Harron Homes promises that its newly built houses will “surpass all expectations”. The £324,995 home that James Uttley bought was certainly beyond his imaginings.

Chancellor Phillip Hammond is expected to announce policies in the Autumn Statement aimed at tackling the problem. In January, then Prime Minister David Cameron said government would step in and directly commission thousands of new affordable homes. He pledged £1.2bn over the next five years to build affordable starter homes. But what do we mean by affordable?

Calls for the creation of an ombudsman to protect homeowners from sub-standard new houses are intensifying after concerns emerged over the independence of the biggest warranty provider.

When Helen Batt went to view her recently purchased £389,995 Bovis-built home in Maidstone, Kent, for the first time before Christmas, she was expecting to see a spanking new four-bedroom house. Instead, the property in the Orchard Fields development was barely finished and littered with rubbish – two days before the scheduled completion date of 20 December. “It was a complete shock,” says Batt, a 32-year-old partner in law firm Buss Murton.

NHBC forcing buyers to sign agreement preventing them from contacting media about problems with their property or discussing with neighbours

The NHBC has come under fire for allegedly using gagging orders to stop homeowners speaking out about poor build quality in new homes; an allegation the warranty provider has denied. A report in the Guardian, yesterday, accused the NHBC of seeking to silence homeowners making successful compensation claims through its Buildmark warranty insurance scheme.

Bovis Homes is to pay £7m to repair poorly built new homes sold to customers, raising fresh questions about the standards of new-build properties across the country and the regulation of the market.

More than half of the buyers of new homes have experienced major problems with their properties, according to research, which comes after Bovis Homes agreed to pay £7m compensation to customers for poorly built houses.

A housing development put on hold for a decade has been called a "blight on the community". Harron Homes said the scheme at Heol Berwyn, Cefn Mawr, was left unfinished following the 2007 financial crash.

Weak mortar, faulty drainage, unfinished fittings … for many buyers of newly built properties in Britain, their dream home quickly turns into a nightmare. Last week, it emerged that residents had to move out of a recently completed Manchester apartment block, Islington Wharf Mews, because it breaks fire safety rules.