New build buying process: reservation to completion planner | NewHomeSearch
Tool · Completion planner
From reservation to the keys. Date by date.
Put in the day you reserve and when the builder expects to finish. Get a dated checklist, and see what needs revisiting if completion slips.
A guide, not advice Your dates stay in your browser
Your checklist
From reservation to the keys
24 October 2026Book a pre-completion inspectionAn independent snagging inspection before completion, or your own walk-round with a checklist.
31 October 2026 to 14 February 2027Notice to completeThe builder gives notice once the home is finished, often about 14 days ahead. Book removals and tell your landlord or buyer as soon as it comes.
14 November 2026Reserve the homePay the reservation fee and read the reservation agreement: how long the reservation lasts, whether the fee comes off the price, and what happens to it if you pull out.
14 November 2026 to 17 November 2026Instruct a solicitorA solicitor or licensed conveyancer who acts on new homes: the builder sends them the contract pack.
14 November 2026 to 21 November 2026Apply for your mortgageSend the full application with the reservation form. The lender values the home and issues the offer.
14 November 2026 to 28 February 2027Complete and move inThe rest of the price is paid, you get the keys, and you take over the buildings insurance, energy, water and council tax.
5 December 2026Mortgage offer issued (about)Offers usually last about 6 months: this one should run until about 5 June 2027, after the latest completion date. Check the date on yours.
26 December 2026Exchange contractsBy the end of the reservation period (42 days here). You pay the exchange deposit and the purchase is binding on both sides.
A guide to the usual order, not advice: your reservation agreement, contract and mortgage offer set the real dates.
How long it takes to buy a new build: the dates, step by step
A home reserved today, 14 November 2026, with completion expected between 14 March 2027 and 14 May 2027, on a 42-day reservation period and a mortgage offer that lasts 6 months: the planner’s dates.
Reserve the home: 14 November 2026Pay the reservation fee and read the reservation agreement: how long the reservation lasts, whether the fee comes off the price, and what happens to it if you pull out.
Instruct a solicitor: 14 November 2026 to 17 November 2026A solicitor or licensed conveyancer who acts on new homes: the builder sends them the contract pack.
Apply for your mortgage: 14 November 2026 to 21 November 2026Send the full application with the reservation form. The lender values the home and issues the offer.
Mortgage offer issued (about): 5 December 2026Offers usually last about 6 months: this one should run until about 5 June 2027, after the latest completion date. Check the date on yours.
Exchange contracts: 26 December 2026By the end of the reservation period (42 days here). You pay the exchange deposit and the purchase is binding on both sides.
Book a pre-completion inspection: 21 February 2027An independent snagging inspection before completion, or your own walk-round with a checklist.
Notice to complete: 28 February 2027 to 30 April 2027The builder gives notice once the home is finished, often about 14 days ahead. Book removals and tell your landlord or buyer as soon as it comes.
Complete and move in: 14 March 2027 to 14 May 2027The rest of the price is paid, you get the keys, and you take over the buildings insurance, energy, water and council tax.
If completion slips by 3 months
Building work runs late more often than early. Move the same home’s completion 3 months later and these steps need looking at again:
Book a pre-completion inspectionRebook the inspection for the new dates.
Notice to completeMove any notice to your landlord, your removals and time off to fit the new window.
Mortgage offer runs outThe offer runs out before the slipped completion window ends: ask the lender about an extension, or whether you would need to apply again.
Complete and move inCheck your rent or the sale of your current home covers the extra months, and that any rate held for you still applies.
Many lenders will extend an offer that is about to run out, often with a fresh valuation; some ask you to apply again. Tell your lender, your landlord or your buyer as soon as the builder warns of a delay.
When the new homes for sale expect to complete
910 of the 18,431 homes listed from their builder’s own site state when the builder expects them to complete. Of the 910 whose words give a date:
When builders expect the homes for sale to complete
Expected
Homes
Share
Ready now, or the date has passed
76
8%
Within six months
448
49%
In six to twelve months
200
22%
More than a year away
186
20%
A builder’s expected date is a guide until it serves notice to complete. A date that has passed on a home still for sale usually means the home is built and ready.
Reservation to completion: the terms you will meet
Reserving and exchanging
Reservation fee
Takes the home off the market. Reserving is not a commitment to buy: that comes at exchange.
Cooling-off period
At least 14 days under the New Homes Quality Code, with a full refund of the reservation fee if you cancel.
Exchange deadline
Under the Code, not less than six weeks after you reserve unless you ask for sooner. Builders often expect exchange within a few weeks, so instruct a conveyancer and your lender straight away.
Exchange deposit
Paid when contracts are exchanged and the purchase becomes binding: usually 5% to 10% of the price, the New Homes Quality Board’s guide says.
Building and completing
Notice to complete
On a home still being built, completion is set by a notice from the builder, usually at least 14 days ahead.
Long-stop date
A final date in the contract after which, if the home is still not ready, you (and sometimes the builder) can cancel.
Pre-completion inspection
Under the Code it takes place after the notice to complete and before the completion date, or earlier if you and the builder agree.
Mortgage offer
Usually lasts about 6 months from issue; some lenders give new homes longer. Check the date on yours against the long-stop date.
Reservation to completion: your questions
How long does it take to buy a new build?
From reserving to exchange, at least six weeks under the New Homes Quality Code unless you ask for sooner; then as long as the build takes. A home already built can complete a few weeks after exchange; one still being built completes when the builder serves notice, usually at least 14 days ahead. The planner dates each step for your home.
How long is a reservation period on a new build?
The reservation agreement sets the date by which you must exchange. For a home reserved from a registered builder on or after 2 March 2026, the Code says it must be not less than six weeks after the reservation date (28 days plus the 14-day cooling-off period), unless you ask for an earlier date.
What happens if my mortgage offer expires before completion?
Ask your lender to extend it before it runs out: many will, often after a fresh valuation, and some ask you to apply again, at the rates of the day. The planner flags an offer that could run out before the latest completion date.
What is a long-stop date?
A final date in the contract after which, if the home is still not finished, you (and sometimes the builder) can cancel the purchase. Check it against your mortgage offer and your rent or sale.
How much notice of completion will I get on a new build?
On a home still being built, the builder serves notice to complete once it is finished, usually at least 14 days ahead. Keep your mortgage offer, removals and notice to your landlord flexible until then.
When do I pay stamp duty on a new build?
At completion: your conveyancer files the return and pays it within 14 days in England and Northern Ireland, or 30 days for Land Transaction Tax in Wales.
Expected completion counted from the new homes for sale on NewHomeSearch today, as their builders state it. The terms are the New Homes Quality Code’s, as our reservation-to-completion guide sets them out.