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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce statutory timescales for registered providers of social housing to complete remedial works following the identification of defects in new‑build homes.

The government has no current plans to introduce new statutory timescales for registered providers to complete remedial works on new‑build homes.

There are already a range of legal and contractual protections in place to ensure defects are addressed promptly. Developers and landlords have duties under the Defective Premises Act 1972 to ensure homes are fit for habitation when completed. Many new‑build homes are also covered by warranties and the Consumer Code for Home Builders, which set standards for quality and provide routes for redress.

In addition, landlords remain legally responsible for meeting their repair obligations under Awaab’s Law, which requires them to investigate and remedy serious damp and mould and emergency hazards within statutory timeframes.

The government expects all housebuilders to deliver good quality homes, and we know that the vast majority do so. When things do go wrong, the government expects housebuilders to make things right.

To help customers resolve issues with new homes which developers have been unable or unwilling to fix, the government has committed to establishing a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman to investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with effective redress. We will set out further details in due course.