New Homes Quality Board launched to hold house builders to account over build quality

News08.02.215.10 PM by Jack Simpson

A new organisation charged with ensuring that developers deliver good-quality homes and that homeowners have greater consumer protections has been launched.

Natalie Elphicke will chair the New Homes Quality Board (picture: Peter Searle)

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A new independent body has been set up to drive better consumer protections for those with complaints against house builders #UKhousing

The New Homes Quality Board (NHQB), an independent body set up to drive better quality and standards in the private housebuilding sector, launched officially today with the appointment of nine board members.

The NHQB will be an important advisory body and will help to consult on and introduce a new industry code of practice for builders, as well appoint the New Homes Ombudsman Service (NHOS), which will be there to support homeowners when in disputes against the builders of their homes.

The NHQB has said that its role is to fill the gaps of existing protections for owners of newly built homes. It will be chaired by Dover MP Natalie Elphicke, with representatives from the housebuilding, banking, building control and consumer bodies on the board (see below).

It includes Nicholas Boys-Smith, former chair of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission; Steve Wood, chief executive of the National House Building Council; and Jennie Daly, group operations director at Taylor Wimpey.

One of the board’s key tasks will be the creation of a New Homes Conduct – a code of practice for the industry that will place considerably more demands on builders from the point of sale through to two years after the purchase.

It will also appoint the NHOS in the coming months and has already consulted the Ombudsman Association about the creation of the new regulator. A detailed submission was put to the Ombudsman Association in the autumn, with work now focused on developing the tender and appointment process for this group.

The NHQB hopes to have the NHOS operational later this year. A transition period in which developers can sign up to the NHOS scheme will then follow.

Access to the NHOS will be free to consumers and will be funded by the housebuilding industry through a levy or an annual registration fee. House builders and developers will also have to be signed up to the new ombudsman service to take part in the new version of the Help to Buy programme, which is starting in April.

Plans for a New Homes Ombudsman were announced in October 2018.

It will have statutory powers to ban “rogue developers” from building and to order fixes for poor building work, and ensure that homeowners have more options open to them when they want to complain, rather than having to pursue lengthy legal processes.

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said: “I am delighted to support this new body, which will champion good-quality homes and give much-needed peace of mind for homebuyers, with a strong regulator to help them if things go wrong.”

Minister for rough sleeping and housing Eddie Hughes said: “It’s crucial developers show more responsibility for the quality of their work while also acknowledging when things go wrong – this helps give vital confidence to buyers, especially at a time of general uncertainty.

“I welcome today’s launch of the New Homes Quality Board and its work to put a new ombudsman in place and look forward to working closely with them to ensure the housebuilding industry is delivering new homes of the highest possible quality.”