NHQB and NHOS welcome CMA recommendations for single mandatory consumer code for housebuilders and activation of the New Homes Ombudsman Service

The New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) and New Homes Ombudsman Service (NHOS) welcome the recommendations for a single mandatory consumer code for all housebuilders operating in Great Britain and for the New Homes Ombudsman Service to be activated, as part of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) Housebuilding Market Study final report, published on 26 February 2024.

In the Report, the CMA recommends: “a single mandatory consumer code will ensure that all housebuilders adhere to a specified quality standard before, during, and after the sale of a new home.” The Report also recommends that evolving the NHQB’s New Homes Quality Code (NHQC) would be advantageous. 

Chair of the NHQB Rob Brighouse said: “It is great to see that the CMA’s Housebuilding Market Study identifies and recommends evolving the New Homes Quality Code and making the New Homes Ombudsman Service a mandatory requirement. These are significant steps towards greater consumer protection and redress for new homeowners. We look forward to working with the government to contribute to this work.”

Jodi Berg OBE, Chair of the NHOS added: “We are pleased that the activation of New Homes Ombudsman Service and the possibility of evolving the New Homes Quality Code are recommended in the CMA’s Report on the Housebuilding Market. The NHOS’s free and independent service, which impartially assesses and adjudicates on issues that customers may face with their new home is essential for consumer protection and improving the quality of new homes.”

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For more information about the NHOS, click here