Posted on: Friday, May 11, 2018
Are you dreaming of building your own home? It can be a complicated process, so here are some top tips.
- Carefully consider the land’s location, size, and surroundings. Would the property fit in with the neighbours? This will be crucial to get planning approval.
- Always do a land registry search. It’s affordable and can tell you a lot about the land you’re considering. The search will tell you if the property is registered. Unregistered land can take time to get papers in order.
- There are many checks to do before you build. Depending on the scale of your project, you’ll need a bat survey, an asbestos test, and a geotechnical survey. Check there is no Japanese knotweed on the property, and ask the Council if there are any tree protection orders. Without these, unexpected building costs can arise, which can add thousands of pounds to your build cost.
- Put an inquiry into the planning department for £140 to see if they will grant full approval to build. It’s good to do this before you buy to guarantee approval.
- Employ an architect or an architectural designer. Visit the RIBA website to find a list of local firms.
Are you looking for land? Contact your local Guild Member to find out what is on the market in your area.
We are required by law to conduct anti-money laundering checks on all those selling or buying a property. Whilst we retain responsibility for ensuring checks and any ongoing monitoring are carried out correctly, the initial checks are carried out on our behalf by Lifetime Legal who will contact you once you have agreed to instruct us in your sale or had an offer accepted on a property you wish to buy. The cost of these checks is £60 (incl. VAT), which covers the cost of obtaining relevant data and any manual checks and monitoring which might be required. This fee will need to be paid by you in advance of us publishing your property (in the case of a vendor) or issuing a memorandum of sale (in the case of a buyer), directly to Lifetime Legal, and is non-refundable. We will receive some of the fee taken by Lifetime Legal to compensate for its role in the provision of these checks.