Housing Minister Lee Rowley visited Bellway site in Solihull to mark start of new scheme.
The first developers activated their membership of the New Homes Quality Board Code this week. To mark the occasion Housing Minister Lee Rowley broke off from Conservative conference to visit a development.
The Housing Minister was joined by Leon Livermore, CEO of the New Homes Quality Board, Neil Jefferson, managing director of the Home Builders Federation and Natalie Elphicke MP, previous chair of the NHQB while the new Code was developed.
The new code of practice will put significantly more requirements on builders in terms of how they treat their customers and deal with any complaints, whilst a new, totally independent Ombudsman service will provide redress for customers in the event of a dispute. Over 100 developers are now registered and are working with the NHQB to ready themselves to follow the first builders to go live at the earliest opportunity. The scheme will initially cover England, Wales and Scotland, and ultimately the whole of the UK and those that are signed up to the scheme already will display the NHQB and Ombudsman branding.
Leon Livermore, chief executive of the New Homes Quality Board said,
“The new Code going live is a big moment for us as an organisation and for the entire sector. It’s extremely gratifying that the new minister, Lee Rowley, clearly recognises that and backed all the work we’ve put in to get to this point by joining us at the site to see for himself the difference it will make.
“I welcome the fact that over 100 developers have already registered with us and encourage those that have yet to do so to get on board now rather than be left behind. Being registered with the NHQB will provide a builder’s customers with confidence in them and their product and I encourage those not yet signed up to do so.
“I firmly believe that the new framework will drive up standards, improve the experience and increase consumer confidence, providing benefits for consumers and builders alike.”
The new Code ensures that every aspect of a new home purchase, from initial visit to the sales office to the end of their two-year warranty is covered. It also requires developers to have an effective after care service in place, one of the biggest gaps in the current arrangements, to deal with any issues as well as a robust complaints process that responds to customers concerns in a timely manner and to their satisfaction.