Honest, practical writing on buying, snagging and living in a UK new-build home — from the team building the independent review platform.
The government is clamping down on cowboy builders in the home-improvement sector — good news. But buying a new-build is a separate world, where the industry still largely marks its own homework. The gap, and what real independence looks like.
Read the post →When a builder ignores you or disputes obvious defects, you have more power than you think. The full escalation ladder — written record, formal complaint, the 8-week rule, the New Homes Ombudsman (up to £75,000), the Consumer Codes, and your warranty.
Read the post →The right moments to inspect — from the pre-completion inspection to day one, the first weeks, and the 8-week and 9-month surveys that (for the first time in 2026) feed your builder’s public HBF star rating. How to turn the calendar into leverage.
Read the post →Everything you need to snag your new home properly — what a snag actually is, when to inspect, DIY vs a professional survey, a room-by-room checklist, and exactly how to get your builder to put things right.
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