Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the protection afforded to buyers by New Homes Warranties; if he will take steps to increase the level of protection afforded by those warranties; and if he will make a statement.

Warranties play an important role in providing protection for new home buyers. At present it is for warranty providers to determine the levels of protection which they provide through their warranties.

We are aware that existing mechanisms of redress in the housing sector can be confusing and disjointed. To address this we will in 2018 be examining options to improve redress for home buyers and will be consulting with consumers and the industry on introducing a single ombudsman.