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New Homes Ombudsman recruits HSBC director into top job
The New Homes Ombudsman has appointed a senior director from HSBC into the top job.
Nigel Cates will lead the watchdog, which is responsible for dealing with complaints about the quality of new housing, from the end of September.
He will replace former ombudsman chief Alison MacDougall, who retired in August.
Mr Cates spent over nine years at HSBC UK, rising to head of financial support and controls, where he led on complaint-handling at the bank.
He was also a senior ombudsman at the Financial Ombudsman Service from 2012 to 2015, leading investigators and adjudicators on high-profile issues.
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Before that, Mr Cates worked for over a decade as director of the goods and consumer group at the Office of Fair Trading, where he was responsible for consumer protection casework, market studies and investigations including unfair contract terms.
The New Homes Ombudsman was launched in October 2022 following a provision in the Building Safety Act. The service is currently voluntary for developers to join, with most small and medium-sized developers not yet covered.
Jodi Berg, chair of the board at the New Homes Ombudsman, said: “We are excited to have Nigel lead this increasingly important service. Not only does he bring significant and relevant experience to the table, but his career has involved substantial senior-level representation across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.”
Mr Cates said: “With the government committed to an ambitious programme of new housebuilding, there is a growing recognition that the service should be moved onto a statutory footing to ensure that all new homeowners have access if needed to a first-rate ombudsman service.
“I look forward to building on the success to date of New Homes Ombudsman, and to working with the New Homes Quality Board and developers to further improve the standard of new housing across the UK.”
In its first annual report since its formation, published in August, the New Homes Ombudsman reported that 90 of the largest developer groups in Britain had joined the service. The figure accounts for just over half of all new homes sold in England, Scotland and Wales.
It said a further 91 were taking the steps needed to do so, which would bring coverage to 65% to 70% of all homes sold.
The watchdog said ministers must “use the powers they already have to make it a legal requirement for all new housing developers to join the scheme”.
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