Self-build home enthusiasts exclusively offered public land under a new Government initiative which includes land in Dacorum could be exposed to a legal minefield, warns Pickworths.

In May, Housing Minister Grant Shapps announced that people who build their own homes will soon be offered exclusive access to publicly owned land to build a home on under the new Build Now, Pay Later scheme.

However, Pickworths in Hemel Hempstead warns that self-build brings with it additional legal issues that risk being overlooked by self-build enthusiasts.

Pickworths partner Glenda Ferneyhough who leads the Property team says: “Buying a ready built home can be complicated enough, but buying land with the intention of building a home brings additional legal issues. Planning regulations, access rights, restrictive covenants and funding arrangements for buying the land and building on it all need to be considered before buying the land. Having a solicitor to assist you from the outset of the project can avoid costly problems later on. 

“To help self-builders and other home buyers avoid the legal pitfalls the Law Society has this year established the Conveyancing Quality Scheme, which recognises the high standards in residential property legal services that solicitors specialising in conveyancing provide.

"Anyone looking to take up the Government’s new initiative and buy land to build a home, or anyone simply buying a home through the more traditional, ready-built route, can turn to Pickworths, a CQS accredited firm, to help negotiate the legal minefield. To secure the CQS quality mark we have undergone a rigorous assessment process and detailed application to gain the new status.

Self-builders already account for one in every five homes built in Britain each year, collectively making them the biggest house builder in the country. However, there are horror stories of people’s self built homes being demolished due to errors in planning regulations or legal rights. Getting the right legal advice from a solicitor at the start of a project is vital.

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