Miller retain top housebuilder title

Miller Homes has won the highly coveted “Major Housebuilder of the Year” crown for the second year in succession, at the 2008 Building Awards. Miller Homes saw off stiff competition from the biggest names in housebuilding to retain the trophy and judges were keen to credit the company for delivering the highest standard of thought, innovation and customer care.

They also paid tribute to the housebuilder for not imposing standard house plans throughout its stock, raising the fact that an estimated 70% of the homes it builds are made specifically for local needs.

Special mention was made of the company’s latest “Miller Zero” initiative, which involves building homes to meet levels 3, 4, 5 and 6 on the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes. These homes are being built years ahead of legislative deadlines, with the intention of finding early solutions for building energy efficient homes of the future.

The firm’s impressive financial performance was also highlighted as a factor for its success, with profit soaring from £34million in 1999 to £97million in 2006.

Chief executive of Miller Homes, Tim Hough, said: “Since the start of the decade our progress has been exceptional. We have been driving towards a target which positions Miller as the best in the business. By winning the Major Housebuilder of Year award not once but twice proves that we have succeeded in this goal.

“In recent years, we have set various precedents, including a number of online innovations. We were the first British housebuilder to enable all buyers to track the build progress of their new home online, we then added SMS text alerts to the service and last year, we launched a website designed to help build neighbourly communities and get our buyers talking over the virtual garden fence.

“In 2005, we became the first new home builder to publish our satisfaction scores and we continue to publish them twice a year proving our commitment to customer care.

“The announcement of our repeat victory was overwhelming and I personally look forward to communicating this wonderful news to the whole company. I’m sure our internal celebrations will also be an event to remember.”

The award was judged by top industry professionals and announced at glitzy gala dinner in London organised by “Building” – a leading trade magazine covering the entire construction industry.