Consumer Code for Home Builders praised for “exceptional leadership” and “altruistic and collaborative approach” in independent audit

The Consumer Code for Home Builders (the Code) has passed its latest annual independent audit by the Approved Codes Scheme, with the auditor highlighting strong leadership for the whole new homes building sector as a major strength.

The audit report states: “CCHB continually strive to attain the highest level of consumer protection for homebuyers. Their altruistic and collaborative approach has meant that the whole sector has benefitted from their knowledge, experience and lessons learnt. This has led to a high level of consistency across the new homes sector.”

This praise reflects the considerable work done by the Code to promote effective consumer protection, collaborating with other codes across the new homes marketplace and beyond to share learning and drive-up quality standards. The auditors were particularly pleased to see evidence of the successful introduction of the revised Fifth Edition of the Code in January 2024, and the work done to align the various new homes codes where it is in the home buyer’s interest to do so. The report continues: “Their Board should be applauded for their exceptional leadership in making all the material generated to support business to comply with the Code and educate the home buyer freely available.”

Stringent requirements set by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute’s Approved Code Scheme require all member schemes to be independently audited every year to ensure they remain fit for purpose and provide high quality protection for consumers. This includes being able to demonstrate robust processes for monitoring compliance and taking disciplinary action where required, as well as providing access to an independent dispute resolution scheme. The audit highlighted the Code’s multi-layered disciplinary and sanctions process, recent steps made to strengthen consumer redress, and our ongoing commitment to share learning from audits and complaints with the whole industry.

The report concludes: “The Consumer Code for Home Builders continues to be fit for purpose and the current alliance ensures a high level of compliance with its provisions.”

Noel Hunter OBE, Code Chair, said: “We are proud to retain our Approved Code status for the sixth year running. This reflects the hard work our team has put in to ensure the Code continues to deliver for consumers, and the commitment from our member builders to comply with the Code and improve customer service.
“With development of a single mandatory Code on the horizon, we will be sharing this report and the strengths of the Code’s existing structures with government to ensure any changes build on this success and further enhance support for home buyers.’

To read the independent auditor’s report in full, visit: https://approvedcode.tradingstandards.uk/media/0m0iytg5/cchb-audit-october-2024.pdf