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. 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. 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. These results, and more rankings, can be found in our recent New Build Resident Insights Report.
*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. Click on the company names below for all their ratings, reviews and developments.
Number of Developments
43
4.01 Rating (based on 458 reviews)
Taking first place in our list for build quality is Countryside, an award-winning UK property developer specialising in urban regenerations. Countryside homes always demonstrate a focus on green space and sustainability. Countryside operates across London, the South East, the North West of England and the West Midlands, and was founded in 1958.
Countryside also create 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
Number of Developments
45
4.20 Rating (based on 1434 reviews)
Berkeley Homes comes in at second for build quality Berkeley Homes is part of Berkeley Group – one of Britain’s best-known property developers. Operating across London, Birmingham and the South of England, the company established in the 1970s. Made up of a number of companies – along with Berkeley Homes, there’s St Edward, St George, St Joseph, St James and St William.
From family friendly neighbourhoods to slick city apartments, the Berkeley Group commits to building lasting communities with a focus on sustainability.
Read more about Berkeley Homes
Number of Developments
32
3.97 Rating (based on 425 reviews)
Third for build quality is Fairview New Homes. They build detached family homes and city apartments in well-connected locations across London and also the Home Counties. Their developments vary from small collection of homes in village locations to large regeneration projects of hundreds of apartments. In addition, Fairview New Homes aims to always engage with and support the communities where it builds new homes. The company’s community engagement has included visiting schools to talk to children about the company and the housebuilding industry as well as making donations to community initiatives and groups.
Read more about Fairview New Homes
Number of Developments
70
3.93 Rating (based on 880 reviews)
Bellway Homes takes fourth spot for the build quality of its 69 developments. Bellway Homes is one of the largest housebuilders in the UK. Based in Newcastle, it operates up and down the country. Bellway creates new homes with three pillars underpinning every project – quality, service and trust.
Read more about Bellway Homes
Number of Developments
21
3.92 Rating (based on 179 reviews)
Avant Homes takes fifth place in the UK for build quality. Avant Homes operates in Scotland, the north east of England, Yorkshire and the Midlands. Their focus is discovering better ways to design, specify and deliver outstanding homes.
Read more about Avant Homes
Number of Developments
9
4.24 Rating (based on 168 reviews)
Davidsons Homes is rated sixth in the UK for build quality. Davidsons Homes is a family owned and managed company with over three generations of experience in homebuilding. For over fifty years they have been committed to uniting people across the Midlands with beautifully designed properties that they can truly call their own.
Read more about Davidsons Homes
Number of Developments
40
4.02 Rating (based on 936 reviews)
In seventh for build quality is Barratt London. Barratt London is part of Barratt Developments PLC. The first scheme launched in 1982 and, since then it has been responsible for hundreds of residential properties across the capital, spanning exclusive city penthouses to mixed-use regenerated communities. The company strives to offer quality homes by providing excellence in design, construction and customer service.
Read more about Barratt London
Number of Developments
52
3.91 Rating (based on 485 reviews)
Eighth place in our build quality rankings for UK developers is Lovell Homes, a UK property developer that creates new-build apartments and houses across the country. Lovell seeks to help first-time buyers get on the property ladder with a range of incentives that make purchasing a property more affordable. With a focus on sustainability, quality design and customer service, Lovell aims to build not just homes, but communities.
Read more about Lovell Homes
Number of Developments
42
3.89 Rating (based on 527 reviews)
Crest Nicholson is ninth in our rankings for build quality. Crest Nicholson is a leading property developer based in Surrey and founded in 1963. The organisation operates across London and England’s South and is committed to creating new homes and communities with a focus on sustainability.
Read more about Crest Nicholson
Number of Developments
63
3.92 Rating (based on 811 reviews)
Finishing up our top 10 for build quality in the UK is Redrow. Redrow is one of the largest residential developers in the UK. It has a network of 15 divisions across Britain, is based in Flintshire and employs 2,300 people. Residents receive a bespoke ‘Homefile’ when they move into a property, packed with hints, tips and useful contact numbers. It’s one of many ways they strives to offer a truly personalised service.
Read more about Redrow
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.
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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.
HomeViewsprovides 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.