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Leon Livermore: New build property buyers now have more protection and support

Snagging issues are not uncommon with new build houses, but buyers should feel confident that they are buying high-quality properties. (Photo: David Calvert/Shutterstock)
Snagging issues are not uncommon with new build houses, but buyers should feel confident that they are buying high-quality properties. (Photo: David Calvert/Shutterstock)

Purchases of everything from car tyres to airline tickets are properly safeguarded, and it should be the same for buyers of new build properties, writes Leon Livermore of the New Homes Quality Board.

Buyers of new build homes in Scotland can look forward to a better deal, following the launch of enhanced consumer protections in Edinburgh last week.

Homebuyers are at the heart of the work of the New Homes Quality Board, and to see Scottish housebuilders and decision-makers embrace the new code is extremely welcome.

In the vast majority of cases, homebuyers are well served by their developer and are happy with their purchase, with 91% willing to recommend their builder to a friend. But, we’ve listened to consumers who have, frankly, had a poor experience, and we’re seeking to address this.

If you were to buy, say, a faulty kettle, the steps for redress are obvious and straightforward. You would likely take the kettle back to the shop you bought it from and swap it for a working model.

Now, switch the kettle for a new build home – perhaps one with unfinished works, malfunctioning plumbing, or promises made by the developer in the sales phase that simply haven’t been met when you move in. You can’t take a house back to the shops and exchange it. Put bluntly – in too many cases, you’re stuck with it.

So, the New Homes Quality Code will improve the purchasing system and boost safeguards for buyers of new build homes, giving them much-needed peace of mind. The New Homes Ombudsman – an independent body overseen by the not-for-profit New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) – will ensure developers comply with these requirements.

Much more than a simple stamp of approval

The code will protect new build buyers from when they first set foot into a sales office, until two years after they move into their property.

With the power to champion the customer and direct the developer to put things right or pay compensation, the ombudsman will have strength to act

More than 100 developers across the UK have already voluntarily signed up to the scheme, working with the NHQB to guarantee that every single new build home fulfils buyer expectations. The NHQB will work with these businesses – many key players in the Scottish economy – to ensure that the high standards adopted by the majority of developers become the only option in the industry.

The new consumer protections should give customers more confidence when buying a home. (Photo: shisu_ka/Shutterstock)

The NHQB and the code will serve as industry hallmarks; we want purchasers to be reassured by them, and developers to covet them. But, they will be much more than a simple stamp. With the power to champion the customer and direct the developer to put things right or pay compensation, the ombudsman will have strength to act.

Confident consumers are what make business and the economy thrive. Buyers have been emboldened in many markets by consumer rights.

Purchases of everything from car tyres to airline tickets and, yes, even kettles are properly safeguarded. Now, we’re working towards doing the same for new build homes.


Leon Livermore is chief executive of the New Homes Quality Board

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