home. As the self-build industry grows, it is feared that there will be an influx of companies that do not understand the market and are ill-prepared to service the sector. The new Code will help to signpost consumers towards reputable firms. The Government is also keen to see a low-cost dispute resolution
T
system established and the Code allows for processes to be estab- lished to achieve this. The proposed core principles of the Code state that the public
should experience: • Truthful adverts • Clear, helpful and adequate pre-contractual information • Clear, fair contracts • Staff who can meet the terms of the Code and understand their
NaCSBA to launch Code of Practice to inform self-builders legal responsibilities
he National Custom and Self Build Association (NaCSBA) has announced its intention to launch a Code of Practice to help consumers choose the best suppliers for building their new
• An effective complaints handling system run by the business • An effective and low cost redress mechanism • Publicity about the Code from business and sponsors.
The consultation has been issued to NaCSBA members and will be voted on at its AGM in June. If the Code is voted in the next stage of the process will be to nominate a supervisory body to administer the Code and agree a simple complaints procedure. This will then allow the NaCSBA to appoint a low-cost Alternative Dispute Resolution Provider. Members will have to confirm they will abide to the principles
by 15 September and have the processes in place to meet the Code by mid-January 2017. Following this, members will be required to confirm in writing that they are complying with the Code on an annual basis.
self-build report Self-build market growth curtailed by land and finance
the housebuilding sector. Demand remains strong and output could be higher without the constraints of land and financial support. The UK continues to have one
R
of the lowest rates of self-build- ing – around 10 per cent of new private sector housebuilding, com- pared to countries such as Austria, Belgium, Italy and Sweden where self-build rates are above 65 per cent. However, the last couple of years have seen a great deal of activity in the self-build sector through Government incentives and greater media exposure, and an improvement in the general economy has also helped the market increase in value, by an estimated 5 per cent in 2015. Estimates of volumes vary according to different definitions, but leading research firm AMA estimates current self-build comple- tions at around 12,000 dwellings. Councils are now actively
trying to enable more self and cus- tom-build development, and local community groups are progress- ing with neighbourhood plans and Community Right to Build projects, while the Government has also established its Right to Build scheme and taken steps to raise the profile of self-build through a series of measures . These include easing constraints in planning, cutting taxes for self-
ecent developments in the UK self-build housing market reflect the wider problems of
build developments, providing a number of funds to assist individu- als and communities to self-build, and releasing public land for self-build projects. There is also increasing activity from develop- ers to enable multi-unit self/cus- tom-build projects and a growing number of new entrants into the ‘custom-build developer’ market. Despite these positive influ-
ences, self-build completions are still below Government targets and a number of challenges still constrain growth in the sector. The main challenges to undertaking self-build projects continue to be access to land and finance with additional challenges in the plan- ning process and associated reg- ulations. In the current financial climate, self-builders attempting to obtain a mortgage still face a more restricted choice of lenders in the market willing to lend money on a property which has not yet been built. Future growth in the self-build
market is likely to be underpinned in part by Government aims to drive forward change in the self-build sector, which is now receiving more attention in the form of grant funding, tax reductions and an easing of land and planning constraints. The Government’s Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 will now require local planning authorities to establish local registers of custom-builders who
wish to acquire suitable land to build their own home. It also requires local authorities to give consideration to the demand on their local register when exercis- ing planning functions. The Government’s Housing and
Planning Bill also includes several measures to facilitate self and cus- tom-build, including placing a duty on councils to allocate land. AMA’s value estimates suggest steady forecasts, with self-build values rising by around 5 per cent in 2016, reflecting an expecta- tion of a modest rise in self-build volumes and material and labour costs. Thereafter, the self-build market is expected to grow steadily by around 7-10 per cent per annum to 2020. “Government plans annou-nced
in 2011 to double the output of self-build housing to provide an additional 100,000 self-build
units by 2021 are likely to be tempered by a number of factors, including the uncertain economy and wider housing market, a reluctance of lenders to make mortgage funding widely avail- able, constraints in the planning system and ongoing difficulties surrounding the availability of land for self-build projects – all longstanding but generally unresolved issues
to date,”
said Andrew Hartley, Director of AMA Research. “Saying this, new measures are being intro- duced to alleviate some of these issues and our forecasts for the self-build sector are positive in the medium term.” The Self Build Housing Market
Report – UK 2016-2020 Analysis report is published by AMA Research and can be ordered online at:
www.amaresearch.co.uk
selfbuilder & homemaker
www.sbhonline.co.uk
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code of practice
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