The HBF Star Rating Scheme awards builders stars for customer satisfaction, based on homeowner feedback in an independent survey. Now in its 13th year, the survey questions owners shortly after moving into new build properties to establish their satisfaction with the quality of their home and the buying experience.

Star ratings are calculated on the number of customers who would recommend the builder to friends, with a five star rating requiring 90% or above.

McCarthy and Stone’s Scotland team is celebrating after the retirement housebuilder achieved the five star customer satisfaction rating for a record thirteenth consecutive year. McCarthy and Stone is the only housebuilder of any size or type to achieve this award for thirteen years running.

McCarthy and Stone achieved a combined customer satisfaction score of 93.5%, while over 90 individual McCarthy and Stone developments received a 100% customer satisfaction score from its homeowners. Of those developments, 11 were in Scotland; including Scholar’s Gate in St Andrews, Beeches Gate in Aberdeen, Templars Court in Linlithgow, Ashwood Court in Paisley, The Sycamores in Kinross, Conachar Bank in Perth, The Pines in Alloway, Campsie Grove in Bishopbriggs, The Hailes in Haddington, Beacon Court in Anstruther and Tantallon Court in North Berwick.

Lorraine Paterson, regional sales and marketing director for McCarthy & Stone in Scotland, attributed the success to a ‘culture of customer care’ within the business.

She said: “At McCarthy & Stone, everything we do starts with quality in mind. This includes the choice of locations, the thoughtful layouts of our apartments, our approach to construction and our in-house management services teams who support our customers after they move and help them to settle in.

“Five-star service is an integral part of our culture and we are continually striving to improve. We would also like to thank our customers for taking the time to pass on their feedback to the HBF.”

Barratt Developments in Scotland, which includes both Barratt and David Wilson Homes, is currently the only major national housebuilder to be rated as five star for nine years in a row, having first been awarded the accolade back in 2010. With 2018 also being the 60th anniversary year for Barratt Homes, the new five star rating award is a double celebration for the housebuilder.

Douglas McLeod, regional managing director for Barratt Developments in Scotland, said: “The fact that 90% of our customers would recommend us to a friend is testament to the effort we invest to make sure our customers enjoy the best possible experience when buying a Barratt or David Wilson Home.

“Being independently rated as a five star builder is a great endorsement of our approach, particularly as we the only major national housebuilder to have five stars for nine years in a row. To us this is the most important industry award which is why we put so much effort into building high quality homes and nurturing trusted relationships with our customers.”

Miller Homes has achieved five stars for the sixth time in seven years.

Chris Endsor, chief executive of Miller Homes, said: “We are committed to delighting our customers by providing them with the best possible experience when they buy a new home from us. Our teams right across the business work tremendously hard to ensure we are delivering on our promise to them and being awarded five stars in the HBF’s customer satisfaction survey is a ringing endorsement that we are achieving that goal.”

For almost 20 years, Miller Homes has also undertaken its own customer satisfaction surveys carried out on its behalf by an independent research agency. The survey is completed by customers once they have settled into their new home to evaluate their overall satisfaction before, during and after the home-buying experience. In the most recent survey, 93% of its customers stated they would recommend Miller Homes.

Chris added: “In addition to achieving five stars in the HBF’s customer satisfaction survey, we are delighted to have maintained a consistently high level of satisfaction amongst our customers in our own independent survey. This further reinforces our commitment to them through our ethos, The Miller Difference, which puts our customers at the very heart of everything we do.”

Family housebuilder Mactaggart & Mickel Homes has earned the prestigious rating for the sixth consecutive year.

Joanne Casey, director at Mactaggart & Mickel Homes, said: “We are immensely proud of this achievement, because it reflects what our customers think about the entire house buying process with us – before, during and after the purchase.

“This continued success is testament to the skill and commitment of all colleagues – everyone takes pride in delivering each and every home we build.”

CALA Homes scored in excess of 93% to achieve the maximum five stars.

Alan Brown, chief executive for CALA, said: “CALA has built a longstanding reputation as an award-winning homebuilder, but this accolade is particularly meaningful as it comes as a direct result of positive feedback from our customers. It also follows a year of record growth for CALA, with more than 1600 homes sold across the UK, an increase of 46% from last year.

“Being a five-star homebuilder requires the commitment of the whole team from across the business. From land purchase right through to the final completion and beyond, every department is responsible for delivering an exceptional experience and superior product to our customers. The five-star rating is testament to the passion and hard work of everyone at CALA.”

Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, added: “Achieving high levels of customer satisfaction is hugely challenging. It requires leadership from Board level downwards and commitment from all areas of a house building business and is a credit to every member of staff. A five star rating is not easy to achieve and is a very positive endorsement of the processes, systems and culture in place and should provide customers with real confidence in the company and homes they build.”

For a full list of the customer recommendation scores from every participating homebuilder, click here.