Help & Guides

The scheme is independent of the developer and the warranty bodies and any matter referred to this scheme concerns disputes under the Consumer Code for New Homes only. The adjudication will be independent and conducted by a trained independent adjudicator who must be a member of CEDR. The scheme is applicable to complaints made within the first two years from completion of the New Home, in the event that a dispute arises between the buyer and the developer where agreement cannot be reached within 56 calendar days of the complaint being raised with the developer. Decisions reached under the scheme are not insured under the Structural Warranty.

The Adjudicator’s Proposed Decision sets out what they are minded to decide before it becomes final and allows both you and the Home Builder to comment one final time. This is only however for you and the Home Builder to clarify any points which you believe the Adjudicator may have misunderstood. You will not be able to introduce any new complaints at this stage. If you require an extension on the comments, this can be request and the adjudicator will decide whether or not to grant you an extension. Please note that any comments made by you and the Home Builder at this stage will be shared between all parties.

The maximum award that can be claimed under this scheme is capped at £50,000.00 (inclusive of VAT (if any)). Please note that this is the cumulative total for all claims arising in respect of the new home (this sum includes the cost of any repairs and any claims for compensation, refunds, credits and/or waivers). Please be aware that this limit is applied to the total amount claimed and consumers must claim for all areas of any existing dispute/s with the developer at one time, where possible.

Purchasing a new home is a significant expense for most consumers and there are many different factors which purchasers consider including location, design and suitability as well as price and reputation of the developer.

The Consumer Code for New Homes has been established to ensure that best practice is followed by our registered developers in the marketing, selling and purchasing of New Homes and sets standards for after sales service. The Code has been developed to be of maximum benefit to consumers and its ultimate aim is to provide a genuine commitment to consumers to improving standards of construction and raising customer service standards in the New Homes market, recognising that part of that commitment is providing consumers with a voice and a clear complaints process when things simply don’t go according to plan when they buy a New Home.

Dispute Resolution: One of the fundamental aspects of the Consumer Code for New Homes is providing consumers with access to a low-cost and effective dispute resolution scheme in the event that a dispute arises between a Buyer and a registered Developer. This can help to avoid costly and protracted legal action.

If you have reserved a new home with a Developer who has registered with the New Homes Quality Board, then your home is protected by the New Homes Quality Code. This is the case if you have reserved your new home after their registration date. For an active list of developers and home builders, you can access this via the New Homes Quality Board website

Please note that we can only accept applications in English and the process is conducted in English only.

The process is conducted entirely in writing and all parties to a dispute will see all the evidence submitted by the other.

Cases must be completed within 90 days of the complete case file being received, as required by UK legislation. However, the average time taken to complete the process is generally considerably quicker. The parties will be notified once the complete case file is received by the adjudicator and the ADR procedure has commenced. For complex cases, they may take slightly longer than 90 days.

You are able to withdraw your application after you have registered your case with CEDR. However, once a decision has been issued, you are only able to accept or reject the decision.

The adjudicator will produce a written decision, which will be sent to you and the company. The adjudicator’s decision will outline to both parties details of how the outcome was reached.

If you decide that you do not agree with the adjudicator’s Final Decision, you are free to reject it and pursue your claim elsewhere if you wish. In this case, the adjudicator’s decision will not be binding on the company. Please note that the adjudication may be different from an outcome determined by a court applying strict legal rules and principles.

Consumers do not have to obtain independent advice or representation to access the service.

 To register a case with CEDR please use the 'New case' button. This will take you to our case management system where you can start the process. This is the fastest way to register a new complaint.

Alternatively, you may wish to complete and submit an application via our Online Form 

Once received CEDR will review and do some initial eligibility checks before accepting your complaint.