A new-build purchase uses a developer’s contract, a new-home warranty, and often a plot that is not finished yet. That is a different job from buying a second-hand house, but it is not a reason to treat searches or a survey as optional. Many lenders still require a full search pack on a new build.
This is general information for England and Wales, last reviewed on 30 August 2026. It is not legal advice. The solicitor on the file reviews the actual contract pack, warranty and title.
How we work. Ethical Conveyancing is an introducer, not a regulated law firm. Panel solicitors regulated by the SRA do the legal work. New-build files usually carry a legal-fee supplement because the contract pack is longer and the timetable is developer-led. Our quote engine shows that figure once you tell us it is a new build.
Get a purchase quote — fixed fees from £400 with no hidden extras. Flag the purchase as a new build.
Off-plan vs a completed plot
Mixing these up is how 10–12 week timelines get published for a home that will not exist until next year.
Off-plan (not yet built, or not yet finished)
- A reservation fee is often paid to hold the plot. That is not the same as the exchange deposit.
- Exchange may happen months before completion, on the developer’s form of contract.
- Completion is typically on notice when the plot is ready, not on a date the buyer chooses.
- Mortgage offers expire. A six-month offer can run out while the site is still in the ground. Brokers often have to re-apply.
- Build delays of months are common. Many developer contracts allow the seller to postpone completion (sometimes by several months) without that being a breach.
- The 8–12 week “straightforward purchase” window on our timelines page does not describe off-plan.
Completed / ready-to-move plot
- The house or flat is up; a completion date is easier to talk about.
- The contract is still usually the developer’s standard form, not a fully negotiated high-street contract.
- Warranties, building-control certificates, roads and sewers, and any estate charges still need checking.
- Even then, 10–12 weeks is a possible legal timetable, not a guarantee. Developer administration and lender requirements still sit on the file.
| Off-plan | Completed plot | |
|---|---|---|
| When you can move in | When the developer serves notice that the plot is ready | Closer to a normal purchase timetable |
| Reservation vs deposit | Reservation fee first; deposit at exchange | Deposit at exchange as usual |
| Mortgage offer | Expiry is a live risk | Still relevant, less likely to span years |
| Searches | Lenders usually still want them | Lenders usually still want them |
| Snagging | Harder to inspect what is not built | Inspection and a snagging list are more realistic |
Searches and surveys — still part of the picture
The previous version of this page said a local authority search was “less critical” on a new build and that a survey was “less critical; mortgage valuation usually sufficient”. That overstates it.
- Many lenders require a search pack on a new-build purchase, including a local authority search. Developer building-control paperwork is not a substitute for every search a lender’s handbook lists.
- A mortgage valuation is not a survey. It is for the lender. Whether a buyer also commissions a snagging inspection or a survey is a conversation with their adviser and, if they wish, a surveyor — not a rule we set here.
- Environmental, water and drainage, and (where relevant) mining or other specialist searches can still matter, including on brand-new estates. See property searches.
Cash buyers are not forced by a lender to search, but buying without them means issues in the ground, in planning, or on the estate may not surface until later.
Warranties (without invented limits)
New homes in the UK are typically sold with a 10-year structural warranty from a provider such as NHBC, LABC Warranty, Premier Guarantee or another scheme the lender accepts. Cover differs by provider and by policy year. This page does not quote pound limits — those sit in the policy documents.
In outline, many schemes look a little like this (always check the actual booklet):
- Early years (often years 1–2): the builder is typically responsible for defects and snagging, with the warranty provider standing behind that obligation if the builder does not meet it.
- Later years (often through year 10): cover usually narrows to defined structural problems, not cosmetic items or wear and tear.
- A warranty is not household insurance and it is not a promise that every verbal sales-suite extra was included.
Lenders often have a list of acceptable warranty providers. NHBC is widely used; it is not the only one. Policy documents: NHBC and the provider named in the contract pack.
If a builder becomes insolvent before completion, deposit protection (where it exists) is also a matter for the warranty and any separate deposit-protection scheme — again, the documents on the plot, not a figure on this page.
Building-control certificates
Solicitors typically need evidence that building control is satisfied before they complete — for example a completion or final certificate covering the works. Missing paperwork can make a property difficult to mortgage or to sell later. The solicitor will say what is outstanding on that plot. Completion dates are often tied to those certificates being available.
Estate charges, roads and “fleecehold”
A new house can be freehold and still come with ongoing estate charges (sometimes called rentcharges) for private roads, landscaping, drainage or a management company. Buyers who expected “freehold means no extra bills” are often surprised. The solicitor flags what the title and the estate documents say; the quote for legal work is separate from those annual charges.
Roads and sewers on new estates are frequently unadopted at completion, with an obligation on the developer (or a management company) to maintain them until a local authority takes them on — if it ever does. Bonds and adoption agreements are part of the legal pack.
New-build flats are leasehold (or, in some future cases, commonhold if the law changes). Extra leasehold costs are covered in leasehold conveyancing charges. Some leasehold reforms are in force and some are not; that guide keeps the two apart.
Developer contracts — clauses that often matter
Developer contracts are written for the developer. Points solicitors commonly explain (they do not all appear in every pack):
- Delay — a right for the seller to postpone completion, sometimes by 90–180 days or more.
- Forfeiture of deposit if the buyer does not complete when validly called upon.
- Limited extras and specifications — show-home finishes are not automatically included.
- Occupancy or use restrictions on some sites (for example a principal-residence covenant).
- Help to Buy, deposit-unlock or part-exchange products, each with extra documents.
None of that is a reason to “walk away” or “proceed” — it is why the contract pack is read before exchange, especially off-plan.
SDLT and the quote
Stamp duty is calculated on the purchase price in the usual way. New builds do not get a special SDLT holiday in 2026. See Stamp Duty Rates 2026. SDLT is not part of the conveyancing legal fee.
Our legal fee is the figure on the purchase quote, from £400, with the new-build supplement shown rather than buried. Disbursements (searches, Land Registry, bank transfers) sit alongside. Comparison-site “average new-build legal fees” are third-party, not our quote.
An indicative timetable (completed plot only)
For a plot that is already built, a possible legal path looks like this. It is not a promise, and it is not the off-plan clock.
| Stage | What is typically happening |
|---|---|
| Reservation | Plot held; reservation fee paid; solicitor instructed |
| Contract pack | Developer’s contract, title, warranty details, estate documents |
| Searches and mortgage | Pack ordered; lender valuation; offer issued |
| Exchange | Deposit paid; completion date or notice provisions agreed |
| Pre-completion | Certificates, snagging access, buildings insurance, funds |
| Completion | Keys; SDLT return; Land Registry application |
| After moving in | Defects / snagging period under the warranty and builder’s obligations |
Off-plan adds a construction period of months or years in the middle. Rightmove’s 154-day GB average for second-hand sales (timelines) is not a useful measure of a plot that has not been built.
Why people instruct through Ethical
Ethical Conveyancing is an introducer, not a regulated law firm. Panel solicitors do the legal work. What you get with us:
- Fixed legal fees — from £400 on a sale or purchase, from £230 on a remortgage. The legal fee we quote is the legal fee you pay. Disbursements (searches, Land Registry, and the like) sit on top.
- No Move, No Legal Fee — if the transaction does not complete, you do not pay our legal fee. Disbursements already incurred are still payable.
- A highly rated solicitor on our panel — not a call-centre file. Rated 4.9/5 or higher on review sites.
- A dedicated support manager and an online portal so you can track the file without chasing.
- A clear quote in under 60 seconds. We are not always the cheapest headline on a five-quote shop. We sell a fixed, itemised legal fee and a file you can actually follow.
Buying a new build? Get a purchase quote and tell us it is a new build so the supplement is on the figure you see.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need searches on a new build?
Often yes — many lenders require them. A new-home warranty and building-control certificates answer different questions from a local authority search. The solicitor and lender on the file confirm the pack for that plot.
Is a mortgage valuation enough instead of a survey?
A valuation is for the lender, not a report on the condition for the buyer. Whether to add a snagging inspection or a survey is a decision with a surveyor or adviser. We do not recommend a level of survey on this page.
What is the new-build legal-fee supplement?
Extra solicitor time on the developer’s pack, warranty and plot timetable. It is listed on our quote once the purchase is marked as a new build. We do not publish a standalone supplement figure here.
What are estate charges?
Ongoing sums for maintaining shared parts of a new estate, even on some freehold houses. They are paid to a management company or similar, not to us. The title documents show whether they apply.
How long does new-build conveyancing take?
A completed plot can sometimes run to a similar legal timetable as any other purchase. Off-plan completion is when the developer is ready, which can be many months after exchange. Mortgage-offer expiry is the practical constraint.
What if certificates are not ready?
Solicitors typically treat building-control completion paperwork as something they need before they complete. They will say if anything is outstanding.
Does a warranty cover everything that goes wrong?
No. Cover is defined in the policy, usually with a wider builder-defects period at the start and a narrower structural period later. Cosmetic items and wear and tear are often outside the later years. Read the booklet for that plot.
Buying a new build? Get a purchase quote and tell us it is a new build so the supplement and the right solicitor process are on the figure you see.
Also useful: searches · leasehold charges · SDLT · timelines · process · FAQs