The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 requires councils to keep local registers of people looking to buy plots of land to commission or build their own home. Councils are able to set local eligibility conditions and to charge a fee. There are two parts to the register:
Part 1: for those who meet the national and local eligibility conditions and have paid the fee.
Part 2: for those who only meet the national eligibility conditions and have paid the fee.
What is self-build and custom build?
Self-build usually means you are directly involved in organising the design and construction of your new home. Custom build usually means working with a specialist developer to help you deliver your home. There may be some overlap between the two, for example some custom build developers offer the option of a serviced plot where you can design and build your own home as part of a larger scheme.
Why register?
If you are registered on Part 1, we are required to give suitable development permissions for enough serviced plots of land to meet the demand within three years of the time within which your application has been entered. The timescales run between 31 October and 30 October each year. We will inform you when there are suitable plots available. There is no requirement for us to provide serviced plots to people in Part 2, but we will consider applications in Part 2 when carrying out functions related to planning, housing, the disposal of any land and re-generation.
Priority will be given to applicants who meet the local connection and financial solvency tests. In addition to seeking information to understand which part of the register you are eligible for, other questions have been designed to give us a clear picture of the type of site which would meet your requirements. This includes preferences in terms of location, an understanding of your financial ability to build a home and how quickly you could build a new property.
Eligibility criteria
The national criteria for eligibility are as follows:
Applicants must be:
- Aged 18 or over.
- A British citizen, a national of EAA State other than the United Kingdom, or a national of Switzerland.
- Seeking (either alone or with others) to acquire a serviced plot of land in Tandridge for their own self-build and custom housebuilding.
Where an association applies, all members must meet all of the criteria to get onto Part 1.
The local eligibility criteria have been introduced to ensure priority is given to applicants with a proven local connection to the district and the financial ability to purchase land.
For a local connection to be established, you must be able to provide evidence of one of the following criteria:
- Currently live in the Tandridge district and have for at least one year.
- Have previously resided in the district for three out of the last five years.
- Are Tandridge district key workers.
- Have immediate family (eg mother, father, son, daughter) who have lived in the district for five or more years and need to move to the district to receive support from, or give support to, the applicant.
- Have been accepted as having another special reason why you need to live in the Tandridge district.
For the financial solvency test to be met, you must demonstrate you have the financial ability to purchase land, for example evidence of savings or a mortgage in principle. We have set a threshold for applicants to demonstrate they have funds of at least £150,000 to buy a plot of land. Evidence of this funding must be submitted to us and will be reviewed for eligibility to be put on Part 1 of the register.
Once your completed form and payment have been received and your application assessed, we will write to you with the outcome of your application confirming whether you are eligible for entry onto the register and if you are eligible, which part you are eligible for.
How can I register?
If you are interested in registering for a self-build plot, please complete and submit the form below. We charge fees for entry onto and to remain on the register. The initial fee is £100, with an ongoing yearly fee of £25. These fees will need to be paid before we can consider your application. These charges will be reviewed each year to ensure the fees cover our costs.
Next steps
Once we receive your completed application form and fee, we will decide if you or your association are eligible to go on the register and which part of the register you are eligible for.
We may request further information and documentation to verify your local connection and financial status to enable us to place you in the correct part of the register.
We will write to confirm if you have been successful or unsuccessful within 28 days of the date your application has been decided.