Last August, a research briefing landed in the House of Commons Library. It said, “There’s evidence of owners of newly built homes struggling to achieve satisfactory resolution when defects are reported to builders.” Well, did you ever! The briefing paper is headed: New-Build Housing: Construction Defects – Issues and Solutions (England). The result is the slogan “more homes, fewer complaints”.

The idea is to:

• Improve the systems in place to check quality and workmanship
• Develop a new quality culture within the construction industry
• Improve customers’ means of redress through the establishment of a New Homes Ombudsman and a review of the warranty system
• Improve the information customers receive about their new home, including standardised contracts and a right to inspect before completion.

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