The Role of Surveying in Delivering the Government's 1.5 Million New Homes

At this year’s CIH South West Conference, one of the biggest discussions centred around the government’s ambitious target to build 1.5 million new homes. While the need for more housing is undeniable, so too are the risks—how do we ensure these homes are high quality, sustainable, and fit for purpose when recently there have been many where speed construction, cost-cutting and a lack of ventilation has led to defects, damp, and poor living conditions? 

This isn’t just about hitting numbers. The homes we build today must stand the test of time—providing safe, energy-efficient living environments while balancing cost, quality, and regulatory compliance. This is where surveying plays a crucial role, offering the independent oversight needed to prevent defects, ensure quality, and safeguard long-term resilience. 
 

Key Challenges in Meeting Housing Targets 

Discussions at CIH South West 2025 reinforced the growing pressures housebuilders and housing providers are facing: 

• Labour shortages: A shrinking skilled workforce is affecting build quality and increasing project timescales. 

• Cost pressures: Rising material and labour costs are squeezing margins, often leading to ‘value engineering’ and standard design, that may not be suitable for all site conditions and can compromise quality. 

• Regulatory complexity: Stricter building regulations and sustainability requirements mean developers must carefully navigate compliance while maintaining profitability. 

• Time constraints: The urgency to deliver new homes can lead to rushed construction, increasing the risk of defects, such as poor insulation and inadequate drainage, damp, and ventilation. 

While these challenges are significant, the answer cannot be to cut corners. Poorly built homes lead to expensive remediation work, dissatisfied tenants, and properties that quickly deteriorate, creating problems rather than solutions. Consider how many homes that are already out there now considered to be no longer fit for occupation. 

The Role of Surveying in Ensuring High-Quality Homebuilding 

Surveying plays a critical role in mitigating risks and ensuring homes meet required standards from the outset. For me, this isn’t just about compliance or ticking the box—it’s about building homes that people can truly live in, without the worry of defects, damp, or structural failures creeping in over time. Throughout my career, I’ve seen first-hand how seemingly small oversights can snowball into major problems—ventilation issues that lead to mould, rushed snagging inspections that leave residents dealing with draughts and leaks, or cost-driven compromises that shorten a building’s lifespan. 

At the CIH South West Conference, it was clear that the industry is grappling with these challenges. The need for independent oversight and robust Project Management has never been greater. Surveyors take on this responsibility and provide that essential layer of quality assurance—spotting potential defects before they become costly issues, ensuring homes are built with longevity in mind, and holding developers accountable for getting it right the first time. Whether it’s managing snagging and handover processes, overseeing ventilation and insulation to prevent damp, or carrying out detailed construction inspections to safeguard long-term durability, surveyors play a key role in ensuring that the homes we build today stand the test of time. 

Key areas where surveying can make a difference: 

• Project management of new builds – Overseeing construction, quality control, ensuring good ventilation, insulation and defect prevention. 

• Defect diagnosis and rectification management – Identifying and addressing structural and environmental risks both during and after construction. 

• Snagging and handover inspections – Spotting and resolving quality issues before residents move in. 

• Reinstatement Cost Assessments – Ensuring new-build estates are properly insured. 

• Stock condition surveys and energy efficiency assessments – Supporting long-term resilience and compliance for housing providers and management companies. 

Building Homes That Last 

My belief is that delivering the 1.5 million homes is necessary, but it must not come at the expense of quality. The industry must take a forward-thinking approach, embedding quality assurance into every stage of the build process to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. 

By prioritising expert oversight, rigorous surveying processes, and sustainable building practices, developers and housing providers can meet housing demand without compromising on safety, efficiency, or durability. 

At Innovus Surveying Services, we are dedicated to ensuring that the homes that are built today remain high-quality, sustainable, and resilient for the future.