<b><b>The proposal by mortgage lenders not to release money before home completion, while a welcome move to improve quality and service, could be the catalyst for a chaotic Christmas for customers. Malcolm Pitcher suggests builders, lenders and warranty providers should be talking now about smoothing the path of the new procedures</b></b><br><b>During the week commencing December 15 this year the UK housebuilding industry could face one of its sternest ever tests.</b><br> This, of course, will be the week before Christmas, a week when many hundreds (even thousands) of new home buyers will be excitedly packing things up ready for the big move. They&amp;’ll have been talking about it for months. Their heads will be filled with fantastic dreams. Dreams, perhaps, about the children opening presents around the Christmas tree in the sparkling new lounge, or about the first Christmas lunch with the invited family (&amp;“my oh my, how mum and dad will be envious of us&amp;”) or even about emailing seasons greetings to relatives around the world from their new home office using the new high speed digital cabling system that they paid the builder extra for.<p></p><p>This stressful but hopefully happy period coincides, of course, with many builders&amp;’ year or half-year …