New build conveyancing
New build purchases run to the developer’s timetable, and that timetable is short.
Developers typically require exchange within a short window of reservation — often around 28 days — and that deadline is contractual, with your reservation fee at risk if it is missed. The legal work also differs: you are reviewing a plot and a specification rather than an existing building, and there are warranty, estate management and sometimes planning matters that do not arise on a resale.
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The exchange deadline drives everything
Once you reserve, the clock starts. Your solicitor needs the developer’s legal pack promptly and has to work to that deadline, which means instructing quickly and responding to enquiries without delay. Conveyancers who regularly act on new build are used to this pace; those who do not can struggle with it.
Your mortgage needs to keep up as well. Offers have expiry dates, and on a plot that completes months later the offer may need extending or reissuing — worth confirming with your broker at the outset rather than discovering close to completion.
Warranties, long-stop dates and estate charges
A new build should come with a structural warranty, and lenders require one from an accepted provider. Your solicitor confirms it is in place and that the provider is acceptable to your lender.
The contract should contain a long-stop date — the point beyond which you can withdraw if the property is not finished. Check what it actually says, because on a plot bought off-plan it is your main protection against open-ended delay.
Many new developments have estate management charges for communal areas, payable even on freehold houses. These are ongoing costs and should be identified before exchange, not discovered afterwards.
What to watch for
- !Missing the developer’s exchange deadline can put your reservation fee at risk
- !Mortgage offers can expire before a plot is finished, particularly when buying off-plan
- !Estate management charges can apply to freehold houses, not only flats
- !The show home is not the specification — the contract is
Common questions
How quickly do I need to exchange on a new build?
Developers commonly require exchange within about 28 days of reservation, though it varies and the reservation agreement governs. That is a genuinely short window for a full legal process, which is why instructing a solicitor experienced in new build matters more here than on a resale.
What is a long-stop date?
The date beyond which, if the property is still not complete, you can withdraw and recover your deposit. It is your protection against indefinite delay on an off-plan purchase, so it is worth understanding exactly what your contract provides before exchange.
Do I need searches on a new build?
Yes, and your lender will require them. New builds also raise matters resales do not — road and sewer adoption, planning conditions, and whether communal areas will be transferred to a management company.
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Compare conveyancing quotes →This page explains the general conveyancing process and is not legal advice. Your own circumstances, lease or contract may differ — rely on the advice of your appointed conveyancer.