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If you buy a new build home what protection do you have under the New Homes Ombudsman Service and consumer codes? We take a look.
AT A GLANCE
Just to make things a bit more confusing, alongside the New Homes Quality Code there are a number of other codes. The two other main codes are:
Your developer may have signed up to one of these codes instead. But we will cover the differences and explain all below.
A snagging survey is there to spot problems with your new build home. We can connect you with an independent on-site snagging inspector today.
The New Homes Quality Code, published by the New Homes Quality Board, is a code of practice for the house building industry that aims to drive up the quality of new build homes and strengthen protections for customers.
The Code is designed to:
The original code underwent an update in March 2026 when New Homes Quality Board published the second edition of the New Homes Quality Code. This update followed a review that was undertaken by an independent Code Council.
Developers must apply the updated requirements to customers who reserve a home on or after 2 March 2026. New Homes Quality Code Version 1 will continue to apply to customers who reserved a home before this date.
Other updates aim to increase developer accountability for build quality and defects, improve transparency around remedial works, and enhance safeguards during the reservation and purchase process. You can see the full detail of the updated New Homes Quality Code here.
Under the new Code, homebuyers can undertake their own PCI inspection, instead of having to pay for a professional to do it.
But realistically, this will mainly benefit people who are either a building expert, or who can take an expert along to help them.
This is because the Pre-Completion Inspection checklist is long and many questions require relevant technical knowledge.
Paula Higgins, CEO of HomeOwners Alliance and a member of the independent Code Council, says:
“The updates to the New Homes Quality Code are a welcome step forward in putting consumers on a fairer footing, particularly the stronger protections against high-pressure sales tactics and the greater clarity around pre-completion inspections.”
“Giving buyers clearer rights and the confidence to properly check their home before completion helps empower them at a critical stage of the process. Greater transparency and accountability will build trust and give buyers more confidence at a moment that should be exciting, not stressful.
However, while this is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done to support customers, especially as the New Homes Ombudsman is voluntary.”
A snagging survey is there to spot problems with your new build home. These may range from small cosmetic issues to significant structural defects. A snagging survey is a visual survey to check the quality of workmanship against applicable standards. If you are complaining about the quality of your new build an independent snagging survey will make sure nothing is missed and add weight to your complaint. This is not to be confused with a pre-completion compliance (PCI) survey which the Code requires developers to offer to their buyers.
We can connect you with an independent on-site snagging inspector today
You can raise a complaint with the New Homes Ombudsman providing your complaint meets the following criteria:
– The developer must be a current registered developer with the New Homes Quality Board and signed up to the New Homes Quality Code. Find a list of qualifying NHQB members and the date they joined.
– You must have reserved your property on or after the date they became a registered developer.
– The complaint relates to an issue that occurred within 2 years from your reservation date or completion date, whichever is later.
– The complaint is about a breach of the New Homes Quality Code and you have already raised this with the developer.
– You are submitting your complaint less than 12 months from the Final Closure Letter (a letter from the developer advising that the complaint has been resolved), if you have received this.
– You’ve received a Final Closure Letter or waited at least 56 days after submitting your initial complaint to the developer.
You make a complaint to the New Homes Ombudsman online or you can send your complaint by post by filling in the complaints form and posting it to the New Homes Ombudsman Service, West Wing, First Floor, The Maylands Building, 200 Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 7TG.
In both cases you’ll need to give details including your name, address and details of the developer and the property you’re complaining about.
Next, the New Homes Ombudsman Service will review your complaint and, assuming it meets the criteria, they will pass it onto the developer for their response. The New Homes Ombudsman may speak to you and the developer to see if they can work out an early resolution.
The New Homes Ombudsman will then review the information and issue a Draft Decision; you and the developer can comment on the Draft Decision and these will be considered. The New Homes Ombudsman will then issue a Final Decision.
If your complaint is upheld in full or in part, the New Homes Ombudsman may issue one or more of the following decisions:
– To require an apology
– To require the issue to be put right
– To pay compensation to the customer – up to a limit of £75,000
– Any other action that the New Homes Ombudsman considers to be reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances
– In some cases, the New Homes Ombudsman may also make specific recommendations to the developer and these may then become general recommendations to the industry.
Since the launch of the Ombudsman scheme in November 2022, the New Homes Ombudsman receives on average 400 calls a month and have around 70 active cases they are investigating.
If you have any queries you can contact the New Homes Ombudsman Service on 0330 808 4286 (9.00am to 5pm Monday to Friday) or by emailing customer.services@nhos.org.uk
Yes, there are case studies on the New Homes Quality Board website including one relating to delayed repairs, leaks, mould, and damp, which was partially upheld and the customer was £6,158 in compensation.
While nearly all companies that sell new build homes must sign up to a consumer code, there isn’t a single code. Apart from the New Homes Quality Code, the other main codes are:
As a homebuyer, you won’t get to choose which Code your developer has signed up to. And the lack of a single, mandatory code is confusing for home buyers too. Read on for more information on the Consumer Code for Home Builders and the Consumer Code for New Homes.
A snagging survey is there to spot problems with your new build home. We can connect you with an independent on-site snagging inspector today.
The Consumer Code for Home Builders, approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, is designed to offer additional protection for home buyers from the moment you reserve your new-build home until two years after legal completion.
No. But it has around 10,000 builders that are members, ranging from small builders to PLCs. Before the New Homes Ombudsman was set up, nearly all the major housebuilders were members but many have since adopted the New Homes Quality Code.
If your house builder is signed up to the Consumer Code for Home Builders and you have a complaint, you should start by following your builder’s complaints process. This should be available on their website or on request. This may involve raising the issue in the first instance with the customer services team and escalating it to more senior staff if necessary.
The Consumer Code for Home Builders has launched a complaints and disputes pack designed to make it easier for home buyers to raise issues effectively, starting with tips on what to do when raising a complaint with your builder.
If you’ve followed the complaints process and you’re not happy with your builder’s response, your next step should be to contact your warranty provider. You will need to check your documents but NHBC’s Buildmark warranty is the most common. Your warranty provider will either deal with your complaint under the terms of the warranty or if your complaint relates to a potential breach of the Code requirements, you will be given an application form and adjudication scheme rules so that you can make a free claim via the Code’s Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme.
Disputes can be escalated to the Independent Dispute Resolution Service from 56 days after your complaint was first raised with your builder and no later than 12 months after your home builder’s final response.
If the complaint is upheld you may get a performance award (where the developer has to do something), a financial award or a combination of the two.
Some Code requirements and the maximum amount you can claim differ depending on when you reserved your home.
For example, for homes reserved before 31 December 2023, the maximum award available is £15,000 including VAT; this may include an award of up to £500 for inconvenience. But for homes reserved from 1 January 2024, the maximum award available is £50,000, including up to £2,000 for upset and inconvenience.
However, the number of complaints it handles remains small. In 2024/2025, it considered 369 cases: 52% of cases were found fully or partly in favour of the home buyer.
The Consumer Code for Home Builders is piloting a new charge for builders who do not comply with decisions made by the Code’s Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme (IDRS) within the agreed timeframe.
The charge of £5 per calendar day for every day a builder does not comply beyond the original deadline, will need to be paid to the home buyer by the builder in recognition of the additional inconvenience caused. It became effective from 1 April 2025 and will be piloted for 12 months.
In order to access the Independent Dispute Resolution Service you’ll need to follow the above steps. But for general enquiries relating to the Consumer Code for Home Builders you can call 0345 608 9797 (Monday to Friday between 10am to 4pm) or fill in an online contact form.
Read more about how previous cases have been handled by reviewing these case studies produced by the adjudicators.
A snagging survey is there to spot problems with your new build home. We can connect you with an independent on-site snagging inspector today.
The Consumer Code for New Homes, also approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, is designed to ensure that best practice is followed by registered developers in respect of the marketing and selling of new homes. It also sets expected standards for after-sales customer care service.
Again, no. However, members include SMEs to PLCs, a full list of members is updated regularly. There are 9 warranty bodies that support its code.
In the first instance you should complain to your developer but if you can’t resolve the issue you can refer directly to the Code’s Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme or to the warranty body for mediation.
You can complain to the warranty body for mediation within six months of the developer’s final response or within six months of the date of making the original complaint, whichever is later.
If the dispute falls within the terms of the structural warranty (years 3-10), the warranty body will offer their own free mediation process.
But if it doesn’t fall within the terms, the warranty body can refer the dispute to the Consumer Code for New Homes Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme on behalf of the buyer.
If you’re not happy with the warranty bodies handling of the dispute through the mediation process, you can take it directly to the Financial Ombudsman.
Firstly, you need to contact the Consumer Code for New Homes to confirm your home and the area of complaint is covered by the code. You can contact them by phone on 0333 900 1966 or by email admin@ccnh.co.uk
Next, you need to complete an application form, you’ll find it on the CEDR website, along with your evidence. You can contact CEDR on 020 7536 6150 or by emailing applications@cedr.com
The adjudicator will ask the developer to respond. At this stage they may resolve the complaint without formal adjudication; this is called early settlement.
If not, the developer must submit their response and the adjudicator will review your complaint and the developer’s response to decide whether or not you have a legitimate dispute and have suffered financial loss and/or emotional distress and/or inconvenience, and if so how much loss/emotional distress/inconvenience
If the complaint is upheld you may get a performance award (where the developer has to do something), a financial award or a combination of the two.
In terms of the maximum financial awards, for homes reserved before 31 December 2023, complaints covered by the Consumer Code for New Homes are subject to a maximum aggregate award of £50,000 and maximum awards for financial loss of 25% of the purchase price of the home. The maximum awards for emotional distress and / or claims for inconvenience is £1,000
While for homes reserved from 1 January 2024, the maximum award for upset and inconvenience is now £2,000.
If the developer fails to accept the Adjudicator’s award, CCNH may take legal action against the developer.
And where a developer (or their agent) is found to be in serious breach of the Consumer Code for New Homes, sanctions are available through the Code including the removal of the company from the Consumer Code for New Homes’ register and all Company Directors banned.
If you’re unhappy with the outcome of the complaint you may consider:
Find out more in our guide New build problems and how to fix them.
No. If you have bought a new home you cannot complain to the Property Ombudsman. They deal with complaint between consumers and property agents.
It depends. If you own a shared ownership property or are a leaseholder with certain housing providers you can complain. Find out more from the Housing Ombudsman website here.
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