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SNAGGING AND QUALITY HOUSE BUILDERS

NHBC Quality awards

The NHBC created the 'Pride in the Job' competition in 1981, as an initiative to improve the standard of UK house building. Its aim is to encourage best-practice in house building, with the intention of improving the quality of the construction of new homes and reward and recognise the very best site managers in the UK.

These much coveted awards are given to individual site managers, not the house builder that employs them or the development site they are responsible for. The competition is one of the most prestigious in the house-building industry and has, over the years, become synonymous with the quality of new homes.

The NHBC say that all award-winning site managers "have shown true diligence and commitment to producing the best quality homes possible" having been regularly assessed over the preceding twelve months "against 38 stringent criteria." In 2013 in the first round of the competition, only 400 site managers received a Quality Award out of more than 13,000 competing site managers on sites across the UK.

The better house builders will employ the best site managers and the best site managers win these awards. The NHBC Pride in the Job Award is the recognition of exceptional site managers.

However, the total number of awards a house builder’s site managers receive, is not in itself an indication of quality. The larger builders will have more sites and therefore a greater number of site managers participating in the competition, accounting for around 69% of 400 Quality Awards in 2013.

The number of NHBC Pride in the Job Awards won by the Site Managers of the top House builders:

Comments:

NHBC Quality Awards 2021
This period covered a full year of the Covid-19 pandemic. From a housebuilding perspective it resulted in FEWER new homes being built, (Persimmon completions down 14.3%; Taylow Wimpey down 36.8%) yet nearly every site remained open. This should have resulted in better quality and more awards for the large plc housebuilders due to the reduction. It was a year when three Persimmon site managers won a quality award,  their highest number in the last four years.

Full list of 2021 award-winning Site Managers & developments here

NHBC Quality Awards 2020
Despiite an "independent review" and an apparent change of direction (and leadership), Persimmon Homes' site managers and those of Charles Church, have failed to win even one NHBC Quality Award this year. Crest site managers won 43% fewer awards with Redrow down 30%, and Taylor Wimpey down 20%, all demonstrating a race to the bottom as far as quality is concerned within this industry. Of note Barratt site managers (including David Wiilson Homes) bucked the trend winning 9% more awards than in 2019, despite the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic. Full list of 2020 award-winning sites

NHBC Quality Awards 2019

Just one of the 380 Persimmon Homes site managers won an NHBC Quality Award in 2019 - an absolute disgrace. This should be a big red flag warning to potential buyers!
By comparison Redrow Homes increased its haul by 58% with 30 of their 124 site managers winning NHBC Qualit Awards. The number of PITJ Quality Award winning site managers of other plc housebuilders remaining virtually unchanged om previous year.
Full list of 2019 award-winning sites

NHBC Quality Awards 2018

Six of 2-star rated Bovis Homes site managers (amazingly) won NHBC Quality Awards this year. Their highest since 2012. However, buyers should not take this as an indication that quality and customer service has dramatically improved; but it looks to be a step in the right direction. Redrow Homes won 27% (7) fewer awards this year and Persimmon, with just two site managers winning an NHBC PITJ Quality Award this year, should hand their heads in shame considering the number of active sites (370) they have!
Full list of 2018 award-winning sites

NHBC Quality Awards 2017

Over half of the housebuilders listed above have won fewer awards this year. For the 4th year running, Barratt site managers have won fewer Quality Awards. Bellway, Redrow and Taylor Wimpey have all won more awards than in 2016. It is clear indication that quality among most of the major plc housebuilders is falling as they scable to increase both their output and profit.

NHBC Quality Awards 2016

For the third year running Barratt have won fewer awards than the previous year 79 - down from 102 in 2013. Taylor Wimpey also winning fewer awards for the second year running. Four Bovis site managers did actually manage to win an award this year along with just seven (up one from last year) at Persimmon who have increased completions by 26% since 2013.

Yet again Bellway with 42 awards (up 31% on last year) and Redrow with 24 awards (up 33%) lead the way for improving quality despite increasing the number of homes they are building by 51% and 42% respectively on their 2013 totals.

NHBC Quality Awards 2015

With all the major housebuilders putting profit and numbers ahead of a commitment to quality it is unsurprising that nearly all won fewer awards than in 2014. Only Bellway up 10% and Redrow up 38% won more Awards in 2015. Minnow housebuilder Cala won a creditable 12 Quality Awards in 2015 good for a housebuilder that constructed just 677 new homes in 2014.

Jeff Fairburn, CEO of Persimmon with just 6 awards and David Ritchie the current CEO of Bovis - the only plc housebuilder to not win a single NHBC quality award in 2015, should both hang their heads in shame.

NHBC Quality Awards 2014

Barratt won fewer awards this year, despite building more homes on more sites. With all the major house builders increasing their output to make the most of the Help to Buy bonanza, it would appear the quality of new homes has suffered with priority given to output. Persimmon Homes won just 8 awards, down from the mere 13 the group won in 2013. Clearly this company has quality issues, considering it built over 11,000 new homes last year.

Bovis and Linden continue to disappoint, this should serve as a red flag to potential new home buyers.  That said, a Quality Award winning site is no guarantee that buyers will get a quality new home.

In the words of the NHBC:

"The judging process does not however guarantee that every plot on a site will be free from defects".

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The NHBC Pride in the Job Competition