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If your new-build home is delayed, get the developer’s updated completion estimate in writing, share it with your conveyancer and mortgage lender, and check the signed contract before deciding whether to wait or withdraw. A missed estimated date does not automatically give you the right to cancel, recover your deposit or claim costs: those outcomes depend on your contract and circumstances.
Start by checking whether you have exchanged contracts
Your options depend in part on whether you have only reserved a plot or have exchanged contracts. Gather your reservation agreement, sale contract and any written updates from the developer. Ask your conveyancer to identify the dates and clauses that govern completion, delay, cancellation and your deposit.
GOV.UK advises buyers to make sure their legal representative fully explains the contract before they commit. Read the GOV.UK guide to buying a home and ask your conveyancer to explain how its terms apply to your situation.
Ask the developer for a written update
Request a clear update by email or letter. Ask the developer to set out:
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- Why the home is delayed and what work, inspection or approval remains outstanding.
- The current estimated completion date or window, and when you should expect the next update.
- Whether the expected completion process or notice period has changed.
- What the developer says happens if the home is not ready by the date previously given.
Keep the reply and earlier correspondence, including dates. Send the update to your conveyancer and lender so they can advise using the same information. Under the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) Code of Practice, the sale contract must explain what happens if the home is not ready to complete by the date the developer said it would be ready. Which version of the Code applies depends on the reservation date and the developer’s status.
Find the dates and terms that control your options
Ask your conveyancer to review the contract for these points:
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- Anticipated completion date: whether it is an estimate or a date with a specific contractual effect.
- Completion on notice: how the developer will notify you that the home is ready and how much notice you must receive before completion.
- Long-stop date: whether the contract sets a final date after which you may be able to withdraw, and what conditions or formal steps apply.
- Cancellation wording: which circumstances allow either party to end the contract, and how notice must be served.
- Deposit arrangements: what the contract says about the deposit if the sale ends.
A long-stop date is a contractual term, not a general automatic right triggered by any missed estimate. GOV.UK explains that a contract can include a long-stop date allowing a buyer to withdraw after a long delay; the effect depends on the wording and conditions in your own contract. Do not serve notice or assume you can recover your deposit without having the conveyancer interpret those terms.
Protect your mortgage and moving arrangements
Mortgage offer
Check the offer’s expiry date now. Mortgage offers are usually valid for a limited period, and a revised build schedule can create a gap between expiry and completion. Contact your lender or broker before the offer expires to ask whether an extension is possible, what evidence is needed and whether a new application could affect your rate or affordability assessment.
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An NHOS case study describes a buyer whose mortgage offer expired before the developer served a completion notice after the programme changed. It illustrates one possible timing problem, not a rule that applies to every purchase. Do not rely on verbal assurances about timing in place of written updates and advice on your contract.
Removals, storage and temporary accommodation
If your move date may change, tell your removals company as soon as practical and ask about rescheduling terms. GOV.UK recommends giving a professional removals company as much notice as possible. If you are considering storage or temporary accommodation, compare the actual costs and cancellation flexibility before committing. The available guidance does not establish a general right to have those expenses reimbursed by the developer.
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Choose whether to wait, negotiate or explore withdrawal
Use the developer’s latest written estimate and your conveyancer’s contract review to compare your practical choices. Consider how the expected completion date relates to the long-stop date and notice period, whether your mortgage can remain in place, and what postponing your move would cost. Ask the conveyancer to explain whether withdrawal is permitted, the required procedure and what happens to the deposit before you make a decision.
You can also ask the developer whether it will agree to a revised timetable or another practical arrangement. Get any agreed change in writing and have your conveyancer check whether it affects the existing contract. A delay by itself does not establish an automatic right to compensation or reimbursement of extra costs.
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Use the correct complaints route
Raise concerns with the developer first and follow its complaints procedure. Check which consumer code applies to the developer and your reservation; NHBC says the builder should tell buyers which scheme applies. Do not assume every builder or reservation is covered by the same code or ombudsman route.
The NHQB Code applies to customers who reserved with a registered developer on or after that developer’s registration date. NHQB identifies version 2 for qualifying reservations made from 2 March 2026; version 1 applies to qualifying reservations before that date. Check both the developer’s registration and your reservation date against the NHQB Code information for homebuyers.
Under NHQB Code version 2, the period to complain through the developer’s procedure and refer an unresolved complaint to the Ombudsman is two years from the reservation date or completion date, whichever is later, subject to the Code’s scope. Check the applicable terms and dates before relying on that route. NHBC also provides homeowner complaints guidance.
What a delay does not establish on its own
The relevant guidance does not establish a universal compensation payment, automatic deposit refund or right to cancel whenever a completion estimate slips. Whether you can terminate, recover a deposit or claim expenses depends on the contract, applicable law, facts and required procedure. For a live dispute, give your conveyancer the contract and the developer’s written updates so they can advise on your particular position.
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