Newly Built Homes

Buying a new house from a builder or developer is different in certain fundamental respects from buying a second hand house. The main points that require attention are as follows:-

Building Permissions - Because this is a new build, your solicitor will check that there is Planning Permission and Building Warrant for the house/development and will obtain a Completion Certificate for your property.
In developments of houses it is not unusual to contract in a binding way to purchase a property before work has even started on construction of the house. It is therefore very important to obtain some contractual safeguard in the Missives to provide that what you have seen in the brochure is what you will get. Ask your solicitor to ensure that there are contractual provisions in the Missives to protect against any variation in the layout or style of house, the layout of the development, the quality of the materials used and the standards of workmanship in building the property. For this reason it is important that you sign nothing at a sales office other than a reservation fee.
Some definite date when the property will be ready should be included in the contract. Your solicitor will attend to this on your behalf provided you make this clear.