The NHBC will be holding fees at their current levels until at least March 2014.

The freeze applies to all key services including warranty products, building control services and registration fees.

NHBC has also axed its resolution charge of £350 for each visit following a significant drop in requests to resolve disputes between builders and homeowners.

It will cease to charge for resolutions backdated to 1 January 2013 and will offer refunds for any charges made since then.

The number of disputes investigated by the organisation has dropped by around 60% from a peak of nearly 8,500 in 2008 to under 3,500 in 2012.

NHBC’s Chief Executive Mike Quinton said: “We want to do everything we can to support the industry so NHBC has decided to freeze prices across all its key products and services for at least a year.

“We will also be removing and reducing charges and launching new initiatives designed to save our customers time and money.

“I am pleased to see a slight upturn in the number of home registrations in recent weeks, which I hope could be the first sign of sustained recovery.

“However, I know that conditions remain challenging so it is important that we offer as much help as we can at this time.”