What the Government says about Code for Sustainable homes

The Code is a credit-based assessment of a new dwelling. The assessment covers nine areas of sustainability during the design and construction phases of a project.

Make no mistake, despite being voluntary, CSH is sufficiently important that you may not be able to sell a new house or hand it over to a housing association without final CSH certificates.

All new-build properties must be assessed against the Code for Sustainable Homes. Even if no assessment is carried out, a nil-rated certificate must be provided. Furthermore, properties built for housing associations are usually required to achieve a specified Code level. Many local planning authorities also require a minimum level of CSH Assessment through a planning condition on a planning permission.

What CSH really means for you

Time after time, experience shows the importance of appointing your Code assessor as soon as possible – ideally as soon as you know you require an assessment. CSH may be complicated, but the right advisor simplifies things enormously. Choose carefully, as poorly managed assessments often lead to extra costs and the nightmare of unforeseen delays.

You’ll also need to know about and understand the most cost-effective Code compliance solutions. Identify these as early as possible to reduce risk and avoid nasty surprises later.

Getting the best from CSH for your building and your business

We love the challenge of CSH and the opportunities it presents for using our expertise to make your life more straightforward. That’s why we always recommend getting us involved as early as possible.

• Start benefitting from cost-effective advice early.
• Identify areas of risk.
• Use Code for Sustainable Homes data to add value to tender submissions.
• Assess the viability and associated costs of site development.

The HA Employers Agent said it was the smoothest site in terms of CFSH they had come across so thanks for your help.

Ian Gazzard, Persimmon Homes

We also think it’s very important to get everyone around the table early so they know which parts of CSH they’re responsible for delivering. We provide easy to use documents that clearly set out what information needs to be provided, when and by whom. And with years of CSH experience, we know exactly what you need to provide. That way, we won’t waste your time asking for anything unnecessary. We also understand your deadlines, so we can make sure your certificates arrive when you need them.

Whatever the required level of Code in your development, our knowledge and experience really can help your project and your business be more successful. If you design or build new homes, we’ll make your world better; that’s a promise.

Download our CSH flowchart to see what to expect when you work with us.