HQM Beta Standard

HQM ONE

Following the Beta version, the Home Quality Mark has gone through an update; HQM ONE. For the most up to date standard for quality and sustainable new homes, please refer to the Live HQM ONE Standard.

For information about early consultation activities and the Beta version that has been live from early 2016 until September 2018, please see below.

Beta Version

You can access the beta version of the manual here:

Download the Beta Technical Standard (PDF)

Note: This is the 2016 August re-release version of the beta standard, which addresses some early spelling and formatting issues. The technical content is the same as the original beta version release and has been updated for clarity.

This first HQM beta version evolved from a technical consultation carried out during 2015 with additional input from a wide variety of stakeholders at over 50 national events including; private and social housing developers, representative organisations, professional bodies, financial sector, legal sector, designers, consultants and also consumers.

We are very grateful for all support that we have had so far in the development of the HQM, there is already significant knowledge of the scheme which we will build upon over the future.

HQM assessment registrations are now open in England (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will follow) and can be registered through a licensed HQM assessor. Licensed HQM assessors can be found on www.greenbooklive.com

HQM beta takes a balanced scorecard approach and only has one mandatory requirement, which makes it a flexible scheme that can support various types of new home projects. For more information on registering a project, please refer to a licensed HQM assessor or download the beta technical standard, and see the ‘HQM Application’ section (page 2) for information on the types of projects that can use HQM.

2015 Consultation

Our response to the 2015 summer consultation feedback is available here.
Thank you to all of those who took part.

The general public want high quality sustainable homes – but it is difficult to always understand what this means. The Home Quality Mark seeks to create a clear framework to help them learn more about their prospective new home and that can only be a good thing.Charlie Luxton, Architectural Designer and TV presenter
We welcome the launch of the Home Quality Mark as independent, third party verification of the quality of new homes provides both property purchasers and funders with support in their decision making. BRE have a wealth of experience in looking at build design and use and we wish them well in establishing the Home Quality Mark as a national standard.Hugh Taylor, Head of Housing, Corporate Banking HSBC
Home Owners Alliance welcomes the launch of BRE’s Home Quality Mark, the purchase of a home is peoples’ biggest financial commitment. Independent, verified information provides consumers with reassurance that they are making the right choice. We look forward to working with the HQM team further in the new year.Paula Higgins, CEO, Home Owners Alliance

With the first garden city for 100 years being built in his ward Dartford Borough Councillor for Greenhithe, Cllr David Mote (Con) said: I am sure the housing industry will welcome the launch of the Home Quality Mark. High new home standards for developing communities will provide new residents with the reassurance that their homes, including those that will be built the Ebbsfleet Garden Garden City, are constructed to the highest quality. I am sure it will also provide homebuilders with the means to show that they are creating communities that will help enhance both the image of new homes and the government’s garden city principles.Cllr David Mote (Con)
Independent benchmarking of new homes is hugely important. For CALA, it provides third party recognition of our commitment to consistently build high quality, sustainable homes. For homeowners, it offers a simple and reliable measure of the energy performance of the property they are buying. We look forward to working with BRE on the new Home Quality Mark.Alan Brown, CEO, Cala Homes
I have been working for years to raise the benefits of healthy homes to the general public, it is great to see BRE’s Home Quality Mark helping to provide further information around the positive impact that homes can make on our health and wellbeing.Oliver Heath TV presenter and Designer