Over three quarters of new home owners would recommend their builder
The vast majority of Britain’s new home buyers would recommend their home builder to a friend, according to the Home Builders Federation’s (HBF’s) fourth annual Customer Satisfaction Survey released this week, a sure fire vindication that house builders are striving successfully to ensure they meet customer’s aspirations. The survey also showed that over three quarters (76%) of purchasers questioned in the 12 months from October 2007-September 2008 were satisfied with the overall quality of their home.
Stewart Baseley, Executive Chairman of HBF says:
“Ensuring that customers are happy with their new homes is of crucial importance to homebuilders – especially in the current market.
”Whilst being ever conscious that more needs to be done, we are pleased that our survey results show consistently high levels of achievement across all areas. When the results are looked at alongside other such surveys, they demonstrate that builders are building what customers want and doing it in a way that ensures satisfaction in the product. ”
Question responses included the following results (2008 % results in brackets):
77% (76) said they were satisfied with the quality of their new home
76% (75) would recommend their builder to a friend
76% (77) were very or fairly satisfied with the service during the buying process
70% (72) regarded their builder as very or fairly good in relation to completing their home on time
73% (72) of buyers were satisfied with the condition of their home on move-in day
65% (64) were very or fairly satisfied with the homebuilders’ service after purchasers moved in
With house prices now significantly lower than 12 months ago, now is an ideal time to purchase a new build home. As well as being built to higher environmental standards than existing homes, and so saving over £500 a year of fuel bills, new build customers get a range of options in terms of their type of home and its interior design.
- Ends –
Links:
2009 Customer Satisfaction Survey
Notes to Editors:
1. The Home Builders Federation (HBF) is the principal representative body for private sector home builders and voice of the home building industry in England and Wales. The HBF’s 300 member firms account for some 80% of all new homes built in England and Wales in any one year, and include companies of all sizes, ranging from multi-national, household names through regionally based businesses to small local companies: www.hbf.co.uk
2. HBF’s survey is a self-completion postal census of the new home purchasers of 15 larger home builders constructing in excess of 500 homes per year. It covers purchasers legally completing during the 12 months October 2007 to September 2008. Purchasers were sent a questionnaire approximately eight weeks after legal completion. Any private tenants receiving a questionnaire were asked not to complete it. The survey work was carried out by the National House Building Council (NHBC) on behalf of HBF.
3. Of the 40,075 questionnaires mailed, 20,879 were returned, a response rate of 52.1%. Blank responses are excluded from calculation of the results for each question.
The industry results are weighted to take account of each home builders’ total NHBC registrations. Individual company results are not weighted.
Company results for Q7 and Q8 are presented in bands as follows:
| 90%+ | 5 star |
| 80% to less than 90% | 4 star |
| 70% to less than 80% | 3 star |
| 60% to less than 70% | 2 star |
| 50% to less than 60% | 1 star |
For Q7, stars were allocated according to the proportions responding Very and Fairly satisfied. For Q8, stars were allocated according to the proportion responding ‘Yes’ (i.e. they would recommend their builder to a friend). The table on this page gives an indication of sampling error.
The major benefits of the chosen system of star ratings are that they provide a fixed benchmark against which results can be compared from year to year, and the bands are transparent and easily understood.
4. Research study by National Energy Services, commissioned by the New Homes Marketing Board, found living in a new home could save up to £556 a year on average energy bills compared with older-style homes http://www.nhmb.co.uk/MainWebSite/CampaignItemfbb83e3d.aspx?Map=7FEF82958F20D6670FDA6765B93A20C0
For media enquiries, or to arrange an interview, please contact
Steve Turner
tel: 0207 960 1606
email: steve.turner@hbf.co.uk