We’ve been helping to improve build quality through NHBC Standards since 1936. We provide warranty and insurance for around 75/80% of the new homes built in the UK each year with around a million on site inspections carried out each year. We use that scale, expertise and knowledge to help build confidence in innovative construction methods and systems.
Over recent years we have seen a growing interest in the use of offsite systems, from lenders and investors to developers, housing associations and the Private Rental Sector which is culminating in the launch of NHBC Accepts.
What they all have in common is a desire to build confidence in the quality and benefits of new homes built using offsite components.
As a result of the increasing significance of MMC, we have developed a more co-ordinated approach across the business by imbedding an internal system and engaging more closely and more frequently with industry. We have also maintained a healthy profile at many of the major MMC events across the length and breadth of the UK to ensure we are on hand to speak to those interested in learning more and finding out what we can offer them.
It is an established expectation amongst homeowners, landlords, investors and mortgage companies that new homes will last a very long time. This means that materials and systems need to be selected and assembled carefully so that at least a 60-year lifespan can be achieved in reality, with the construction of the finished home having the durability and resilience to withstand the vagaries of the UK climate.
Now we feel the time is right to offer further support to the industry and wider sector with the launch of NHBC Accepts.
NHBC Accepts
NHBC Accepts is an all-inclusive, end-to-end service that will help to build further confidence in innovative construction and enable MMC systems to be fast-tracked for NHBC warranty.
As part of the new service, detailed and robust technical reviews at key stages will result in provision of a certificate (and acceptance for NHBC warranty), usage licence for a bespoke NHBC Accepts logo and website listing.
Over the last two years we have doubled the size of our MMC team. This dedicated team are experts in innovative construction; they’ve already assessed, reviewed and approved nearly 50 systems.
Now, with NHBC Accepts, we can review a product and, if it meets our stringent standards, provide a licence to use the NHBC Accepts logo. All accepted products will also be listed in our searchable database as an approved system.
Our assessment processes are transparent and thorough and are published in the service technical documents online. We carry out ongoing reviews of the product design, manufacture and construction and share findings, something that will help to continually improve each and every new product and system.
Rigorously assessed
In future, when you see the NHBC Accepts logo, you can be sure that we have rigorously assessed that innovative product or system and that we consider it can meet our robust standards, giving confidence to developers, investors, lenders and homeowners.
It also demonstrates that, subject to appropriate design and installation, the product can be used in homes covered by Buildmark.
For UK housebuilders, an NHBC Accepts certificate demonstrates that innovative products or systems have already been reviewed by us, reducing the risk of delays on site and giving confidence to your buyers and lenders.
And, you can have confidence that the product or system has undergone our detailed assessment and review before you procure it too. When working with an innovative product, a manufacturer can now easily demonstrate the answer to a common question – does NHBC accept this?
As housebuilding resumes post Covid-19 lockdown, the drive to transform construction is accelerated and the case for innovative forms of construction strengthened.
It is impossible to predict exactly how the landscape will look in the coming months and years, but we would expect to see more innovative construction solutions emerge over time and NHBC’s thorough and rigorous approach to new MMC systems will help bring benefits to manufacturers, developers and builders.
