The New Homes Ombudsman Service (NHOS) has announced the appointment of Nigel Cates (pictured) as its chief ombudsman.
Cates will lead the NHOS from the end of September, replacing Alison MacDougall, who retired in August.
Cates’ experience includes complaint handling at HSBC bank, the Financial Ombudsman Service, and prior to that on consumer and competition matters at the Office of Fair Trading.
Jodi Berg OBE, chair of the NHOS board, said: “We are excited to have Nigel lead this increasingly important service.
“Not only does he bring significant and relevant experience to the table, but his career has involved substantial senior level representation across the public, private and not for profit sectors.
“We look forward to welcoming him to our team at NHOS and to the TDS Group at large.”
Cates said: “I am delighted to be joining NHOS at this critical stage in its development.
“With the Government committed to an ambitious programme of new house building, there is a growing recognition that the service should be moved onto a statutory footing to ensure that all new homeowners have access if needed to a first-rate ombudsman service.
“I look forward to building on the success to date of NHOS and to working with the New Homes Quality Board and developers to further improve the standard of new housing across the UK.”
