New homes ombudsman will provide a helping hand for homeowners

Prompted by shoddy new build houses, the government is to appoint a new homes ombudsman.

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They might look fine on the outside...
(Image credit: Empato)

A new homes ombudsman will be launched to help homebuyers who face problems with their newly built houses. The new body, announced at last week's Conservative party conference, will champion the rights of homebuyers and hold developers to account when things go wrong with new builds. This statement has attracted a little controversy, given that an ombudsman is supposed to be impartial. New legislation will require all new developers to belong to an ombudsman scheme, with more detailed proposals to be published in due course.

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Emma Lunn

Emma Lunn is a multi-award-winning journalist who specialises in personal finance and consumer issues. With more than 18 years’ experience in personal finance, Emma has covered topics including mortgages, first-time buyers, leasehold, banking, debt, budgeting, broadband, energy, pensions and investments. Emma’s one of the most prolific freelance personal finance journalists with a back catalogue of work in newspapers such as The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, the Mail on Sunday and the Mirror. As a freelancer she has also completed various in-house contracts at The Guardian, The Independent, Mortgage Solutions, Orange and Moneywise. 

She also writes regularly for specialist magazines and websites such as Property Hub, Mortgage Strategy and YourMoney.com. She’s particularly proud of her work writing about the leasehold sector and a Guardian front-page story about a dodgy landlord. She has a real passion for helping people learn about money – especially when many people are struggling to get by in today’s challenging economic climate – and prides herself on simplifying complex subjects.