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Consumer Code for Home Builders

Since the Barker Review in 2004, the industry significantly improved customer satisfaction.  It is vital to maintain excellent standards of delivery and ensure a high level of customer satisfaction is being achieved across the board.  In particular, it is important that the industry continues to demonstrate its voluntary commitment to these twin objectives.

For these reasons, the major industry trade bodies and the Council of Mortgage Lenders joined with NHBC and other warranty providers to develop the Consumer Code for Home Builders.

Third Edition

The Consumer Code has recently been re-issued as the third edition - applicable for all reservations signed on or after 1 April 2013. Copies of the Code Requirements and the Builder Guidance documents are available for download.

What is the Code - at a glance
  • A set of 19 requirements and principles that will ensure the industry deals effectively with its customers throughout the entire home-buying process;
  • The Code requirements come into effect on the 1st April 2010 and apply to all new private home-buyer Reservations from that date; 
  • Where there are disputes about whether a builder has complied with the Code and the home buyer is out of pocket as a result, there is an independent dispute resolution service; 
  • From pre to post occupation, the Code will help ensure a consistently high level of customer service is maintained by monitoring customer satisfaction and industry compliance; 
  • The Code will be enforced by a change in the Rules for NHBC and other co-operating warranty bodies; gross non-compliance of the Code can end up in the ultimate sanction - being removed from both warranty bodies' registers; 
  • Customer satisfaction and industry compliance with the Code will be measured and data on performance reported back to the industry, Government and consumer interest bodies.

 

NHBC builder support

NHBC is helping you comply with the Consumer Code. We have developed brochures and templates to support you along the way. We are working on some other supporting initiatives and will continue to investigate other ways to help you.

 

Training

Refresher training events are being held around the country, as follows:

Area

Venue

Location

Date

West Midlands

National Motorcycle Museum

Solihull

12 March 2013

East Midlands

Nottingham Belfry

Nottingham

14 March 2013

South East

Park Inn

Watford

19 March 2013

South West

Aztec Hotel

Bristol

21 March 2013

North West

Park Royal Hotel

Warrington

16 April 2013

North East

Wetherby Racecourse

Wetherby

18 April 2013

Scotland

Beardmore Hotel

Clydebank

23 April 2013

North Ireland

Hilton Temple Patrick

Belfast

25 April 2013

The training events will be a two hour session to refresh knowledge of the code's requirements and to discuss how builders can address them in their own procedures. The sessions will commence at 10:00am and will include a 15 minute break and tea & coffee. Where booking numbers dictate, we will also run an afternoon session in the same venue.

The training events will cover the following subject areas:

  • The reasons for setting up the Code
  • The Code requirements and guidance on how they can be met
  • A builder's responsibilities under the Code
  • Monitoring results and their implications
  • Case reviews from the Code's dispute resolution process

Who can attend: The training events are open to builders' staff who deal directly with customers. However, we will also welcome anyone whom you consider relevant to the sales and customer contact process in your organisation, including external people that you might employ, such as Estate Agents and conveyancing solicitors.

How to book: If you are interested in having someone attend one of these events, please contact Louise Bowers in NHBC Training on 01908 747035 or email lbowers@nhbc.co.uk to book your places.

In-house events will also be available for builders who have a large number of staff they wish to train. Please contact either your local Regional Director or Louise Bowers as above.

An e-learning course is also available free for registered builders or for companies who are affiliated to registered builders such as estates agents, solicitors etc.

Why buy this home brochure

This is the ideal point of sale brochure for show homes and sales offices.  It will help you comply with the Consumer Code for Home Builders.

  • Order the brochure here 

This free A4 brochure provides details of NHBC's 10-year Buildmark cover (Consumer Code clause 2.3), and includes a copy of the Code's 19 requirements (Consumer Code clause 1.2).

Reservation Agreement

The Consumer Code for Home Builders became effective for all reservations signed on or after 1 April 2010.  Several of the core requirements refer to the Reservation Agreement and what it must contain.  The template that we have drafted includes the relevant elements that are considered mandatory under the Code, plus some data-gathering fields that would otherwise normally be expected in a Reservation Agreement. Please refer to the important guidance notes before downloading the Reservation Agreement.

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