Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) quality of new build housing, (b) ability of local authorities to take action in response to poor quality new build housing developments and (c) ability of buyers purchasing new build properties to seek adequate recourse for building defects.

It is a priority for this Government to build more high-quality, environmentally friendly homes and residents must feel confident that their property is safe, high-quality and sustainable. Whilst we recognise the constraints developers have on site, we expect quality to be at the heart of the new homes they deliver. We recognise that the quality of new build homes still needs to improve and Government is taking steps to ensure that new homes are better designed, safer and sustainable.

The Government has given local authorities a wide range of enforcement powers with strong penalties to tackle poor quality. However, it is for them to decide what, if any, action to take, depending on the circumstances of each case.

The Government is committed to improving new homebuyers’ recourse for building defects. We will ensure a New Homes Ombudsman is established and we will require developers to belong to it. We will include provision for the New Homes Ombudsman in the Building Safety Bill. New build homebuyers currently have access to recourse for building defects through their developers, new build warranty providers and industry-led Consumer Codes.