Why a Home Quality Mark?

In the UK we face an estimated requirement for 240,000-340,000 new homes a year. In the drive to deliver these we must avoid repeating mistakes of the past, by ensuring that we build high quality homes that will sustainably meet the long-term needs of their occupants.

The Home Quality Mark (HQM) has been developed to help drive quality in the housing industry by providing a simple but reliable 5-star rating system that allows new homes to be quickly and easily compared.

HQM will enable house builders to demonstrate the quality of their homes and differentiate them in the marketplace. It will provide those buying and renting new homes with expert, impartial information on building quality, running costs (utilities, insurance and maintenance) and the positive benefits of a healthy home in a connected community.

Detailed consumer information is now provided for most of the new products we buy, from food to washing machines and cars etc. And there is clear evidence of the growing use by consumers of information from independent sources when making choices, especially in an increasingly digital and connected age. But there is a stark contrast between the wide ranging information available when buying a new car or computer, and the limited information on a new home – despite the fact that this is usually our most significant life purchase.

The Home Quality Mark aims to put that right – and to help drive continuous improvement in house building.