Complaints down but financial awards up in latest dispute resolution figures

Average amount awarded in successful cases rises by 60%

The latest figures published by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), which manages the Code’s Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme (IDRS) show a 9% drop in the number of disputes raised in 2025 compared with the previous 12 months. This is directly attributable to a number of home builders transferring their Alternative Dispute Resolution coverage to an alternate code of practice. 

Despite this drop, the total value awarded increased by 30% an increase made all the more significant due to the drop in number of cases. The average amount of compensation awarded by adjudicators in individual cases where the home buyer’s claim was successful in 2025 was £880.29 – a 60% increase on the 2024 average of £551.77.

The Code has worked hard over the past 18 months to improve buyer understanding of the complaints and dispute resolution process, including how to raise an effective complaint and the importance of being able to evidence any financial claims. Our free complaints pack is designed to help people make appropriate and effective use of the support available. 

Of the 268 cases that went all the way to a final decision in 2025, adjudicators found in favour of the home buyer (either fully or partly) in 57% of cases. Of the 154 decisions in which an adjudicator found the Home Builder to have breached the Code, the most commonly breached sections of the Code were:

• Section 5.1: 66% identified a breach of the builder’s duty to provide appropriate procedures for handling calls and complaints
• Section 4.1: 27% identified a breach of the builder’s duty to provide an accessible after-sales service
• Section 2.1: 18% identified a breach of the builder’s duty to provide the buyer with enough pre-purchase information to help them make a suitably informed purchasing decision
• Section 1.5: 8% identified a breach of the builder’s duty to ensure that sales and advertising material is clear and truthful

The scheme continued to provide a speedy alternative to legal proceedings with 96% of cases reaching a Proposed Decision within 8 weeks. The new non-compliance charge, introduced in April 2025, was applied in three cases during the calendar year, totalling £505 in additional payments to the home buyer. 

For more details, download CEDR’s Annual Report*.

We continue to work with builders to share lessons learned from complaints, with new case studies and learning points highlighted every month, and Right First Time fact sheets provided to pick up on most common code breaches. 

*Please note the CEDR annual report covers Jan-Dec 2025, while the Code’s Annual Report runs from Apr 2025-Mar 2026.