A message from the Chair, Rob Brighouse
Welcome to our Spring / Summer newsletter. Already this year has brought a range of challenges and opportunities for NHQB and the wider housebuilding sector. Building more quality new homes remains front and centre of government policy and we are pleased that government preparations for a mandatory Ombudsman for new homes have been launched. This is an important step in the right direction for consumers, and we look forward to helping support government to achieve this.
We were especially pleased to see in the recent National New Homes Customer Satisfaction Survey, that the proportion of customers who are happy to recommend their builder had increased by 4% year-onyear. Neil Jefferson, CEO of the HBF partly attributed this increase to the work of NHQB and the New Homes Ombudsman, which is a fantastic endorsement.
“With thousands of new homes being sold every week, it is inevitable that in some cases there are some, usually minor, issues. What is absolutely key is that when they do arise, issues are dealt with promptly and to the satisfaction of the customer. Industry is now achieving this in the vast majority of instances, and the more exacting New Homes Quality Code and access to an independent Ombudsman who can adjudicate and provide redress, is helping drive positive behaviours.”
-Neil Jefferson, CEO, Home Builders Federation
The NHQB team have continued their focus on supporting customers and helping developers to deliver improved customer satisfaction. These are outlined further on in this edition, but some personal highlights include:
The first review of the Code is complete, and the updated version will be published later this year.
We have published customer satisfaction results on our website, enabling customers to have a clearer understanding of housebuilder performance.
TheApproved Code Scheme, run by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, has approved the NHQBCode of Practice.
We have published a new consumer guide: Your Guide to Buying a New Build Home – the second in our suite of guidance information for customers.
As part of our commitment to helping developers to improve their customer service, we have published some ‘hints & tips’ on three areas that most often get raised during the compliance audit process.
Rob Brighouse, Chair of the New Homes Quality Board.