Last April, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) insisted that it would not lend money on new builds unless a National House Building Council (NHBC) buildmark cover note has been issued on the property.

We as consumers are advised by our solicitors that this means the property is 'habitable' or 'finished'.

So we are happy to sign our completion documents, allowing the cover note to trigger completion.

I have found that the reality is that this does not mean that the property is ready to live in; it is simply that the insurance company, in this case the NHBC, will take the risk of insuring the property.

The decision to issue the cover note is subjective and is at the inspector's discretion.

I was forced to complete on an uninhabitable flat where the builders virtually disappeared when they got their money.

I could not stop completion as the cover note is part of my contract.

I have appealed to the NHBC, the local council, Trading Standards, the Law Society, the CML, and they all say there is nothing that they can do about it.

I have no protection, and no rights.

I suspect that there are others who are in the same position.

Do solicitors believe that this cover note is a safeguard for the consumer? They need to know it is not.

Laura Wrighton, Marlow, Bucks