Warranty providers have agreed to work towards a shared standard for assessing homes built using modern methods of construction (MMC), the government has announced.
In a boost for the industry, the new standard will make it simpler to secure a warranty for homes built using such methods, which the government sees as a way of meeting the need for more homes.
New home warranties are taken out by the builder or developer provide buyers protection against defects on the property, required for obtaining a mortgage and insurance.
The National House-Building Council (NHBC), BLP, Premier Guarantee and LABC Warranty have agreed a memorandum of understanding on assessing the reliability of MMC-built homes.
The news follows a series of moves from Homes England to increase the use of MMC, including supplying six local authorities with £38m of funding and commissioning a research study into the construction of around 1,500 MMC homes across the country.
Last year it was reported that a government-backed task force, chaired by Cast Consultancy’s Mark Farmer, was attempting to get leading companies to agree a standard approach to certification of offsite systems.
Farmer was named as the government’s ‘MMC champion’ last year, a role in which he is tasked with providing independent scrutiny and advice to the government on how to increase the use of MMC in homebuilding.
