Guides
Every new-build mortgage guide we publish: builder incentives, low-deposit schemes, off-plan timelines, warranties, snagging and lender rules.
Cambridge First Step at 98% LTV: the 2% deposit mortgage that accepts new-build houses
Cambridge Building Society's First Step lends 98% to first-time buyers — new-build houses included, flats excluded. Full product detail, the builder-gift question, and whether Skipton will respond.
Low-deposit new-build mortgages: every 5%-and-under route in 2026
95% ranges, 100% mortgages, rate reducers and builder-funded routes — the realistic ways to buy a new build with a small deposit, now that Deposit Unlock has closed.
The First Homes scheme: 30–50% off a new build — with strings attached forever
First Homes gives eligible first-time buyers a 30–50% discount on selected new-build homes, locked into the deeds for every future sale. Eligibility, the 50% mortgage rule, and how the discount interacts with your lender.
Will your mortgage offer survive the build delay? Lender extension policies compared
New-build completions slip constantly — mortgage offers expire on a schedule. Which lenders extend, for how long, on what conditions, and whose job it is to chase it.
The New-Build Premium Lottery: 84% extra in the North East, a discount in London
Our analysis of official UK House Price Index data: the average new build cost 31.9% more than an existing home in 2025 — but the premium runs from 84% in the North East to minus 9.5% in London, and it's widening almost everywhere.
New-build warranty claims: what's actually covered, and what to do when they say no
Years 1–2 are the builder's problem; years 3–10 are the insurer's — and the cover shrinks sharply at that boundary. The claims process for NHBC, Premier Guarantee and LABC, excesses, and the escalation ladder when a claim is refused.
Shared ownership on a new build: the part-buy route most buyers price wrong
Buying 10–75% of a new-build home with rent on the rest — how the affordability really stacks up, what staircasing costs, and where shared ownership beats (and loses to) a 95% mortgage.
The best time to negotiate builder incentives: year-ends, half-years and quiet months
Housebuilders' generosity follows their financial calendar, not yours. The verified year-end dates of every major UK builder — and how to time a reservation around them.
Builder deposit contributions: can the developer pay your deposit?
Can a deposit paid by the developer count as your deposit? How builder gifted deposits work, which lenders accept them, the 5% cap, and the one route to a £0 deposit.
Builder incentives: how lenders actually treat freebies, cashback and contributions
Paid stamp duty, upgraded kitchens, deposit contributions, part exchange — what counts as an incentive, the ~5% rule, and how each type affects your mortgage.
The 28-day exchange deadline: surviving a new-build purchase timeline
Why developers demand exchange within 28 days, where buyers lose the race, and how to line up your mortgage so the deadline is comfortable instead of terrifying.
New-build down-valuations: what happens when the surveyor disagrees with the price
Why new builds get down-valued more than older homes, what a down-valuation does to your deposit and incentives, and the options that actually work.
New-build LTV caps: why flats are harder to buy than houses
Lenders cap how much they'll lend on new builds — and cap flats harder than houses. What the caps mean for your deposit, and which lenders stretch furthest.