How to vet a new build property and its developer

Most new homes are built well and handed over without drama. The ones that go wrong tend to go wrong in the same places: a developer that is not covered by a complaints scheme, a warranty nobody read, running costs nobody explained, or an inspection that was rushed. Vetting a new build means checking each of those before you pay a reservation fee, while it is still easy to walk away.

1. Check the developer, and which code it answers to

The New Homes Quality Code is a voluntary standard for developers that register with the New Homes Quality Board. A buyer is covered if the developer is listed as active on the Register of Developers and the buyer reserved the home on or after the developer’s registration start date. Cover runs from reservation until two years after legal completion. Homes reserved from 2 March 2026 fall under version 2 of the Code, and earlier reservations under version 1.

If the developer is not registered, or you would reserve before its start date, the New Homes Ombudsman Service cannot take your complaint. That does not make the developer bad, but ask which other consumer code or protection applies, and get the answer in writing.

2. Read the warranty summary, not just the logo

A new home should come with a structural warranty or insurance. NHBC’s Buildmark is one example. Its cover runs for ten years in two stages: the first two years are a builder warranty, where the builder is responsible for putting right defects that you report and NHBC guarantees the builder’s obligations; after that, insurance covers damage from defects in specified parts of the home for the remainder of the term. In the insurance stage a claim below the minimum claim value is not a valid claim. Other providers write their own terms.

Before completion, Buildmark can also help if a builder becomes insolvent and cannot finish your home or return what you have paid, subject to conditions and a financial limit in the policy. Under the Code, the reservation agreement must give the warranty provider’s contact details and a summary of the cover, and your solicitor should be given the details before you commit. Ask for the full policy booklet and check the dates, the excess and the exclusions.

3. Make sure your solicitor has the pre-contract information

The Code lists what a developer must give your legal adviser before you sign a reservation agreement. It includes the tenure, the planning reference, future phases and facilities, the list of included fixtures and fittings, confirmation that the specification matches what was advertised, any unusual restrictions on how you can use or alter the home, details of services that will be transferred to you later, and the organisations that provide management services.

It also includes a schedule of expected costs over the first five years, covering ground rent, management and sinking-fund charges, and the cost of maintaining or replacing built-in equipment. If a figure is not known yet, the schedule can leave it blank, so ask what the developer expects it to be and get the answer in writing.

4. Work out what it will cost to live there

Many new build estates are managed by a private company that charges for roads, green spaces and other shared areas. The Competition and Markets Authority found that 80% of new homes sold by the UK’s biggest builders came with estate management charges, and the government has consulted on stronger protections for owners on these estates. Charges can rise, and challenging them can be difficult, so get the current figure, what it covers and how it can change.

If the home is leasehold, check the ground rent, the lease length and who manages the building. GOV.UK recommends asking for a breakdown of charges and whether they are expected to rise, and asking your solicitor to confirm that your mortgage lender accepts the ground rent terms. Add these costs to your monthly budget before you decide the home is affordable.

5. Check the build, the site and the plans

Look up the building regulations position. A new home must comply with the building regulations, and the building control body issues a completion certificate when it is satisfied that the work complies. Under the Code you should receive that certificate at completion, or be told when it will be issued. The developer should also confirm that the home will meet warranty and manufacturer standards.

On site, look at the surroundings as well as the house: unfinished roads, standing water, how close the plot is to the construction area, and whether neighbouring plots are still being built. Ask for a Schedule of Incomplete Work for the development, which the Code requires at completion and which sets out planned phases and rough timescales.

6. Inspect before you complete

The Code gives you the right to carry out a pre-completion inspection, or to appoint a suitably qualified inspector, after the notice to complete is served and before you complete. The notice period is usually at least 14 calendar days. If you inspect yourself, you must use the New Homes Quality Board checklist for houses or apartments, and the developer should warn you that it was designed for professionals, so you may miss things.

A professional inspector should belong to a recognised professional body, hold professional indemnity insurance and use the standard template. The inspection should not delay completion, and warranty technical breaches should be put right before completion, or within 30 days if that is not possible. Write down everything you find, and keep copies.

7. Know where to go if something goes wrong

Start with the developer’s complaints procedure, which you should receive at completion. If you are not satisfied and the developer is registered, you can refer a complaint to the New Homes Ombudsman Service, which is free to use. You generally need to wait 56 calendar days after the start of the developer’s process, and you have two years from reservation or completion, whichever is later. For defects on a home still under warranty, you can also contact your warranty provider. Keep every email, form and photograph from day one.

What to know

Check that the developer is listed as active on the Register of Developers, and that your reservation falls after its registration date.
Read the warranty summary and the policy booklet for this plot, including the builder period, the excess and the exclusions.
Ask your solicitor for the pre-contract information and the five-year costs schedule before you sign anything.
Estate management charges are common on new estates. Find out what you would pay and how it can change.
Inspect before you complete, with the official checklist or a qualified inspector, and keep a written record.

Questions to ask the developer

Are you registered with the New Homes Quality Board, and from what date?
Which warranty provider covers this home, and can I see the policy booklet?
Who maintains the roads and shared spaces, and what will I pay each year?
Is the development finished, and what is still to be built around this plot?
Can I appoint my own inspector, and what is the notice period before completion?

Sources

General information only, not financial or legal advice. Rules and offers change, so check the sources and your own adviser before you rely on a figure.