9.3 Inspection and Completion

03 Construction record: crit 5.b. - KBCN1655

Crit 5.b. currently says: The record is available to: Occupants on request, as part of any visual defects inspections and when moving in. It needs to be available for the duration of the building warranty in place. However Crit 5.b should say: The record is available to: Potential owners on request, as part of any visual defects inspections and when moving in. It needs to be available for the duration of the building warranty in place. This will be corrected in the next reissue of the technical manual.

Appropriately qualified person – alternative requirements to membership of a professional body - KBCN1802

Where the definition of an Appropriately qualified person has not been met in relation to membership of a relevant professional body, the alternative requirements have been reviewed and can now be demonstrated as follows: Criteria requirements: Alternatively, where they do not hold any membership of a professional body, the individual can still be considered appropriate where the following is met:

The company has an enforced quality plan and ethical code of conduct, and: - ISO 9001 accredited management system OR - clear quality procedures.
The individual: - is an established professional, with experience of leading others on a building site. - keeps up-to-date with changes in construction methods, statutory legislation through regular CPD and training.

Evidence requirements:

The company: - Confirmation of company ethical code of conduct AND - ISO 9001 certificate OR - Company quality procedure documents
The individual: - Qualifications, CVs, job descriptions confirming their role - CPD records OR company training policies/records

Construction inspections and record evidence for homes - KBCN1284

For design stage, something like a clear policy and commitment should be acceptable as long as it shows that it will cover the scope of checks in the inspections and completion issue and any other relevant criteria. For post-construction stage, it is appreciated that although evidence should be thorough, too much detail may not always be helpful or feasible. Evidence does not need to show every detailed check made but it does need to show that these checks have been made for every assessed home. The purpose of the minimum requirements for 'construction inspections' and 'construction record' is to ensure consumers can trust HQM-certified homes have been built and finished to a high standard, which is essential to the value of HQM. With this in mind, a sample should be acceptable to show the detailed checks carried out for the construction record criteria as long as evidence also shows that the same checks are being made for every single home being assessed (this could be in a more summarised format). In particular, occupants need to have access to the full construction records for their own particular home if they want it and evidence needs to show that all homes have been checked to the extent required for the construction inspections minimum requirement (see relevant criteria in the manual). In general, we try to make evidence requirements flexible and not overly prescriptive wherever possible, particularly for issues with new content like this one. This is to avoid the unnecessary generation of evidence for the sole purpose of HQM and to recognise existing evidence sources that are available, which can be provided in various formats. As the assessor, you need to be satisfied that the evidence supplied sufficiently demonstrates that the aims of these criteria are being met. The format of evidence is flexible as long as it clearly demonstrates the outcome for each criterion is being met in practice.

29-Oct-2025 - Applicable to HQM V6 and UKNCR V6.1

Gardens finished - KBCN1328

The ‘finished and habitable’ requirement within the 'visual defects inspection' criteria is focused on ensuring occupants can move into a new home that is accessible, functional, comfortable and safe. As a minimum, any hard landscaping needed to access the home is in place.Soft landscaping may not be complete for the purposes of this criterion as long as the garden areas are capable of planting being done after occupants move in. For example, gardens are clear of building debris and adequate topsoil is present for planting.

29-Oct-2025 - Applicable to HQM One, HQM V6 and UKNCR V6.1

Inspection and Completion – Crit 2 correction - KBCN1520

Crit 2 currently says: The results of the visual defects inspection and any outstanding remedial work are reported and given to occupants before they move in as part of their home information. However Crit 2 should say: The results of the visual defects inspection and any outstanding remedial work are reported and given to the potential owner as part of their home information. This will be corrected in the next reissue of the technical manual.

Issued to correct error in crit 2.

Off-site construction - KBCN1315

The principle for prefabricated homes is the same in terms of the construction inspections criteria to ensure quality assurance is carried out throughout construction. As long as evidence is provided to demonstrate the criteria are being met, this should be acceptable.