Valuable Consumer protection

An Insurance Backed guarantee (IBG) is an insurance policy - paid for by the installing contractor - which provides valuable protection for consumers when undertaking home improvement projects.

The purpose of an Insurance Backed Guarantee is to honour the terms of the written guarantee, originally issued by the installing contractor, where that contract has ceased to trade as defined within the policy document and is therefore unable to satisfy claims against that guarantee.

Many contractors will be happy to guarantee their work against defects in workmanship or materials for between 1 year and 10 years, which is the period often given by home improvement companies such as glaziers and roofers. If a fault arises in the works, the contractor would normally honour his responsibilities by attending to the fault at no cost to you.

Although a contractor's written guarantee sets out their obligation to rectify defects in installations carried out by them, it cannot guarantee that they will always be around. If a contractor ceases to trade, and defects subsequently develop in an installation, the contractor's guarantee, although made in good faith and with the best intentions, would be useless.