What data we collect
We store published developer profiles, HBF customer satisfaction figures where available, Trustpilot and Google rating snapshots, Companies House background fields, and development listings collected from developers' public websites. Editorial guides are written separately in Insights.
What we do not collect
New Build Rankings does not collect consumer reviews, star ratings or “would recommend” responses of its own. We do not run a homeowner survey. Scores you see are third-party unless a page says otherwise.
How HBF ratings are used
The Home Builders Federation Customer Satisfaction Survey rolling 12-month “would recommend” percentage is the primary ranking signal when a developer (or an inherited parent brand) has a published figure. Star bands shown on the site are derived from that percentage for display only. HBF data is not our survey. Developers with the same would-recommend percentage are listed A to Z.
How Trustpilot and Google scores are used
Developers without HBF data can appear in a separate consumer-review tier when Trustpilot has at least 10 reviews or Google has at least 25. Scores are normalised and Bayesian-adjusted so a tiny sample cannot top the tier. These are Trustpilot and Google reviews, not New Build Rankings reviews.
How Companies House data is used
Filed accounts and company type can appear as background research on a profile. They do not change rank position.
Three ranking tiers
- Official HBF rankings — developers with a rolling 12-month HBF would recommend percentage (including scores inherited from a linked parent brand, with a footnote).
- Consumer review rankings — developers without HBF data but with enough verified consumer reviews on Trustpilot and/or Google. The industry prior is 75 (roughly 3.75★). When both sources qualify, they are combined by review count.
- Awaiting data — listed alphabetically with no rank number until enough data is available. See the awaiting section on the rankings page.
When data is refreshed
HBF figures are synced from hbf.co.uk on a scheduled job. Trustpilot and Google snapshots are refreshed on a regular crawl. Development listings are updated from developer websites unless a profile is locked. Each rankings row shows the latest source date we hold.
Limitations
- HBF percentages and consumer star ratings are never blended into one score.
- Minimum sample sizes apply before a consumer rank is assigned.
- Inherited HBF scores always show which parent brand they come from.
- Rank positions cannot be set by hand. Only the data decides them.
- Rankings describe available survey and review data. They are not a guarantee of build quality, snagging outcomes or a particular development.
AI assistance
AI may help draft developer summaries or image alt text. Published rankings and HBF or review figures are not invented by AI. Who we are, and that we do not collect reviews, is also on the About page.