehensive guarantees for repeated movements. Its guidance also covers when a comprehensive guarantee is required and which guarantors it can accept. Identify the precise procedure and locations involved before approaching a provider.
Get operations and finance looking at the same number
Ask the operations team for the list of movements still open after the goods arrived. Finance can then test the peak against the reference amount and allow for seasonal volumes or slower discharge. Reductions and waivers have their own eligibility and authorisation requirements. If the reference amount needs to change, follow HMRC’s process and discuss the required undertaking with the guarantor before the next busy period.
The figures show how a clause can operate. Your own contract and the signed wording decide the outcome.
Sources and further reading
- HMRC guidance on sizing a transit guarantee
- HMRC guidance on when a customs guarantee is required
- HMRC guidance on choosing a guarantor
Structural insurance protects the owner of a new or converted home if a serious defect in the structure appears after the home is finished. It is often called a structural warranty, a new home warranty or latent defects insurance. They describe broadly the same thing.
What does "latent" mean?
A latent defect is hidden. It could not reasonably have been spotted when the home was completed, and only shows itself later: a foundation that settles, a wall that moves, a roof that lets water in.
What does it usually cover?
- The cost of putting right serious defects in the structure, such as foundations, load-bearing walls, floors and roofs
- Defects that stop the building keeping out the weather
- In the early years, often a duty on the builder to put defects right, backed by the policy if the builder cannot
What does it usually not cover?
- Wear and tear, and normal shrinkage or settlement cracks
- Damage caused by a lack of maintenance or by later alterations
- Things that are not part of the structure, such as appliances or decoration
Why do lenders look for it?
A lender is lending against the value of the home. If a serious hidden defect appears, that value can fall sharply. Structural cover protects that value, which is why most mortgage lenders look for it on new homes.
This guide describes structural insurance in general. The terms of a particular certificate decide what it covers.
Many development projects come with obligations to a third party: build the road to an adoptable standard, complete the sewers, finish the contract. The third party needs confidence those obligations will be met. A surety bond gives it.
The three parties
- The principal takes on the obligation, usually the developer or contractor
- The beneficiary is protected by the bond, such as the local authority or the employer
- The surety guarantees the obligation and pays the beneficiary if the principal does not perform
Common bonds in residential development
- Road bonds, under an agreement for the local highway authority to adopt new roads
- Sewer bonds, under an agreement for the water company to adopt new sewers
- Performance bonds, guaranteeing a contractor's performance under a building contract
Why a bond rather than cash?
Without a bond, the beneficiary may ask for a cash deposit or a bank guarantee. Both tie up money the project needs. A surety bond provides the same security without locking away working capital.
What a surety will look at
Because the surety may have to pay out and then recover the cost from the principal, it will look at the developer's financial strength, track record and the project itself.
A new home is a big purchase. Structural cover is part of what protects it. These are the questions worth asking before you exchange contracts.
Five questions to ask
- Which structural cover does the home have, and who provides it?
- When does cover start, and how long does it last?
- Who is responsible for putting defects right in the first years: the builder or the policy?
- Will the certificate be issued at completion, and will your lender accept it?
- What is excluded, and what must you do to keep cover in place?
Keep your documents safe
Keep the certificate and policy document with your property papers. You will need them if you report a problem, and your buyer's conveyancer will ask for them if you sell.
You can check your certificate or report a problem on our homeowners page.
Inspections work best when the surveyor sees the work at the right moment, with the right information to hand. A little preparation saves return visits.
Before each visit
- Give notice when a key stage is ready, before it is covered up
- Have current drawings and any design changes on site
- Make sure the site manager is available to walk the work
- Keep delivery notes and certificates for structural materials
After each visit
- Read the report and agree any actions with the surveyor
- Record how each action was dealt with, with photographs where helpful
- Tell us about design changes before they are built
With Survteq and One Guarantee in the same group, questions about a finding can be settled in one conversation.
- Adoption
- When a local authority or water company takes over responsibility for a new road or sewer once it is built to standard.
- Beneficiary
- The party protected by a surety bond, such as a local authority.
- Builder warranty period
- The early years of a policy in which the builder is usually responsible for putting defects right.
- Certificate
- The document confirming that a home has structural cover, issued at completion.
- Conversion
- A home created by changing the use of an existing building, such as an office or barn.
- Cover note
- A document confirming that cover has been agreed, issued before the final certificate.
- Latent defect
- A hidden defect that could not reasonably have been seen at completion.
- Latent defects insurance
- Insurance against the cost of putting right latent defects in a building's structure.
- Modern methods of construction
- Building methods that differ from traditional masonry, such as timber or steel frame and factory-built parts.
- Performance bond
- A bond guaranteeing that a contractor will perform its obligations under a contract.
- Principal
- The party whose obligation a surety bond guarantees, usually the developer or contractor.
- Road bond
- A bond guaranteeing that new roads will be completed to the standard needed for adoption.
- Sewer bond
- A bond guaranteeing that new sewers will be completed to the standard needed for adoption.
- Structural warranty
- A common name for structural insurance on a new or converted home.
- Surety
- The party that guarantees an obligation under a bond and pays if the principal does not perform.
- Technical survey
- An inspection of construction work at key stages, carried out for One Guarantee by Survteq.
A name the market knows. A new chapter.
One Guarantee has been part of UK structural insurance for over 20 years. Now owned by the Accquis Group, it is being rebuilt as a modern, broker-first specialist.
Why we are rebuilding.
The UK needs more homes, and every new home needs a builder, a lender and a buyer who can trust what lies beneath it. Structural insurance is part of that trust. Yet brokers and developers too often find the process slow and opaque.
We see the chance to do it better: a specialist that combines a known name with modern underwriting, inspection from a sister company and the support of a wider group.
What will not change
The idea in our name. One promise, kept.
How we will work.
Clear
Plain answers, with the reasons. No jargon where a simple word will do.
Prompt
Decisions made and documents issued without chasing.
Technical
Judgement grounded in what is actually happening on site.
Accountable
A named person for every scheme, and standards we report against.
A group built around property and construction risk.
Accquis puts capital behind businesses and runs the infrastructure underneath them. The group has backed and supported licensed entities in the UK and other countries.
The team building the next chapter.
Appointment to be announced
We are recruiting a Chief Executive to lead One Guarantee. See careers
Two underwriters
We are recruiting an experienced full-time surety underwriter and a separate full-time latent defects insurance underwriter. See careers
Survteq
Technical surveys for the group.
Help build it. From the ground up.
A rare chance to shape a specialist with a known name and the backing of a group. We are looking for people who know the build and care about getting it right for brokers.
Current vacancies.
Chief Executive Officer
Lead One Guarantee into its next chapter: build the team, the broker relationships and the platform.
Surety Underwriter (full time)
An experienced surety underwriter to build and run our bond book, from road and sewer bonds to contract bonds.
Latent Defects Insurance Underwriter (full time)
An experienced LDI underwriter to assess new build and conversion schemes, working directly with Survteq surveyors.
To apply, register your interest and choose "Interested in a career", or email info@oneguarantee.co.uk. Do not see the right role? Tell us about yourself and we will keep you in mind as the team grows.
Real responsibility
Shape how a specialist works, not just follow a process someone else wrote.
A group behind you
Work alongside Survteq, Exance, Checkmate and Compariqo across the Accquis Group.
Modern tools
Technology that takes away the administration, so you spend time on judgement.
A new chapter for One Guarantee
Our new website sets out how we are rebuilding One Guarantee around brokers.
Survteq to carry out One Guarantee inspections
Why inspection from within the same group matters to brokers and builders.
We are recruiting a Chief Executive
An opportunity to lead One Guarantee into its next chapter.
One Guarantee, a name in UK structural insurance for over 20 years, today launches its new website as it prepares to open under the ownership of the Accquis Group.
The new One Guarantee is being built around the broker who places structural cover. Its broker promise commits it to a named underwriter for every scheme, clear decisions explained in plain English, no disappearing referrals, inspection that talks to underwriting, and paperwork that keeps up.
Technical surveys will be carried out by Survteq, a sister company within the Accquis Group, so that the surveyor and the underwriter work from the same information.
Brokers and developers can register their interest at oneguarantee.co.uk. Homeowners with an existing One Guarantee certificate can use the website to check a certificate, and anyone building a new home can request a quote for latent defects insurance.
Technical surveys for One Guarantee will be carried out by Survteq Limited, which already carries out all of the Accquis Group's technical surveys.
Inspection is where structural cover is won or lost. Most serious defects begin as small problems during the build, and the best time to deal with them is while they are still visible and cheap to put right.
With Survteq and One Guarantee in the same group, a surveyor's findings will reach the underwriter directly. Conditions can be agreed on site, and builders will hear one consistent view rather than two.
Be first to hear when we open.
Tell us who you are and what you need. We will keep you updated, and only about One Guarantee.
One Guarantee is not yet accepting new business. Until we open, we can introduce brokers and developers to other businesses in the Accquis Group. Mention it in your message.
Please use the homeowners page to check a certificate or get an LDI quote.
New business
Register your interest and we will be in touch when we open.
Register → Homeowners, lenders, conveyancersExisting certificates
Check a certificate or get an LDI quote.
Homeowners →General enquiries
Use the form below, or email info@oneguarantee.co.uk.
One Guarantee Limited, part of the Accquis Group. Registered office: Suite 70, 179 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2AG.
Regulatory, privacy and complaints.
Who you are dealing with, how we handle your information and what to do if something goes wrong.
One Guarantee Limited
10587860
England and Wales
841152
Authorised since 1 November 2019
ZA560170
Data controller
Registered office: Suite 70, 179 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2AG.
Regulatory information
One Guarantee Limited is registered in England and Wales under company number 10587860. Our registered office is Suite 70, 179 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2AG.
One Guarantee Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 841152. Our permissions cover insurance distribution. You can check our record, including any requirements that apply to it, on the Financial Services Register and our company details at Companies House.
One Guarantee is an Accquis Group brand. It is not yet accepting new business. When it does, any terms will name the insurer or surety responsible for the policy or bond, the conditions and the steps needed before cover or a bond takes effect. The same regulatory protections do not apply to every bond or policy, so ask us which apply to your placement.
Eligible complainants may be able to refer a dispute to the Financial Ombudsman Service. If a regulated firm fails, eligibility for compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme depends on the firm, the activity, the product and the circumstances.
Complaints
If we get something wrong, please tell us. Our complaints contact is Mark Griffin. Email info@oneguarantee.co.uk or write to Mark Griffin, One Guarantee Limited, Suite 70, 179 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2AG. Please include your name, how you would like us to reply, any policy, certificate or bond reference and what you would like us to put right.
We will look into your complaint and explain our decision. For most regulated insurance complaints we have up to eight weeks from receipt to send a final response. If we cannot resolve it by then, we will explain the delay and your options.
If you are unhappy with our final response, or eight weeks have passed without one, you may be able to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service free of charge. You normally have six months from the date of our final response to do so. Eligibility depends on who is complaining, the activity and the circumstances.
To report a defect or make a claim or demand, use the notification instructions in your certificate, policy or bond. They identify the correct recipient, deadlines and documents. A service complaint is a separate process.
Privacy notice
One Guarantee Limited is the controller for information you give us through this website. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office under reference ZA560170. For privacy questions or to exercise your rights, email info@oneguarantee.co.uk or write to us at the address above.
We use the details you send to reply to you, to understand your requirement and, where you agree, to tell you about One Guarantee. Where you act for a business, we rely on our legitimate interest in handling its request and keeping a record of our dealings. Where you ask us to take steps towards a contract with you personally, we rely on that contractual basis. We also use information to meet legal and regulatory obligations. We do not sell your details.
The people handling your request and the service providers supporting our website, email and record keeping may process your information. Insurers, sureties, professional advisers and regulators may receive it where your request or the law requires. An insurer or surety may act as a separate controller for its own underwriting. If a transfer outside the UK is needed, the UK transfer rules apply and you can ask us which safeguards are relevant.
How long we keep information depends on whether your enquiry proceeds, any regulatory record-keeping requirements and the time needed to deal with a complaint or legal claim. Depending on the circumstances, you can ask for access, correction or deletion of your information, restrict or object to its use, or ask for a portable copy. You can also raise a concern with the Information Commissioner's Office.
Cookies
This website does not use advertising cookies, advertising pixels or analytics trackers. Our hosting provider receives technical information, such as your IP address and the page requested, to deliver the site and keep it secure.
Website terms
One Guarantee Limited operates this website. Our guides explain common arrangements in general terms. Contract wording, local requirements and your circumstances can change how an arrangement works, so nothing on this site is a recommendation for your project. Registering your interest or sending an enquiry does not arrange cover, reserve capacity or issue a bond. We link to official registers, public bodies and industry sources so you can check the detail; each has its own terms and privacy information.
Accessibility
We want everyone to be able to use this site. It is built to work with keyboards, screen readers and text enlargement, and on phones as well as desktops. If anything is hard to use, please tell us and we will help.