Persimmon Homes Home Buyer Retention Scheme

In the UK we are in the midst of a New Build home quality crisis. The companies making the most profit are producing the lowest quality standards. This some how doesn’t feel right.

All developers should have customers at the top of their list to please. It seems profit margins are the main priority. Persimmon Homes have recently released a Home Buyer Retention Scheme. This allows customers to withhold 1.5% of the total value of their property until any items picked up by the customer are completed. This gives the customer an enormous amount of power when they initially move into their new home. Any issues present in the property can be recorded. The 1.5% of the property value withheld will encourage Persimmon to ensure Snagging issues are completed and resolved in a timely manner.

Buying a new home is the single biggest investment you will make which is why every new home buyer should book a professional snag inspection. This will ensure all items are picked up at the earliest opportunity and will give the home owner peace of mind that their large investment is a safe investment.

The need for "Off site" manufacturing in the New Build Housing industry

Buying a house is the single most expensive purchase we make. So why do we accept poor quality workmanship and poor quality products?

If we purchase a new car, its manufactured in a nice clean factory. Once the production process is complete the car is quality checked by an experienced team. When you receive the car it is in perfect condition. Would you drive the car off the forecourt if the windows were scratched or broken? Would you drive the car off the forecourt if the windows let in a draft? The answer is no, you wouldn’t.

The techniques that the majority of housing developers use are out dated and the build process is flawed. In a factory environment products are produced in a set amount of time. The products can only be produced faster if they increase resources. Currently on housing sites up and down the country programmes are being cut and PLC companies are demanding more homes without increasing resources. This is leading to poor quality homes and poor quality homes which customers are being forced to accept and deal with the consciences.

This is why we need OFF SITE manufacture. Materials can be produced in a factory environment and quality checked. The homes are then installed on site and can be water tight in a matter of days. This process will drive down build costs as the efficiency is increased. Ultimately Off site manufacture is the future of the construction industry. Unfortunately until we are at a stage where the majority of homes are manufactured off site we will have to put up with poorly built homes which aren’t fit for purpose.

The Quality of New Build Homes in the UK

Poor brickwork, faulty plumbing & electrical installations, unfinished decoration.....for many purchasers of new build properties in the UK their dream home quickly turns into a nightmare.

Due to the high demand for homes the government has set an ambitious target of 1 million properties to be built by 2020. Currently there are many factors causing problems which the industry needs to overcome to ensure these targets are met. Labour shortages are crippling the industry with many major housebuilding companies settling for a poor quality workforce to maintain their build completions and financial targets.

This is leaving the consumer with a product which isn’t fit for purpose. Build programmes have been shortened leaving site teams with less time to produce a quality finished product. This problem spans back 10 years to 2008 when the financial crisis hit the UK and had a major impact on the house building industry.

Make sure you are happy with the quality of your new build home before completing your purchase.

Completions dropped overnight and many companies were forced to enter into administration or liquidation. Companies that did survive had to re-structure and make themselves lean. One of the areas many businesses inside the construction sector and outside made cuts was apprenticeships and training. During a period over 5 years companies hired zero or very few apprentices.

Skilled workers all over the UK moved away from construction and entered different sectors which were flourishing I.e car industry. So the government has set targets for homes to be built and house building companies are reporting record profits year on year but we do not have the right quality labour to produce them. In many cases the house builders are handing over poor quality homes which is unacceptable.