New-build owners are finally set to receive some protection and support against developers who provide poor build quality and terrible customer service.
We have written before about the troublesome world of new build homes. We reported that each new home comes with an average of 150 snags (snags is an industry term for problems) which the developer should not have let slip by and should certainly work hard to remedy.
Sadly, new-build developers have, over the years, garnered a fairly negative reputation. Not only are snags rife in new-build homes, but developers too often fail to address the snags when owners report them.
All of this is finally set to change with the introduction of the New Homes Quality Board, a new pressure group and consumer rights body which says it will ‘put pressure on new-build housing developers to build better-quality homes and treat their customers well’.
Officially launched on 8th February 2021, The New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) plans to create a new industry code of practice to place a much greater share of responsibility onto the shoulders of developers, from ensuring homes are built to a higher quality, to responding to complaints and concerns in good time.
A big part of this will be developers offering a fixed timeline for addressing snagging issues. Today, such repair work can take months, if not years to be completed because developers feel little incentive to offer rapid help.
The NHQB says that the New Homes Code is currently in the consultation process. Pressure groups, consumer groups, government officials, and the developers themselves are involved in the talks.
Not only will the NHQB offer consumer support and pressure developers to be better, but the organisation also wants to create a new-homes ombudsman to support buyers who are having elongated disputes with their developer. This is set to come to fruition over the next year.
The NHQB and all of its associated support services will be available to new home buyers all the way from the moment of initial reservation to two-years post-occupation.
