Changes to housebuilding standards could
see Brits experiencing fewer electrical emergencies, plumbing breakdowns and
drainage problems.
On March 13th, Stephen
Williams, Communities Minister, outlined plans to make it simpler and more
affordable for housebuilders to develop homes that are of a high standard.
Existing regulations and standards mean that homebuilders have to deal with
duplicating or contradictory requirements, with different standards varying
across different regions. Mr Williams described this system as “complicated and
confusing”.
As a result, he said the government intends
to amend the whole system so that all housebuilding requirements are in one
place, enabling developers and councils to collaborate more effectively when
producing sustainable, secure and quality homes.
Home
emergency cover – security
One
of the amendments planned is the creation of a new household security
standard. This will be based on current industry best practice, although the
application of this standard is unknown. It will be focused on
cost-effectiveness and may be applied nationally, although it may instead be
concentrated on those areas with the highest security requirements.
Electrical appliance breakdowns, boiler
breakdowns and home emergency cover
Local authorities can currently set up
targets for renewable energy production and energy efficiency. The government
states that these local targets have frequently been overtaken by national standards,
with a zero-carbon home standard set to be enacted in 2016. Therefore, all
energy efficiency standards will be imposed through national housebuilding
regulations.
Plumbing
and drainage cover
Rainwater harvesting requirements will be
removed from areas that do not experience water shortages. Furthermore, there
may also be two-tier water efficiency standards, with households in areas more
susceptible to droughts seeing more stringent water efficiency standards than
those in wetter locations.
Other
amendments to housebuilding standards
The government also intends to remove or
cut back several other standards, some of which seem somewhat archaic at
present. For instance, there is currently a requirement for new-build homes to
contain more than one landline, but this is to be scrapped.
Could
changes lead to increase in home emergency cover claims?
While Mr Williams argued that the new
housebuilding standards will make the UK’s residences safer and more secure, it
could be argued that the standards will become less stringent, which could lead
to a rise in home emergency claims.
For example, builders must currently have
their work checked by an assessor from the Code for Sustainable Homes, the
local planning authority, the Homes and Communities Agency, a building control
group, and a range of independent assessors. The government may be right in its
suggestion that this is too much assessment, but it cannot be denied that such
intensive assessments must minimise the likelihood of health and safety problems
or home emergencies.
The amendments follow a
consultation into the issue, which saw most respondents agreeing with the
implementation of national building regulation standards.
Whatever amendments are made to building
regulations, 247 Home Rescue will be
here to provide the boiler cover, appliance cover and home emergency cover
membership schemes people need to enjoy real peace of mind. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn!
