The Ombudsman is calling for greater protection from poor quality new build housing.
Homeowners need greater protection from poor quality housing amidst the Government’s plans for 1.5 million new homes, the New Homes Ombudsman Service has warned.
According to research last year, 32% of people described new build housing as ‘poor quality’ whilst 55% said they felt older homes were a better quality than new build properties. Just 21% said they felt new homes were better quality.
In 2022 the Building Safety Act made provisions to establish a New Homes Ombudsman Service that all housing developers would be required to join. However, at present this has not been implemented, meaning the Ombudsman is currently a voluntary service, established by the New Homes Quality Board which has already produced a code setting standards for new home builders to meet, including access to the Ombudsman service.