The LPS 2020 standard has been developed by BRE Certification with support from the Association of British Insurers and the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
“The new standard will increase confidence of insurers, mortgage lenders and regulators in innovative systems,” said Dr Peter Bonfield, managing director of BRE’s construction division. “It will help the UK housebuilding industry to adopt innovative systems and so contribute towards accelerated delivery in the UK’s housebuilding sector.”
The standard covers all innovative systems regardless of type, material or form of construction. Manufacturers have to show that the system meets Building Regulations and the standard also looks at other performance characteristics including durability, resilience, ease of repair and some aspects of whole life performance and adaptability.
The Housing Corporation and ODPM spend £1.1bn a year on building affordable housing using modern methods of construction, including £0.5bn using off-site manufacturing approaches according to BRE. But growth has been slow because many innovative systems are unproven as they have not been used for a significant length of time.
“The main concern for lenders on properties built using innovative construction is that we often don’t know how they will perform over the potential life of a mortgage and beyond,” said David Hylton of Nationwide Building Society.
He said LPS 2020 was a significant step forward in providing reassurance that innovative constructions will retain their value and marketability in a similar way to conventional structures.
