What questions should I ask when buying a new build?
The eleven below. If your builder is signed up to the New Homes Quality Code, it must tell you much of this before you reserve. The Code lists what a builder must tell you when describing the home, from the size and tenure of the home to the warranty, service charges and future phases. Ask the sales office early, so the answers shape your choice of plot. Copy your solicitor into the important ones.
1. When will it be finished, and what is the long-stop date?
The HomeOwners Alliance says the completion date only becomes binding once the home is ready and a completion notice is served. The long-stop date is the last date by which the home must be completed. The Consumer Code for Home Builders suggests that, if you exchange before the roof is on, the long-stop should be no more than six months after the expected date for a house, or 12 months for a flat. If it passes, you may be able to cancel and get your deposit back.
Check the long-stop against your mortgage offer. The HomeOwners Alliance suggests negotiating for it to fall on or before the day your offer expires. The mortgage page explains why.
2. Is it freehold or leasehold, and what are the yearly charges?
The builder must tell you the tenure before you reserve. Under the Quality Code, it must also give you an Affordability Schedule. This lists the costs tied to owning the home over the next five years, such as ground rent, management fees and any service charges that may rise.
Freehold houses often come with an estate management charge, for the upkeep of shared areas such as communal gardens, private roads and play areas. Freeholders don't yet have the full set of rights to challenge these charges. A law banning most new leasehold houses has been passed, but in May 2026 the government still hadn't set a date for it to take effect. Ground rent on most new leases has been limited to a peppercorn (in effect, nothing) since 30 June 2022.
3. What's included in the price?
Ask for the written list. Before you exchange, the builder must give your solicitor a list of what's included, such as the cooker, fridge, curtains, carpets, wall tiles and sockets. It must also flag anything you might expect but that isn't in the standard specification, such as floor coverings or turf.
The HomeOwners Alliance says to ask where the specification for your own home is set out, what can be upgraded, for how much, and when that will be agreed. Then get it written into your contract. The furnishing page covers what to buy first.
4. Which warranty covers the home, and which code is the builder signed up to?
Ask which warranty provider covers the home. Under the Quality Code, your reservation agreement must give its contact details and a summary of the cover. Builders registered with the Quality Code must say so in their sales material. If yours doesn't, ask which consumer code it follows. The two-year warranty page explains what the cover means.
5. Who will look after the roads and open spaces?
The builder must tell you how the roads and shared spaces will be managed, whether by the council or a management company. It must also explain any services, such as water and drainage, that won't pass to you on completion day.
The NHQB says roads and shared spaces are usually adopted by the council, or handed to a management company, once construction is complete. Until then, the builder or a management company is usually responsible.
6. What else will be built here, and when?
The builder must tell you about future phases of the development, with timescales where known. Ask what will go up next to your plot, and for how long. Expect some mud, dust and site traffic while it does. The HomeOwners Alliance also suggests checking local plans for green spaces and busy roads.
7. Where will I park?
The reservation agreement must set out your parking. The HomeOwners Alliance says not to assume you'll be allocated a space, or that it will be outside your home, and to check for any yearly parking fee. It also suggests asking how electric car charging will work. The electrics page covers charge points.
8. Is my plot the same as the show home?
Not always. The HomeOwners Alliance warns against relying on what you saw in the show home or a brochure. If the home isn't built yet, the builder must give you a plan showing your home's size, layout, plot position and which way it faces. It must include steep slopes in the garden and how the boundaries will be finished. Ask whether you can view a finished home identical to yours.
A trick we used a tape measure in the show home. We measured the bed and wardrobe in the main bedroom, then drew them to scale on the floor plan for our own plot.
9. What does the reservation fee cover, and can I get it back?
A reservation fee holds the home for a set period, usually 28 days, and comes off the price at completion. The HomeOwners Alliance says it typically costs £500 to £2,000. Under both codes you have a 14-day cooling-off period, in which you can cancel for a full refund. After that, the builder can keep the deductions set out in the agreement.
10. Can I use my own solicitor?
Yes. The builder may recommend a solicitor or mortgage broker, but it must tell you that you're free to choose your own. If it gets a fee for the referral, it must tell you in writing. It must not suggest the sale may fall through unless you use its adviser.
11. Can I have an inspection before completion?
Under the Quality Code, yes. The builder must give you the chance to inspect the home before completion, yourself or through a qualified inspector, using the official checklist. The pre-completion inspection page walks you through it.