Buying a new build in London: what to check before you reserve
By Elmar Distelhoff, Founder, Property Around London11 min readVerified April 2026
95%
of new-build buyers find snags in their property
47% find ten or more
A new build in London can be the right purchase. Energy efficient, warranty-protected, no chain, no decades of accumulated wear — there's a real case for buying off-plan in the right scheme with the right developer. But the brochure version of new-build is a fiction, and 2026 buyers deserve a version of the story that admits as much.
The Home Builders Federation's March 2024 research found that 95% of new-home owners identified snags in their property, with nearly half (47%) reporting more than ten. A 2025 Construction Industry Council / CIOB survey found that one in three people now think new-build houses are "poor quality." The Opinium poll for the HomeOwners Alliance — the source data anchoring this whole campaign — found 10% of under-35 UK buyers regret buying a new build. The new-build regret isn't a statistical edge case.
The good news is that 2026 is a meaningfully better year to buy a new build than 2022 was. The New Homes Quality Code reached its second edition in March 2026. The New Homes Ombudsman Service is now an enforced route. The Building Safety Act protects qualifying leaseholders from cladding costs. And the government is mid-consultation on the "fleecehold" problem.
This guide is the honest pre-reservation checklist. Three checkpoints, twelve questions, every one of them answerable in writing before you commit.
Sources: Home Builders Federation, March 2024. CIOB / Construction Industry Council, 2025. Opinium for HomeOwners Alliance, April 2025.
A faster version of the London new-build context
Where the supply actually is, and what it means for you
Most London new-build supply is concentrated in regeneration zones — Stratford, Nine Elms, Wembley, Royal Docks, Croydon town centre, parts of Greenwich, and along the Elizabeth Line corridor. The implications for a buyer are practical, not abstract.
You are typically buying a flat, in a large block, leasehold, with a managing agent, often on an estate where some communal infrastructure is privately managed rather than council-adopted. The decisions that matter happen at three specific points in the purchase, and the rest of this guide is structured around them.
The three checkpoints
Where the new-build decisions actually get made
Three discrete points in the purchase — before you reserve, before you exchange, before you complete. Each one has a specific set of questions to put in writing.
01
Before you reserve
Developer due diligence
The smallest cheque you'll write — and the point where your homework matters most. Five checks before the reservation form is signed.
02
Before you exchange
The legal questions
Lease tenure, estate management charges, warranty cover, Building Safety Act scope, exact spec — five questions to answer in writing before you commit.
03
Before you complete
The snagging survey
The single highest-leverage thing you can do — and the one developers don't volunteer. Independent inspection, written report, completion-day leverage.
01
Checkpoint one
Before you reserve: developer due diligence
The reservation fee is the smallest cheque you'll write in the whole process. It is also the point at which your homework matters most, because pulling out after reservation is harder than not reserving in the first place.
Five things to check before you sign the reservation form
The developer's recent completions, in person. Ask for two completed schemes within an hour's travel. Visit at least one. Walk around. Talk to one resident if you can.
The developer's independent reviews. Trustpilot, Reddit, HomeOwners Alliance. Look for patterns, not individual complaints. Forty buyers reporting the same unresolved issue is a signal.
New Homes Quality Board membership status. From 2 March 2026, the second edition of the NHQC applies to NHQB-registered developers. If they're not registered, you don't have a formal complaints route to the New Homes Ombudsman.
Building Safety Act registration status. Ask whether the building meets the higher-risk threshold (at least 18 m or 7 storeys with 2+ residential units) and the leaseholder-protection threshold (11 m or 5 storeys with 2+ dwellings). Your protections under Sections 117 and Schedule 8 depend on it.
Sales pressure tactics. A developer who insists you reserve "before the price goes up tonight" is telling you something about how they will manage every later disagreement, too. Walk away from artificial urgency. There is always another flat.
02
Checkpoint two
Before you exchange: the legal questions
This is the heart of the new-build risk. By the time you exchange, you are legally committed to buying. The questions below should be answered in writing — by the developer's solicitor, by your conveyancer, or both — before you sign.
Lease length and tenure. Almost every new-build flat in London is leasehold. Since the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022, any new long residential lease must restrict ground rent to a peppercorn. Lease lengths are typically 250 to 999 years. Confirm both in the lease, not the brochure.
The fleecehold question
Around 60% of new housing supply now carries a private estate management charge (Housing Minister Pennycook, 2025). On an un-adopted estate, the managing agent's costs are passed to homeowners with limited routes to challenge them. The full picture is in the centrepiece block below — but for the exchange checklist, confirm: is the estate council-adopted or privately managed? If private, who is the managing agent, what is the year-one charge, and how is it allowed to rise?
Warranty cover. Most new builds in London are covered by NHBC Buildmark or LABC Warranty. Standard structure: 2 years builder warranty followed by 8 years structural insurance. NHBC Buildmark caps cover at £1 million for new builds (£500,000 for conversions) and includes insolvency cover before completion for the first owner, typically 10% of the purchase price up to £100,000.
Building Safety Act protections. For "relevant buildings" (at least 11 metres or 5 storeys with at least 2 dwellings where leaseholders don't hold the freehold), qualifying leaseholders are protected by Schedule 8 from cladding remediation costs. Ask whether the building falls within scope. Separately ask about EWS1 status, building-safety remediation, and who is paying for any work scheduled.
The "spec" you are buying. New-build sales literature shows show-home finishes. Confirm in writing exactly what is included in your specific unit. Flooring, kitchen worktops, white goods, bathroom fixtures, smart-home wiring — the difference between the brochure flat and the flat you actually get is where some of the worst regret arises.
03
Checkpoint three
Before you complete: the snagging survey
This is the single highest-leverage thing you can do, and developers don't volunteer it.
A professional snagging survey is an independent RICS- or trade-body-qualified surveyor's inspection of your new-build property, with a written report listing every defect found. They check walls, ceilings, floors, doors, windows, plumbing, electrics, kitchen and bathroom fittings, external finishes, and communal areas. In a typical London flat, the survey takes two to four hours; the report runs to 30–80 items.
The cost — and the timing rule
Compare My Move's 2026 benchmark puts the national average snagging survey at £394, with a typical range of £366–£480. London carries a 20–30% premium, so a realistic London quote for a typical two-bed flat is £475–£625. The survey must happen before completion, not after — your contractual leverage to require fixes drops sharply once the keys are yours.
The NHQC second edition expects defects to be resolved within 30 calendar days, with monthly updates required if the developer needs longer. If you take only one piece of advice from this guide: book a snagging survey before you book the moving van.
52%
of New Homes Ombudsman cases in 2024/25 were found wholly or partly in the buyer's favour (369 cases in total)
What if it goes wrong
The New Homes Ombudsman
Under the New Homes Quality Code second edition (applies from 2 March 2026), if you complain to a registered developer and it isn't resolved, you have a formal route to the New Homes Ombudsman Service.
The escalation path: complain in writing. They must send a Complaint Assessment and Response Letter within 30 days. If unsatisfied after the developer's complaints process is complete, you escalate to the Ombudsman — a meaningful protection that didn't exist before the scheme launched in 2022.
The centrepiece editorial point
Around 60% of new housing supply now carries a private estate charge — and the government is mid-fix.
A "fleecehold" arrangement is a privately managed estate where homeowners — whether leasehold flat-owners or freehold house-owners — pay an annual estate management charge to a private company appointed by the developer. The charge funds maintenance of communal grounds, private roads, drainage, and any amenities the council hasn't adopted.
The problems are well-documented: charges that rise without clear justification, managing agents accountable to the developer rather than residents, and (until December 2025's consultations land into law) no statutory tribunal route to replace a bad managing agent on a freehold estate.
The government's December 2025 consultations — "Enhanced protections for homeowners on freehold estates" and "Reducing the prevalence of private estate management arrangements" — propose four substantive changes: no eviction for arrears, standardised annual charge demands, statutory rights to information, and a tribunal route to appoint a substitute manager. Legislation is expected to follow, but the realistic in-force date is some time in 2027.
For a 2026 buyer the practical question is binary: is this estate going to be adopted by the council, or will I be paying a private charge indefinitely? Ask in writing.
2025
Housing Minister confirms ~60% of new supply is on fleecehold estates. ~1 million homes affected.
Dec 2025
Two consultations published — protections for homeowners + reducing private estate management.
2027+
Earliest realistic in-force date for new protections. A 2026 buyer signs under the current regime.
What ownership actually looks like
The five-year ownership reality
A new-build at the point of completion is the cheapest, easiest version of itself. Five years in, the picture is usually different.
The building has had its first major-works pass. Communal carpets get replaced. Lifts need service overhauls. Service charges (for leasehold flats) typically have risen above general inflation. The first round of warranty-period builder-fixed defects has happened, and you are now in the structural-insurance-only period (years 3–10), where most cosmetic and finish issues are no longer covered.
Resale values for new-build flats often soften relative to older stock in the same area, particularly if the development was sold heavily off-plan to investors. This is borough-specific and scheme-specific, but it's not a secret — buyers should expect that the new-build premium they paid on completion may not be fully recoverable for several years.
The point is not "don't buy new-build." The point is that the five-year cost of ownership often diverges from the brochure assumption, and a buyer who has planned for that doesn't regret it.
The shortlist
The pre-reservation checklist
Before you sign a reservation form on any London new-build, get clean written answers to all twelve.
1
Is the developer registered with the New Homes Quality Board, and which edition of the Code applies to my reservation date?
2
What is the exact tenure — leasehold (length and ground rent) or freehold — confirmed in the lease, not just the sales pack?
3
Is the estate going to be adopted by the council, or privately managed? If private, what is the year-one charge and the historical trend?
4
Which warranty provider covers the building, and what does the 2-year builder warranty and 8-year structural insurance cover and exclude?
5
Does the building fall within the Building Safety Act 2022 leaseholder-protection threshold (11 m or 5 storeys with 2+ dwellings), and EWS1 status?
6
Is the building registered with the Building Safety Regulator (higher-risk threshold of 18 m or 7 storeys)?
7
What exactly is included in the spec for my unit — flooring, white goods, kitchen, bathroom, smart-home wiring?
8
What is the developer's current average snag-resolution time on completed schemes in the same area?
9
Names and contact details of two recent buyers in earlier phases of the same scheme, with permission to speak to them.
10
What is the procedure if completion is delayed — by me, by the developer, or by external factors?
11
Confirmation in writing that the developer's complaints process meets the NHQC v2 standard (Complaint Assessment and Response Letter within 30 days).
12
A plain-English written summary from my conveyancer of the three biggest risks specific to this unit and this scheme.
Scope discipline
What this guide deliberately doesn't cover
Specific developers. Naming individual companies, good or bad, is a separate editorial decision that isn't appropriate in a general guide.
Help to Buy and successor schemes. Depends on the buyer's specific eligibility and the scheme's terms at the time of reserving.
Off-plan investment economics. Outside scope — this guide is for buyers planning to live in the home.
If you want energy efficiency, warranty cover, no chain, and the chance to choose finishes off-plan, a new build can be the right purchase — but only with a registered developer, in a building you've physically checked the same developer's earlier schemes for, with a professional snagging survey booked before completion. The Opinium / HOA April 2025 data shows that 10% of under-35 UK buyers regret buying new-build; that figure drops sharply for buyers who do this homework.
What is "fleecehold" and how do I avoid it? +
"Fleecehold" describes new-build estates where homeowners pay a private company an estate management charge for communal infrastructure the council hasn't adopted. Around 60% of new supply now operates this way. To avoid it entirely, buy on an estate where roads, drainage and communal grounds are adopted by the council. To mitigate the risk, demand written disclosure of year-one charges, historical trends, and any cap on annual increases.
Is a snagging survey worth the money? +
For a London new-build, a professional snagging survey costs £475–£625 (Compare My Move 2026, with London premium). Home Builders Federation research found 95% of new-home owners report snags. The survey, done before completion, gives you written evidence and contractual leverage. It is the cheapest insurance against the most common new-build regret.
What does the New Homes Quality Code cover? +
The second edition (applies from 2 March 2026) requires registered developers to provide clear pre-purchase information, set out an after-sales service, resolve defects within 30 calendar days (with monthly updates if delayed), send a formal Complaint Assessment and Response Letter within 30 days of any complaint, and offer an escalation route to the New Homes Ombudsman if unresolved.
How long does a new-build warranty last? +
Most London new-builds carry NHBC Buildmark or LABC Warranty. The structure is two years of builder warranty (the developer is responsible for defects) followed by eight years of structural insurance against major defects to foundations, load-bearing walls, roofs, and external weatherproofing. NHBC Buildmark caps total cover at £1 million for new builds, £500,000 for conversions.
What is the difference between a "relevant building" and a "higher-risk building" under the Building Safety Act? +
A "relevant building" (Section 117 of the Building Safety Act 2022) is at least 11 metres or 5 storeys with at least 2 dwellings where leaseholders don't hold the freehold — this is the threshold for leaseholder protections from cladding and building-safety remediation costs. A "higher-risk building" (the separate occupation regime) is at least 18 metres or 7 storeys with at least 2 residential units — this triggers registration with the Building Safety Regulator and additional safety obligations. A building can be both, one, or neither. Ask the developer about both.
Don't end up in the 10%
The one-evening pre-offer checklist
PAL has built a printable pre-offer companion covering all five regret categories — area, cost, leasehold, space, new build. Section 5 runs five fast checks specifically for new-build buyers, complementing the twelve above. Take it to viewings. Tick the boxes as you go.
The London Buyer's Regret cluster
The rest of the campaign
This is one of four cluster guides. The pillar piece sits above them as the overview; the other three cluster guides go deep on the remaining regret categories.