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About Us

“Ten and twelve year new home warranty policies and latent defects insurance for all types of residential and commercial developments.”

Checkmate has been a Lockton division since its launch in 2010 and is a leading industry expert in the provision of ten year and twelve year latent defects insurance and new home warranty policies. The specialist team has literally hundreds of years’ of collective experience, dating back as far as the late 1980s. Over the last four decades that experience has been honed and developed and has led to the delivery of the many innovations and industry “Firsts” that sets Checkmate apart as a champion of positive change.

Innovation and creativity led to the development of the Review & Evaluate Digital Images (REDI) system which has transformed the assessment of live works on site throughout the construction phase of a project. The REDI allows site operatives to record their work with digital imagery which is loaded in to the Checkmate system via bespoke web portal for Checkmate surveyors to review against Checkmate’s own technical standards manual. The REDI system is in addition to and complements the extensive on-site inspection programme carried out by Checkmate’s surveyors. The platform was significantly enhanced in 2016 with launch of the REDI App for iOS and Android devices and is free for our members.

The first and only UK warranty provider to become a Chartered Building Consultancy under the Chartered Institute Of Building scheme and Checkmate is a Company Partner of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers. These accreditations recognise the level of commitment to improving build quality through a codes of professional ethics and a robust business leadership structure. Half of Checkmate’s senior team are Fellows of the Chartered Institute Of Builders in their own right and all of Checkmate’s surveyors already hold a professional qualification or are part of structured programme to achieve the same.

Many of Checkmate’s other team members hold professional qualifications in their own disciplines, be that insurance underwriting, insurance claims and also in IT. Checkmate, as part of Lockton, is also a corporate member of the Chartered Insurance Institute which formally recognises, though its code of conduct, the level of competence and honesty applied throughout every part of the business when dealing with customers and insurers.

Our People

Janine Armstrong
Janine Armstrong
Head of Checkmate

Janine’s 30 years’ experience in the construction industry ensures Checkmate’s business processes deliver the best in client service and business development.

Her latent defect insurance career began as a Site Surveyor with Zurich Insurance in 2005, carrying out risk management inspections. She was promoted to Regional Surveying Manager in 2007 until Zurich Insurance withdrew from latent defects in 2009. She joined Checkmate in March 2010 as the Head of Surveying.

Janine became Head of Checkmate in 2022.

Rachel Liddle
Rachel Liddle
Head of Underwriting

Rachel is the Head of Underwriting for Checkmate. She has 15 years’ experience in new home warranty insurance, having started her career at Zurich Insurance and then joining Lockton’s Checkmate division in 2010.

Rachel is responsible for all underwriting aspects, ensuring that client’s warranty needs are covered whilst maintaining underwriting integrity.

David Graham
David Graham
Head of Surveying

David has over 40 years’ experience in the house building market and started in the structural warranty sector in 1999 with Zurich Building Guarantee. When they withdrew from the market he moved to Checkmate as a Regional Surveyor in 2010 and is now Head of Surveying.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute Of Building and a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers. He has sat on the CIOB’s Professional Review & Membership Panel.

Shaun Woodward
Shaun Woodward
Head of IT

Shaun has over 25 years’ experience in IT within the financial and insurance sectors. Shaun joined Lockton in 2010 and with his team, drives the technology Checkmate uses to ensure it delivers market leading solutions across all aspects of product, service and claims management.

Shaun holds Membership of the British Computer Society (MBCS).