BRITAIN’S new homes watchdog should oversee social housing as well as private properties, MPs have been told.

Chartered Institute of Housing’s Chloe Fletcher warned the New Homes Ombudsman Service (NHOS) “needs to be mandatory across the whole sector” to keep an eye on building quality.

The housing, communities and local government committee heard evidence on Monday that social homes are currently excluded from the watchdog’s purview, as well as an associated quality code.

Ms Fletcher said: “It needs to, in my opinion, cover the social housing sector, affordable homes, the types of homes that social housing organisations are buying for their tenants.

“We absolutely support the 1.5 million homes target, but we need to ensure that those homes are built safely and at really good quality – they are going to be with us for decades to come.

“It’s really important that we get this right and we don’t waste money and have to put things right in the future.”