For the key question on which the company star ratings are based, 89% of respondents said that they would recommend their builder to a friend, up 2% on the previous
year; whilst 91% of buyers said they would buy a new build home again. The industry achieved a Net Promoter Score of 29 from the survey.

84% of respondents were very satisfied or satisfied with the builder’s service during the sales process; 86% with the handover process and 86% satisfied with the information provided by the builder about the sale and their new home. The design of new builds scores highly with 93% satisfied with the internal design of their new home and 88% with the external design.

New homes are complex, bespoke products and 97% of people reported a ‘snag‘ to their builder. This is in line with expectations as builders encourage buyers to do so upon moving in and are then requried to fix them. Most are very minor such as paint drips, cupboard doors out of line etc. Over two thirds of people said the number of snags they reported was less than or about what they expected.

Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of HF said;

“The increase in customer satisfaction levels reflects the huge amount of work going on to ensure builders are delivering a product customers want in a way they expect it to be provided.  We have now seen three successive years of improved scores, underlining the industry’s determination to get it right for its customers. Whilst builders are now delivering levels of satisfaction that compare with any other product or sector there is still more to do. The industry is totally committed to helping put in place a New Homes Ombudsman service that will provide further reassurance and confidence for the buyers of new homes.”