New Homes Accelerator
Angela Rayner, MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, stated that an expert team from the Ministry of Housing and Homes England will step in where developments have been delayed by planning red tape, and work to resolve specific local issues.
Some sites, including Stretton Hall in Leicestershire, Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community in Essex, and Biggleswade Garden Community in Central Bedfordshire, have already been identified, and the UK Government is calling on landowners, local authorities and housebuilders to nominate further sites that could benefit from intervention.
Inequality in consumer protections
The New Homes Ombudsman Service (NHOS) was set up in 2022, but provisions under the Building Safety Act to make membership mandatory for all developers have not yet been implemented.
In its first annual report, the NHO cited consumer research showing that 32% of people described newlybuilt housing as ‘poor-quality' whilst 55% felt older homes were better quality than newly built properties.
90 of the largest developer groups in Great Britain have joined the scheme voluntarily. Still, most small and medium developers are not yet covered by the service, leaving a large proportion of homeowners without the help they need if their home falls short of quality standards.
Guidance for sales agents
Agents have an important role in the marketing and selling of newly-built homes on behalf of home builders, including maintaining high levels of customer service and ensuring compliance with the Consumer Code of Conduct for Home Builders.
Propertymark worked in partnership with the Code to produce a compliance starter kit which includes model terms between agents and builders, a sample reservation agreement, links to useful resources, and a handy checklist to help make sure you have covered the Code’s requirements.
