Image: Persimmon
Housebuilder Persimmon has introduced a new team of independent construction quality inspectors in each of its regional businesses in a bid to improve the build quality of its homes.
The new team will work independently of Persimmon’s site managers to strengthen its existing quality assurance processes, which include a site inspection regime conducted by its construction teams, subcontractors and independent building control third parties.
Commenting on the change, Persimmon said: "This approach is designed to help enforce ongoing cultural change based on the principles and recommendations of the Hackitt Review within the group. In addition, we have changed our internal management processes to start to embed the principle of "the golden thread of information" highlighted in the Hackitt Review, which will help our teams more clearly identify and manage the key risks we face on each of our development sites, particularly regarding building safety."
The move follows the company’s decision to introduce a customer retention scheme in July, which allows house buyers to withhold a maximum of 1.5% of the value of their home if they identify any faults during the first week of occupation.
The news came in Persimmon’s financial results for the half year to 30 June 2019. The company unveiled a pre-tax profit of £509.3m, down from £516.3m in the same period a year before. The total new home average selling price was £216,942, which was an increase on the average of £215,813 in the same period in 2018. Persimmon’s underlying new housing opeating margin was 31%, down from 31.8% in the second half of last year. Total group revenue was 4.5% lower at £1.75bn.
Group chief executive Dave Jenkinson said: "Improving the quality and service delivered to our customers remains our top priority and I am encouraged with the progress made in the first half, which clearly shows that Persimmon is changing. Our customer satisfaction ratings for the current HBF survey year are showing improvement and I am particularly pleased that, in July, Persimmon became the first housebuilder to introduce a retention scheme for customers placing us at the forefront of strengthened consumer rights for homebuyers."
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It’s time they gave their site teams realistic build programs that will give them half a chance of achieving any sort of quality, but that won’t happen because to achieve that they will have to reduce the amount of handovers. The only cultural change needed is in the boardroom, then they may have a chance of achieving their directive. They are just using this a another marketing tool.
Build quality starts with good site management, people who understand building, especially private housing which require a different set of criteria than contracting, together with a team of subcontractors and suppliers who understand and produce quality work.
Weed out poor subcontractors and tradesmen
Our old motto was get it right first time, which is quicker and less costly than putting it right
If something does go wrong, deal with it straight away, and ensure it does not happen again.
ALL OBVIOUS I HEAR YOU SAY.
I wonder whether the company will now start to get ready for when potential house buyers go around with infra red cameras exposing hidden build defects such as no or poorly fitted insulation? Will probably require a complete change in company ethos to go beyond poorly hung doors and leaking gutters snagging issues?