Who are the best UK house builders when it comes to build quality? HomeViews collects reviews from verified residents in thousands of new build homes across the country, providing feedback on every aspect of buying, renting and living in their homes. If you’re considering buying or renting a new build, take a look at our rankings to see which developers build to the highest standards.
How do UK house builders rank on build quality?
Build quality is understandably one of the key considerations for buyers and renters when deciding where to live. Having confidence in the build quality of your home can relieve fears of snagging problems and put your mind at ease when it comes to maintenance costs. On average, build quality receives the third-highest ratings for buyers in the ‘buying experience’ HomeViews review categories.
This puts it behind build timetable and customer service ratings, but above aftersales care. Interestingly, Shared Owners tend to rate the build quality of their developments higher than buyers on HomeViews.
Which regions have the best build quality?
Build quality scores vary for new build homes according to their region. For new-build buyers, London, with its wealth of luxury developments, rates the highest for build quality.
The Midlands ranks second-highest and East of England third. Developments in the South and North of England are fourth and fifth respectively.
The top 10 UK house builders for build quality*
So, which of the UK’s new home builders rank best for build quality? Take a look at our rankings below, to help guide your new build property search. The list is based on our 2024 HomeViews Resident Choice Awards rankings.
These were based on Verified reviews on HomeViews, and required the developer to have at least 3 developments across sales properties, Housing Association homes and Housing Developments. The rankings below are based on Build Quality ratings, and developers required a minimum of 50+ Verified Owner reviews between 01/01/2022 – 31/12/2023 to qualify.
*PLEASE NOTE the Star Ratings shown below are an overall average score for each company, while this list is ranked 1-10 purely on each developer’s rating for Build Quality – a rating not shown publicly on our site.
4.04 Rating (based on 241 reviews)
{
“@context”: “http://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “The Hill Group”,
“description”: “Gain valuable insights from tenants, owners and visitors about The Hill Group’s properties on HomeViews.com”,
“image”: “https://www.homeviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/The-Hill-Group-logo-png.jpg”,
“aggregateRating”: {
“@type”: “AggregateRating”,
“ratingValue”: “4.04”,
“reviewCount”: “241”
}
}
The Hill Group takes first place this year, impressing residents with the quality of its homes throughout London and the South East of England. Hill has secured a number of other accolades in the housebuilding industry, including 5 star status from the Home Builders Federation’s annual Customer Satisfaction Survey in 2018, 2019 & 2020 & 2021.
Read more about The Hill Group
4.17 Rating (based on 216 reviews)
{
“@context”: “http://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “CALA Homes”,
“description”: “Gain valuable insights from tenants, owners and visitors about CALA Homes’s properties on HomeViews.com”,
“image”: “”,
“aggregateRating”: {
“@type”: “AggregateRating”,
“ratingValue”: “4.17”,
“reviewCount”: “216”
}
}
CALA Homes takes the second spot for build quality in 2024. The company currently has 35 developments listed on HomeViews. A large British housebuilding company with their headquarters in Edinburgh, Scotland, CALA Homes was founded in 1875. The company aims to provide ‘exceptional design and build.’
Read more about CALA Homes
4.09 Rating (based on 186 reviews)
{
“@context”: “http://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “Bloor Homes”,
“description”: “Read resident reviews of %%title%% and view detailed ratings for each %%title%% development. Discover what residents say about this popular developer.”,
“image”: “”,
“aggregateRating”: {
“@type”: “AggregateRating”,
“ratingValue”: “4.09”,
“reviewCount”: “186”
}
}
Third-placed Bloor Homes has over 50 years experience in the UK residential sector. The company strives to put its homeowners at the heart of all its decisions, applying its Bloor Standards to ensure consistent quality and service is achieved.
Read more about Bloor Homes
3.94 Rating (based on 471 reviews)
{
“@context”: “http://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “Fairview New Homes”,
“description”: “Read resident reviews of %%title%%. Discover the rating of each %%title%% development, from facilities to building management.”,
“image”: “https://www.homeviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Fairview_Logo_blue_grey.jpg”,
“aggregateRating”: {
“@type”: “AggregateRating”,
“ratingValue”: “3.94”,
“reviewCount”: “471”
}
}
Fairview New Homes is a new entrant on this Top Rated list for 2024, thanks to its focus on build quality and also integrating into and supporting the communities around its new developments. Its portfolio includes detached homes and city apartments in well-connected locations across London and the Home Counties.
Read more about Fairview New Homes
4.07 Rating (based on 149 reviews)
{
“@context”: “http://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “Story Homes”,
“description”: “Gain valuable insights from tenants, owners and visitors about Story Homes’s properties on HomeViews.com”,
“image”: “”,
“aggregateRating”: {
“@type”: “AggregateRating”,
“ratingValue”: “4.07”,
“reviewCount”: “149”
}
}
Taking fifth place is Story Homes, with 12 development reviewed on HomeViews. Founded in 1987, Story Homes is a housing developer with schemes in Cumbria, North West and North East England and Southern Scotland. Their mission is to design and build quality homes that people aspire to live in.
Read more about Story Homes
4.20 Rating (based on 1426 reviews)
{
“@context”: “http://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “Berkeley Homes”,
“description”: “Gain valuable insights from tenants, owners and visitors about Berkeley Homes’s properties on HomeViews.com”,
“image”: “https://www.homeviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/berkeley-logo.jpg”,
“aggregateRating”: {
“@type”: “AggregateRating”,
“ratingValue”: “4.20”,
“reviewCount”: “1426”
}
}
Berkeley Homes has a long-running reputation for quality across its buildings and customer service teams. Operating across London, Birmingham and the South of England, Berkeley’s ethos is to build lasting communities with a focus on sustainability.
Read more about Berkeley Homes
4.14 Rating (based on 559 reviews)
{
“@context”: “http://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “Telford Homes”,
“description”: “Gain valuable insights from tenants, owners and visitors about Telford Homes’s properties on HomeViews.com”,
“image”: “https://www.homeviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Telford-Logo.png”,
“aggregateRating”: {
“@type”: “AggregateRating”,
“ratingValue”: “4.14”,
“reviewCount”: “559”
}
}
Seventh-placed Telford Homes is a London-based property developer that was established in 2000, specialising in mixed-use, residential-led schemes. These homes build communities where there’s a shortage of homes, with mixed tenures and a focus on sustainability.
Read more about Telford Homes
4.01 Rating (based on 543 reviews)
{
“@context”: “http://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “Countryside”,
“description”: “Gain valuable insights from tenants, owners and visitors about Countryside’s properties on HomeViews.com”,
“image”: “”,
“aggregateRating”: {
“@type”: “AggregateRating”,
“ratingValue”: “4.01”,
“reviewCount”: “543”
}
}
Countryside operates across London, the South East, the North West of England and the West Midlands, and was founded in 1958. Taking eighth place in this year’s list, Countryside also creates affordable and private housing for local authorities and housing associations through planning agreements, PRS housing, mixed use schemes and joint ventures.
Read more about Countryside
3.92 Rating (based on 789 reviews)
{
“@context”: “http://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “Taylor Wimpey”,
“description”: “Gain valuable insights from tenants, owners and visitors about Taylor Wimpey’s properties on HomeViews.com”,
“image”: “”,
“aggregateRating”: {
“@type”: “AggregateRating”,
“ratingValue”: “3.92”,
“reviewCount”: “789”
}
}
In ninth is Taylor Wimpey, one of the UK’s largest residential developers, building and selling some 10,000 homes each year. The company was established in 2007, as the result of a merger between George Wimpey and Taylor Woodrow.
Read more about Taylor Wimpey
3.95 Rating (based on 739 reviews)
{
“@context”: “http://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “Barratt Homes”,
“description”: “Read reviews of %%title%% from tenants, owners and visitors on HomeViews.com. View the star rating of each Barratt development.”,
“image”: “”,
“aggregateRating”: {
“@type”: “AggregateRating”,
“ratingValue”: “3.95”,
“reviewCount”: “739”
}
}
With reviews on HomeViews for 57 of its developments, Barratt Homes / Barratt London takes tenth place. Barratt Developments Plc is one of the UK’s largest property developers with over 30 operating divisions. (Nb. this ranking combined ratings for both Barratt Homes and Barratt London).
Read more about Barratt Homes
2024 Resident Choice Awards
The rankings in this article are taken from HomeViews’ 2024 Resident Choice Awards, which took place in Birmingham on the 23rd February. The awards are the property industry’s only awards based purely on verified resident reviews.
Top 5 things new build owners wish they’d known before buying
Before you go, here’s a quick rundown of the top 5 things that new-build buyers say they wish they’d known before purchasing. This list comes from our latest free New Build Buyer’s Guide. You can check that out in the link, where you’ll also find the full top 10 list. In this order of priority, prior to buying, new-build buyers wish they’d known more about:
- The developer and property manager
- Parking arrangements
- The quality of the garden
- Snagging surveys – how they work, what the developer’s conditions are, etc
- How the property looks/feels at different times of the day.
So bear these important points in mind if you’re planning on searching for a new-build property.
Read more
Top 10 UK property developers according to first-time buyers
Buying an Off Plan Property: A 6-Step Guide
What is a snagging survey? Should you get one?
The biggest housebuilders in the UK
The best housebuilders for build quality aren’t necessarily going to be the biggest developers, though there is some overlap between the two. Below is a list of the biggest housebuilders in the UK, as listed on letsbuild.com. As you can see, both Barratt and Bellway feature on both lists:
- Barratt Developments
- Kier Group
- Taylor Wimpey
- Persimmon Group
- Galliford Try
- Bellway
- Redrow
- Willmott Dixon
The only dedicated property review site
Reviews on HomeViews cover a range of subjects, including facilities, design, location, value, and property management. They also include ratings and reviews on a number of topics not shown publicly on the site.
These cover specific elements of the renting or buying experience, including customer service, build timetable, aftersales care and build quality. By gathering such detailed information on UK home builders, you can be sure HomeViews reviews cover all the angles to give a fair representation of each development and house builder.
Find this list and other UK rankings for the UK’s new build developers and developments in our latest New Build Resident Experience Report.
HomeViews provides verified resident reviews of the UK’s housing developments. We’re working with developers, landlords and the Government to recognise high performers and help to improve standards in the built environment.
Source link
