New guidance on commissioning services in new homes

The NHBC Foundation today publishes a guide that helps site managers oversee the many commissioning activities that are important to a smooth build programme and delivering high quality homes for home buyers.

At your services – What to expect during commissioning – produced in collaboration with BSRIA, is a response to the ever-expanding family of services from solar-technologies to whole-house ventilation systems that means that site managers will see an increasing range of commissioning activities on their sites, often of a highly technical nature.

While commissioning must be carried out by specialists and competent installers, this new guide fills an important gap, helping site managers to engage more closely with the commissioning process and to ask the right questions at the right time.

In a foreword to the new guide Neil Jefferson, NHBC’s Chief Operating Officer, says: “The reality is that many site managers today feel distant from the commissioning checks and balances that are so crucial.”

He adds: “Commissioning in general has become much more technical and exacting, with processes and language which are not easy for non-specialists to understand. This is not good for the success of commissioning which ultimately depends on good understanding between the site manager and commissioning experts involved.”

The NHBC Foundation guide gives special attention to explaining the reasons for the various commissioning activities and how they contribute to long-term trouble-free operation. It covers the following types of services:

  • Water and drainage
  • Gas connection and distribution
  • Electrical installations
  • Boiler – gas supply and correct operation
  • Underfloor heating pipe loops and manifolds
  • Unvented, indirect hot water cylinders
  • Ventilation systems
  • Air source (air to water) heat pumps
  • Solar hot water systems
  • Grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems

EAN Breaking News

Breaking News from the team at Estate Agent Networking. Have a new story to share with us? Then please get in contact today! When and where we can we will refer to third party websites with a 'live link back' where news was released first.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Homebuyers face longer buying timelines

The latest research from Lyons Bowe suggests the homebuying process could become even slower in 2026: as the number of conveyancers operating across the UK is thought to have fallen by almost -13% while transaction volumes rise, placing further pressure on completion timelines. Lyons Bowe has analysed data on the number of active conveyancers in…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 1/4/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Winning the AI Era: A Playbook for UK Estate Agencies The AI-Driven Rewiring of UK Estate Agency Thought Leadership by Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR Real estate has historically been conservative, fragmented, and inefficient. A surge of startups, is introducing automation, data-driven decision-making, and better customer experiences. This…
Read More
Breaking News

What renters and landlords need to know ahead of major rental law changes

With just one month to go until the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act comes into force, the leading professional body, Propertymark, is urging renters and landlords across England to understand how the changes could affect them. From 1 May 2026, the legislation will introduce some of the biggest changes to the private rented…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Tackling Empty Properties

A UK Perspective on Best Practice and Recommendations for Reform Propertymark, the UK’s leading professional body for property agents, has today published a comprehensive new position paper highlighting the urgent need for coordinated, practical and properly resourced action to bring long-term empty properties back into use. With over 359,000 homes sitting empty for more than…
Read More
Breaking News

Pet-friendly rentals plunge 39%

New research from Inventory Base reveals that the number of pet-friendly rental homes in England has fallen by -39% since the start of 2026, as landlords appear to be reducing the number of homes openly marketed as allowing pets ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act taking effect from 1st May. The Renters’ Rights Act (RRA)…
Read More
Breaking News

Latest Nationwide house price data showing a 2.2% increase

Industry reaction to Nationwide house price data showing UK annual house price growth picked up to 2.2% in March, from 1.0% in February. Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, comments: “An uplift in house prices will be welcomed by the market and suggests that buyer demand remains resilient despite ongoing economic headwinds. Improved sentiment, coupled with…
Read More