SR395 New House Owners' Satisfaction Survey 2017 (January 2020)

This report presents the results of the seventh annual New House Owners’ Satisfaction Survey. The survey looks at how new house owners rate their builder and how satisfied they are with the builder’s performance.

The survey covers a sample of New Zealand’s housing consents. It excludes spec builds (a house built without a specific committed buyer) and houses built by family members.

Results show that house owners’ satisfaction with their builders has fallen in 2017. The percentage of respondents that rated their builder as satisfactory has eased to 62%, from 67% in 2016. Owners are rating their builder highly on their ability to deliver a quality home with a good standard of finish. However, there remains room for improvement in the service provided after handover, particularly around the fixing of defects. Disputes over cost remain prevalent.

Overall, 85% of respondents reported having to call back their builder to fix defects after first occupancy. Most respondents were not surprised by the number of defects in their new home, indicating that builders are doing well to communicate the challenges of building a new home to their clients.