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The Consumer Code for Home Builders’ Board is supported by Carol Brady MBE in her role as Chief Executive. Carol has extensive experience in consumer and regulatory policy and has been providing secretariat services for the Code for over ten years.

We caught up with Carol to find out where her consumer protection career began and her views on the role of codes of practice in protecting consumers.

How did you find yourself working in consumer protection?
One of my first ever roles was licensing private hire and hackney carriage vehicles to ensure those booking them were kept safe. From there I moved into a long and varied career within the Trading Standards profession, by which time, I was hooked.

Can you recall any experiences or events in your career which stand out to you as pivotal in shaping consumer protection or that you are particularly proud of?
There have been many and they are quite varied, from helping individuals to supporting large-scale change.

I’ll always recall stopping an elderly person living on their own from being scammed out of thousands of pounds as part of my trading standards work tackling rogue traders. I also helped the government, at the time, set up and deliver a GB-wide free national telephone helpline for anyone with consumer problems (which is still going strong today under the delivery of Citizens Advice).

I’m proud of the broader impact I have had after being asked by Government to undertake an independent review of how claims management companies were operating, which saw all my recommendations accepted.

I have also been instrumental in building and/or reviewing various ombudsman services. This knowledge and experience continues to be highly relevant in my current role, where giving consumers access to an independent third party organisation that can consider their complaint is key in the consumer protection landscape.

What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing consumers, particularly when it comes to large purchases such as homes?
Often it can be as simple as not understanding your rights and/or the process, particularly when it comes to a new home. There is so much legal and industry jargon used which can be quite daunting, particularly if you’re a first time buyer.

There are also many people involved in new homes purchases, including the builders, estate agents, solicitors or licensed conveyancers, home warranty bodies and maybe even third parties such as telecommunication companies or utility providers and the Land Registry.

Knowing how they work together, what to expect from whom and when, and who is available to offer further support and guidance, can give consumers the confidence they need to resolve most issues.

How important do you believe codes of practice are in protecting consumers?
Codes of practice are extremely important. They set standards that a business must follow and which usually go above and beyond technical requirements which any legislation may prescribe. A code of practice will often focus much more on the quality of customer service provided to the consumer and get to the heart of the everyday experience for consumers.

Most codes of practice, and especially those approved through the Chartered Trading Standards Institute’s Approved Codes Scheme like ours, have an independent dispute resolution scheme so if things go wrong, a consumer can very quickly have their complaint considered by a trained independent third person. These are usually free to the consumer and can be dealt with within a matter of weeks.

Codes of practice can also adapt very quickly to a changing market whereas legislation takes time to update, by which time the industry has moved on. Codes can quickly take action to strengthen or improve requirements to address new issues and keep consumers protected.

To really protect consumers however, codes need to have a strong compliance monitoring regime and an equally strong enforcement regime. I’m pleased to say our Code has both. We monitor builders to make sure they comply with its stringent requirements and we feed back lessons to the industry both from our audits and the findings of our adjudicators under our Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme. This means the industry can take on board any learnings and strive to continually improve their service.

What impact, in your view, has the Consumer Code for Home Builders had since it began? What are the principal achievements/differences it has made to benefit consumers and improve the industry?
I believe the Consumer Code for Home Builders has made a massive impact and has been the backbone for many of the codes which now operate to protect home buyers in the new homes sector today.

Prior to our Code being launched back in 2010, satisfaction of new home buyers with their builders was as low as around 42%. The latest survey https://www.hbf.co.uk/policy/customer-satisfaction-survey/results/ has this at 90%.

The Code has helped builders consider how they treat their customers particularly in relation to the information they provide. Prior to the implementation of the Code, for example, home builders could sell the home to the highest bidder and the introduction of the requirements surrounding the Reservation Agreement essentially prevented this form of gazumping overnight.

The past year has seen a greater focus on how vulnerable consumers are dealt with and this can include anyone from first time buyers to those recently bereaved or down-sizing as family members move away. It’s been fabulous to see, through our audit work, the examples of good practice which builders use to support such buyers and showcase the ethos which underpins our Code.

And finally, what’s your top tip for switching off after a busy working day?
Ah this is easy. Firstly my family own a kennels and cattery business so a walk around the fields with a dog, or a cuddle with a cat, can ease the burdens of the day and clear the head no end.

Secondly, I’m a season ticket holder with Birmingham City Football Club and while itself has had its own trials and tribulations of recent years, time on the terraces allows me to let off steam!

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