The target of 1.5 million homes during this parliamentary term requires an increase in build volume from an average of ~200,000 to 300,000 per year. However, there is a historic trend between build volume and the quality of construction in newly built homes. As build volume increases, customer satisfaction decreases and the number of potential defects identified by NHBC rise. The increase in volume comes at a time of significant regulatory change, uptake in new technologies, skill and workforce shortages and the adoption of new innovative construction systems.
As the industry prepares to increase housing output, the historic trend between increased volume and a reduction in quality must be broken. In January 2025, the NHBC Foundation hosted a round table discussion to identify actions to achieve this. Sixteen industry stakeholders participated from twelve companies and organisations.
This report summarises the round table discussion, identifying key recommendations and findings. The recommendations are for multiple industry stakeholders, including, but not limited to, government, local authorities, house builders and training providers.
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