OFT investigation 'must look at housing quality'

The Office of Fair Trading's (OFT) investigation into the UK housing market should not only address issues of supply, but also aim to improve the quality of new builds available for landlords to buy.

That's the opinion of New Build Inspections, which has said that the OFT enquiry - launched last week - must attempts to focus on address issues surrounding the poor-quality housing faced by many people in the UK.

Catriona Bright, Managing Director of New Build Inspections, explained: "Poor quality is an important part of the study that has been overshadowed thus far in the media by the housing supply issue.

"I am concerned that this will result in the OFT not getting the quantity of evidence they need from new build buyers as they are unlikely to be aware of this part of the study."

When the OFT began its investigation last week, its chief executive, John Fingleton, said that new-build housing was vital for the British housing market as it could increase the flexibility of the sector.

"This is a hugely important market for the economy because of its substantial economic impact and because unresponsive housing supply hinders labour mobility, constrains economic growth, and harms consumers," he added.