Housing: Standards
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the consumer protections available to purchasers of new‑build homes where a developer rejects a formal complaint about the performance of a building element or fixture without undertaking a physical site inspection.
Answered by Samantha Dixon
The Government expects all housebuilders to deliver high-quality homes and to swiftly resolve issues if things go wrong.
If the developer is registered with a consumer code they may be able to seek redress through them in the first two years after purchase. In addition almost all new homes are sold with the benefit of a warranty. Where a homeowner is dissatisfied with the service given by their developer, warranty providers should have a clear complaints procedure for warranty holders to follow. If this still does not resolve the issue, the next step is to refer the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) for a decision.
The Government is carefully considering options to further support newbuild homeowners with redress against developers and warranty providers. This includes using existing powers in the Building Safety Act and delivering the commitment to establish a statutory New Homes Ombudsman.
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