MPs confirm call for new homes ombudsman

A new report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment calls on the government to make it mandatory for all housebuilders to belong to an independent ombudsman scheme.

The report, Better redress for homebuyers, says that a new homes ombudsman should be independent, free to consumers and provide a quick resolution to disputes. The report also recommends that government, warranty providers, housebuilders and consumer groups work together to draw up a code of practice which would be used by the new homes ombudsman to adjudicate on disputes.

The report is the result of the group’s latest inquiry into how an ombudsman scheme could operate. The APPG says that the inquiry “revealed the confusing landscape consumers face when they try to get redress for building defects, with a plethora of warranties, housebuilding codes and complaints procedures, none of which put the consumer first”.

“Buying a new home is stressful enough but buying a defective one, as we heard from submissions and witnesses, can take a massive toll on people’s wellbeing as they wrestle with an almost Kafkaesque system seemingly designed to be unhelpful,” said Richard Best, the group’s vice chair. “The purchaser of a new home …