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

Estate Agent Talk

Top five AML red flags in UK property transactions

Cash-heavy and internationally supported purchases continue to shape the UK market New data from client due diligence platform Thirdfort reveals the most common anti-money laundering (AML) red flags identified in UK property transactions. Analysis of more than 415,000 completed Source of Funds (SoF) checks shows that the top five red flags are: Savings mismatch – 43.04% Gifted…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Discover Northern Ireland’s top emerging investment hotspots

Derry/ Londonderry and Fermanagh named Northern Ireland’s top emerging investment hotspots Northern Ireland’s emerging investment hotspots are delivering compelling opportunities for landlords in 2026, with new research from Belfast-based estate agency John Minnis revealing a shift in where investors are finding the strongest returns. Drawing on insights from the latest John Minnis Investment Guide, the…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 13/4/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Why customisation matters more than capability Thought Leadership by Wes Snow CEO & Co-founder of Ascendix Technologies ‘There’s a persistent misconception that success with Artificial Intelligence comes down to selecting the most advanced or sophisticated tool. In reality, that’s not where the value lies. The real…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

First-time buyers pay extra £307m in stamp duty since relief ended

New Rightmove analysis reveals that since the end of the temporary relief measure in April 2025, first-time buyers in England have paid an estimated £307 million extra in stamp duty, averaging £4,618 more per buyer: The total estimated first-time buyer stamp duty bill over the past year was £408 million, versus £101 million the previous year In April 2025 the first-time buyer stamp duty threshold was lowered from £425,000 to £300,000. Before the change 62% of homes for sale were stamp-duty free for first-time buyers and that has…
Read More
Breaking News

Rental price and average salary tracker – March 2026

Rents Plateau, But UK Market Tells Regional Story Significant comparisons include across Scotland where average agreed rents rose to £1,123, representing a 4.95% increase month and month across the nation. Northern Ireland saw the second largest average monthly rents rise, bringing an increase of 3.99% to an average agreed price of £887 compared to £853…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 9/4/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Why Rightmove is making all the wrong moves   In a world reshaped by AI, incumbency is no longer protection. It is exposure. Thought Leadership By Andrew Stanton, CEO Proptech-PR Rightmove has long been the unassailable giant of UK property portals—a category-defining platform that, for years, operated…
Read More