Right to Build and Custom Build Housing: How to Get a Plot and What Support Is Available

What Right to Build Means in Practice

The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended by the Housing and Planning Act 2016) created a legal right to build your own home in England. Under this legislation, every local planning authority in England must keep a register of individuals and community groups who want to acquire serviced plots of land for self-build and custom housebuilding. Authorities must then grant sufficient development permissions to service the demand on the register within three years of each person registering.

The Right to Build does not give you a right to any specific plot of land, nor does it guarantee that you will be allocated a plot on any particular timeline. It creates a planning obligation on local authorities to ensure that the supply of serviced plots — plots with planning permission and connections to mains services — keeps pace with demand. In practice, how aggressively authorities pursue this obligation varies considerably. Some councils have been proactive in identifying sites, granting planning permissions, and partnering with developers and housing associations to deliver serviced plots. Others have been slower.

Registering on your local authority's Right to Build register is free, quick, and should be done as early as possible. Registration demonstrates demand, gives you access to any plots the authority facilitates, and — increasingly — gives you early access to community-led custom build sites developed by housing associations and specialist custom build developers.

Self-Build Versus Custom Build: Understanding the Distinction

The legislation distinguishes between two routes:

**Self-build** means that you are directly involved in the physical construction of the home — either building it yourself (genuinely hands-on) or acting as the project manager and contracting individual trades. Self-builders typically buy a plot with planning permission, engage an architect and structural engineer, obtain building regulations approval, and manage the construction process.

**Custom build** means that you work with a specialist developer, contractor, or housing association who provides the infrastructure and plot, and builds the home to your specification. You make decisions about design, layout, specification, and finishes, but the physical construction is managed by the custom build enabler. This is a lower-risk route for buyers who do not have construction experience.

The practical distinction matters for finance (different self-build mortgage products are available for each route), for insurance (self-build site insurance is required during construction), and for warranty (NHBC offer a specific self-build warranty scheme; alternatively, professional indemnity from the architect and structural engineer may be appropriate).

Finding a Plot

Finding a buildable plot with or capable of obtaining planning permission is the hardest part of the self-build process. Sources include:

**Right to Build register plots.** Once registered, monitor your local authority's planning notices for self-build allocations. Some authorities issue newsletters or emails to register holders when plots become available.

**Plotting and land search platforms.** Plotfinder, Plot Search (Self Build & Design magazine), and Rightmove's Land & Farms section all list plots with or without planning permission. Filter for "serviced plots" or "plots with planning" to focus on ready-to-build opportunities.

**Estate agents and land agents.** Many plots are sold by local estate agents rather than appearing on national platforms. Register with agents in your target area and ask specifically about building plots.

**Agricultural land.** On occasion, agricultural land in rural areas can achieve planning permission for a single dwelling under exception site policies or through demonstrating a rural worker housing need. This is complex and requires specialist planning advice.

**Custom build developments.** Several housing associations and specialist developers have brought forward dedicated custom build sites where you buy a serviced plot within a larger development and work with an approved contractor panel. Organisations including Inhabit, Custom Build Homes, and various housing association-led projects have delivered these schemes.

Finance: Self-Build Mortgages and Help to Build

Self-build mortgages work differently from standard residential mortgages. Rather than releasing funds on completion, a self-build mortgage releases funds in stages aligned with construction milestones: land purchase, foundations complete, wall plate level, wind and watertight, first fix complete, second fix complete, and practical completion.

There are two main structures: **arrears-stage mortgages** (the lender releases funds after each stage is verified by an independent surveyor) and **advance-stage mortgages** (funds are released at the beginning of each stage). Advance-stage mortgages are more expensive in interest terms but reduce the need for bridging finance between stages — important for buyers without significant cash reserves.

Lenders who actively participate in the self-build mortgage market include Buildstore (through their specialist relationships with lenders including Newbury Building Society and Bath Building Society), Ecology Building Society, the Mortgage Works, and Darlington Building Society.

**Help to Build** is the government's equity loan scheme for self-build and custom build homes. Modelled on Help to Buy, it provides an equity loan of 5–20% (up to 40% in London) of the estimated completed property value, interest-free for the first five years. The loan reduces the amount you need to borrow on a self-build mortgage and requires a minimum 5% cash deposit. As of early 2026, Help to Build remains available through Homes England for eligible applicants.

Store all planning documentation, structural engineer certificates, building regulations completion certificates, and warranty documentation in a Property Passport UK new build passport from the earliest stage. A comprehensive build record is invaluable when you come to sell, remortgage, or insure the completed property.