Did you know? Each year the housebuilding industry conducts an annual customer
satisfaction survey. So, when or if you buy a new-build home, you will be asked for your
feedback. And your responses are brought together to form The National New Homes
Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSS). And the good news this year, is that the results reveal
there are even more happy, satisfied new-build home buyers.
We take a closer look…
What is the National New Homes Customer Satisfaction Survey?
As it describes, the survey collates feedback from buyers of new-build homes to assess their level
and degree of satisfaction with their housebuilder. The survey is conducted jointly by the Home
Builders Federation (HBF) and New Homes Building Council (NHBC) alongside others. It’s one of the
UK’s largest, most comprehensive surveys, which started back in 2004 as a means of recording
feedback from home purchasers.
The survey is sent out to buyers a few weeks after legal completion of their property purchase. And
plenty of time is given for homebuyers to give their feedback: 10 weeks in fact. The straightforward
survey asks buyers a short list of simple questions to determine how happy new build home buyers
are with their purchase and in dealing with their housebuilder.
More about what this year’s results reveal
The results from this year’s survey, which covers feedback from the period of October to 2023 to
September 2024, shows customer satisfaction levels have increased. To start with, 94% of new build
customers would recommend their housebuilder to a friend, which is a 4% increase on last year. And
better still, it’s the fifth year in a row that this figure has come in at 90% or higher.
More than 90% of survey participants were also satisfied with the quality of their home, an increase
from the 87.5% last year. And when it comes to snags, one in five home buyers reported fewer snags
than expected, despite nearly 70% of survey respondents never having previously owned a new
home, HBF said.
This year, 53 housebuilders have earned the highest five-star rating (you can see which
housebuilders are on this list, further on in this article). To gain the five-star rating, 90%-plus of the
housebuilder’s customers would need to be willing to recommend them to a friend. Last year, 38
housebuilders gained the highest rating, so there’s been a significant increase since.
What’s driving the increase in happy customers?
It’s a mix of factors that’s led to an increase in satisfied new-home buyers. For starters, consumer
protections have been enhanced, and buyers of new-build homes today have access to the
independent New Homes Ombudsman Service if they buy a home from a housebuilder who is
registered with the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB).
Figures show that more than half of the country’s housebuilders have already voluntarily registered
with the independent NHQB. And those housebuilders who have signed up are committed to the New
Homes Quality Code which sets “rigorous standards” to drive improvements in quality and customers
satisfaction.
Yes, there are sometimes issues with new-build homes, but most of these across the hundreds of
thousands new homes delivered each year are relatively minor. They key thing is that any issues are
dealt with, promptly and to the customer’s satisfaction.
So, alongside improved standards both on site on housing developments and behind the scenes,
customers can also feel more comfortable buying a new-build home, knowing there’s access to an
independent ombudsman, should they need it.
Five-star ratings for housebuilders
Here’s the list of all the housebuilders who received a five-star rating this year:
A & J Stephen (Builders)
Allison Homes
Amethyst Homes
Avant Homes
Bargate Homes
BDW Trading
Beal Developments
Bellway Homes
Bloor Homes
CALA Group
Cameron Homes
Campion Homes
Castle Green Homes
Cavanna Homes
Churchill Retirement Living
Crest Nicholson
Croudace Homes
Cruden Homes
Dandara Homes
Davidsons Developments
Denbury Homes
Durkan
Hayfield Homes
Hill
Hopkins Homes
Jones Homes
Keepmoat
Kingswood Homes
Lagan Homes
Lioncourt Homes
Lovell Partnerships
M F Freeman
McCarthy Stone
Miller Homes
Morris Homes
Norfolk Homes
Orbit Homes
Persimmon Homes
Redrow Homes
Robertson Homes
Rose Builders
Spitfire Homes
St Modwen
Stancliffe Homes
Stonebond Properties
Story Homes
Strata Homes
Taylor Wimpey
Thakeham Group
Tilia Homes
Vistry Homes
Wain Homes
William Davis
You can find homes from five-star-rated housebuilders on our website! And it’s super simple to use if
you’re looking to buy your first home, a larger home or if you’re downsizing to a smaller new-build
home. Get started by typing the location or postcode you hope to live in or near here.
