Reserved on Saturday, exchange in four weeks
A first-time buyer reserves a plot on a new development. The sales office gives them a reservation form with a deadline to exchange, often a matter of weeks. The broker needs to get a mortgage offer in that window, with the developer's incentive details on the right form, and the solicitor needs everything too.
Midway through, the developer's sales team asks when the mortgage offer will be ready. The lender asks for the incentive disclosure form, which is sitting in the sales office. Then the build completion date moves back by a few months, and the broker has to check that the offer will still be valid when the keys are ready.
Why new builds are harder to keep on track
New builds add a second timetable on top of the usual one. The developer sets reservation and exchange deadlines, and those deadlines are firm. Lenders often need specific paperwork about incentives and the property, which the developer holds. And build completion dates can shift, which interacts with the offer's validity.
Each development and each developer has its own forms and contacts. Brokers who do a lot of new build business carry a lot of this in their heads.
- Developer deadlines separate from the lender's process.
- Incentive disclosure forms held by the sales office.
- Several parties chasing the broker for updates.
- Build completion dates that move after the offer.
- Different forms and contacts for each development.
The number of people asking questions grows as well. The developer's sales office, the buyer, the buyer's solicitor and sometimes a shared ownership housing association may all want updates, often through different channels, and all of them end up phoning the broker.
What missed new build deadlines cost
| Deadline | If it slips |
|---|---|
| Reservation to exchange | Developer may release the plot |
| Incentive form to lender | Offer delayed |
| Build completion vs offer validity | Offer may need extending or reissuing |
| Developer update requests | Sales office loses confidence in the buyer |
New build buyers are often first-time buyers, stretching to make it work and anxious about losing a plot they have already imagined living in. A deadline missed because nobody was watching it is hard for them to forgive.
The new build tracker we build
- Each new build case records the development, plot, developer contacts and every developer deadline: reservation expiry, exchange deadline and expected build completion.
- Required documents, such as the incentive disclosure form and developer details, are listed and requested from the sales office with a secure upload link.
- Lender milestones from your case tracking sit on the same timeline as developer deadlines, so conflicts are visible.
- When build completion dates change, they are compared with the offer expiry, and the broker is alerted if the gap narrows.
- Developer sales teams can receive a short, agreed update at key stages, with the buyer's consent.
- A board lists new build cases by nearest deadline.
The tracker keeps dates and documents in order. Decisions about lenders, offer extensions or anything else are for the broker and the client.
What changes for new build cases
The broker sees developer and lender deadlines together and knows which cases are tight. Incentive forms arrive early because they were asked for early. Build date changes are checked against offers automatically. And developer sales teams get updates without calling, which helps the brokerage's reputation on busy developments.
Brokers who do a lot of new build work gain a reusable record of each development: its contacts, its forms and its usual timelines. The second and third buyers on the same site start from a better position than the first.
Do new builds cause you stress?
- Developer exchange deadlines are tracked by hand.
- Incentive forms arrive late from sales offices.
- Build date changes are not checked against offer expiry.
- Sales teams chase you for updates.
- You handle several developments at once.