Natalie Elphicke OBE, Chief Executive of the Housing & Finance Institute, has been appointed the independent New Homes Quality Champion.
As the New Homes Quality Champion, she leads on the development and implementation of a framework within which a New Homes Ombudsman Service can be established and appointed.
Natalie has advised central and local governments over a number of years and has served as an independent adviser to HM Government. This included the influential Elphicke-House Report 2015 on the role of local authorities in housing supply which re-set the direction of government policy in this area. Natalie worked with the Department of Communities and Local Government as an expert adviser on the development of the new national strategy for estate regeneration. She also works closely across government, including an advisory role within the Department for Education.
Natalie's background is as a national specialist in complex housing and structured finance law and public policy. A former international law firm partner with over £4billion transactional experience under her belt, she had been described as 'probably the best in the City' in her specialist area of housing. Natalie has worked on practical delivery of housing and finance for over two decades and across the housing and finance industries, with housing associations, councils, central and devolved governments as well as investors and developers. At the Institute Natalie is a prolific policy and market writer. She hosts top level business engagement events as well as leading the work on the Housing Business Ready programme that she developed to help councils do more in housing.
Natalie Elphicke was appointed an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2015 for her services to housing.