Development specialist Catalyst Land Solutions (CLS) have formed a new company to rationalise the purchase of a new home in line with the launch of the Government-backed New Homes Quality Board initiative.
Purchasing a new home is an exciting and nervous time, in equal measure, because it is an expensive purchase and generally buyers don’t know what quality of build they are going to get, or what to look for. The New Homes Quality Board initiative is intended to raise standards and quality expectations for purchasers of new-builds. It sets out a standard procedure that should be followed to identify snagging issues before the purchaser takes ownership of their new home.
New Homes Audit, which CLS is launching in April, will reduce the uncertainty and provide qualified inspectors to carry out the checks, and go beyond the minimum required by the initiative.
The service will be a win-win and not just about the home purchaser, they of course, are at the heart of everything CLS does, but the homebuilders will benefit from the service too.
Brian Harding, Managing Director of CLS, said:
“Up to now there has been no strict guidelines for builders or purchasers to follow when it comes to snagging. This led to situations where issues beyond the remit of a snagging list were being challenged, or maybe things were being missed.
“In addition, a lot of the time purchasers were only available out of office hours, which meant the site manager had to stay late, inspections were done in the dark, or they’d be done at the weekend by members of the sales team who don’t have the expert knowledge to advise the purchaser. There was no accepted guidelines for how these inspections should be carried out.
“So, the industry has acted, setting up the New Homes Quality Board.”
Now over eight years old, but with a combined level of experience in home building of over 100 years, CLS is a Northampton-based practice with a track record of delivering on complex projects to a high standard. Its work includes multiple acre sites, business parks, schools and mixed housing, through to exclusive developments that make efficient use of small parcels of land.
Taking a proactive approach to land-led development, using Brian’s extensive industry connections, CLA often finds an available site, carrying out due diligence, arranging contractors and a design team before presenting the whole scheme to an investor as a pre-packaged proposition, before delivering to a quality standard.
Brian Harding’s years in the business has taught him how valuable this service is and he has built a team of specialists in all areas of construction and he saw the opportunity to offer that expertise through New Homes Audit, which will run completely separately from CLS but draw on its bank of knowledge and experience.
The inspectors will follow the guidelines, inspecting and then delivering a high-quality report of the results to the purchaser. A follow-up, close-out service is available where the inspector will ensure all work has been carried out to the expected standard before the house is handed over. There is a requirement, to carry out a follow-up inspection of all new builds by the housebuilder after 12 months of completion to identify any issues.
Housebuilders and site managers are keen to adopt a process where they know the inspections can be left in safe, capable hands. This has been gained from extensive research and communication with the industry.
Brian said:
“We know a lot of people in this business and what we hear is that they welcome the changes, knowing they have experienced inspectors going in to give a fair assessment, and there are already a number of housebuilders ready to recommend us to their customers. It is entirely at the purchaser’s discretion who they use, obviously, but all both sides want is to know there is someone who’s experienced in construction giving a carefully considered report on any issues and the end result is a satisfactorily finished home.
“Having a rational inspection report is in the builder’s interest and client’s interest. The site manager knows that they have people attending site that are component about site safety and are trained, they will visit in office hours, and they know what to look for and how to behave on site. Once they have completed the inspection, they can discuss it with the site manager and then send a report to the client, so both sides know what issues have come up.
“From the purchaser’s point of view, it gives them the chance to weigh up anything that is identified in the report. A scratch on the paintwork, for instance, doesn’t need to hold up the moving in date and can be rectified later, whereas a missing safety lock on a window is a different matter, that needs to be corrected immediately.
“We are building a better relationship between builder and client, just working in a way that everyone can rely on getting a fair inspection.”
Given the amount of new homes that were completed last year, Brian’s opinion is that this initiative is long overdue. People making, what is probably their biggest single financial commitment, deserve the best quality and New Homes Audit is working on making sure that happens.
