Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Mortgage Solutions. Read the original article for full details.

Government Urged to Maintain Quality in Rapid New Home Delivery

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) committee has warned the government that the push to build new homes quickly must not come at the expense of quality. The committee expressed concerns that pressure on housebuilders to deliver homes at pace could lead to compromised standards.

The HCLG committee wrote to Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook, highlighting that around 200,000 new homes are currently built each year, which is below the government’s target of 300,000 per year. The committee noted that previous increases in housebuilding have coincided with a drop in customer satisfaction regarding the quality of new builds.

The committee stated that even a low incidence of defects can have a significant impact on buyers and public confidence in the housing market. It emphasised the need to increase housing supply while ensuring that new homes are of good quality and meet the needs of the population. The committee warned that failing to maintain standards could result in future costs to rectify poor-quality homes.

The HCLG committee called for a robust regulatory framework to ensure the quality of new homes built during this Parliament and beyond. It also recommended that the planned statutory ombudsman for new homes should be in place by 2028/29, with all developers required to participate. This would provide buyers with a stronger route to redress.

Additional concerns raised by the committee included the lack of a minimum quota for wheelchair-accessible homes and insufficient measures to address the risk of overheating in new properties. The committee asked the government to clarify how mandating accessibility requirements would affect the delivery of new homes.

These issues are particularly relevant for letting agents and inventory clerks, who may encounter quality and compliance challenges in new build properties. The committee’s recommendations aim to ensure that new homes are fit for purpose and meet evolving standards for safety, accessibility, and climate resilience.