Better quality in new-build homes will come about only if it is driven by the boardrooms of the nation’s housebuilders, according to a leading industry figure.

Mark Farmer, chief executive of consultant Cast, said that retention schemes – such as Persimmon’s plan to enable buyers to hold back 1.5% of the purchase price until glitches are fixed – were partly a response to poor headlines around build quality and should therefore only be part of the solution.

“In themselves, retentions don’t deal with quality,” Farmer said. “To do that means tackling quality control, quality of planning, site supervision and sign-off.