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Buying a newly built home

Many home-buyers are choosing newly built properties because of the quality, sustainability and choice they offer.

New property checklist

If you are thinking of buying a newly built home, the National House-Building Council (NHBC) suggests you:

  • make sure the property is protected by a good warranty provided by a reputable company such as the NHBC 10-year Buildmark warranty and insurance - some developers use other warranty providers and can give you full details of the cover in place
  • if a new property is not covered by an NHBC or equivalent warranty, ensure that the final building control certificate is available
  • check whether your builder is NHBC registered by calling the organisation's helpdesk on 0845 845 6422 or visiting the register on the website
  • if your builder is not registered with NHBC, check that you will be offered cover from another reputable company and check that the builder has a good local or national reputation by asking to look around homes the builder has completed before and chat to previous customers if possible
  • visit the site - if it is it tidy and well managed, this will give another clue about the attitude of the builder and commitment to quality
  • if you need a mortgage, ask your lender at an early stage
  • employ a solicitor and seek professional advice if you are in doubt
  • take time to understand the NHBC Buildmark cover - once you have exchanged contracts get the Buildmark documents from your solicitor and read them carefully
  • before taking possession of your home make sure you inspect it carefully
  • wait until the home is fully completed before you move in
  • once you have moved in, thoroughly check your new home again - reporting any defect in writing to your builder - keep a copy of the letter
  • if in dispute with your builder, write to the appropriate NHBC office
  • you should always consider getting a structural survey done, especially if your home is more than a couple of years old and outside of the initial two year period of the Buildmark cover
  • National House-Building Council website

Rates

When you occupy your newly built property, you must contact Land & Property Services (LPS) to arrange for a rates bill to be issued. If your house has not yet been valued, LPS will send out a valuer to assess the valuation. A rates bill will then be issued based on the valuation. If your property has already been valued, you should contact LPS rating to advise them when you moved in.

The Low Carbon homes scheme is a new scheme that will provide full rate relief to:

  • the first occupier of a new low carbon home for up to two years
  • the first occupier of a new zero carbon home for up to five years

This scheme will close on 31 March 2012, and no new application forms will be issued after this date. For more information, please use the link below:

More useful links