Applicants who wish to find their own land to build on

If you are interested in building your home on a plot that is not on the Self Build Wales map, it has never been easier to do so.

The Self Build Wales scheme, established by the Welsh Government, aims to remove the barriers and uncertainty that prevent people in Wales from building their own homes. 

If you wish to find and use land outside of the current Self Build Wales map, you can access the scheme to fund both the land purchase (75%) and build costs (100%), providing the land already has suitable planning permission for development. The 25% deposit for the land purchase must come from your own resources.

How does the application process work?

Identify land

If you’ve found a plot for sale that you wish to build your home on, submit all the information in the ‘what we need to know’ section below. We will undertake a land feasibility assessment, which may include liaising with the land seller.

Decision in principle*

A soft credit search is conducted and if approval is granted, you will need to appoint a mortgage advisor to submit a full development loan application to us for funding to purchase your plot and build your home.

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Development loan finance application

Your finance application will provide financial details plus details of the land purchase cost, final build design, costs, builders and how you intend to repay once your home is built. A full underwriting assessment will be undertaken.

Funding offer

Self Build Wales will make an offer to finance your plot purchase and build costs and your house building journey will begin!

*The decision in principle may be subject (but not limited) to the following conditions:

Receipt of a professional valuation of the land (RICS Valuation – Global Standards 2017 (incorporating the IVSC International Valuation Standards)
Outline planning permission as a minimum
Additional diligence on the land – e.g. confirmation of current land ownership, current owner’s right to sell, any title restrictions
Agreed sales price

In order for the team to complete the high-level viability assessment of the land, in most instances, a minimum of outline planning permission is required.

What happens next?

Once any offer conditions are satisfied, you will pay your 25% plot purchase deposit and Self Build Wales will fund the remainder of the plot purchase price
Self Build Wales will take a first legal charge over the plot at the time of purchase
You will appoint a contract administrator to oversee your build, and the build will commence with your TrustMark accredited builder
The build will be regularly monitored and inspected, and funds will be released direct to your builder at key stages throughout the development
Once the build is complete, you will repay your development loan (in most instances, it is expected that this will be done by securing a high street mortgage) and Self Build Wales will discharge their legal charge over the land
Please note that if you own another property at this stage, you will be expected to sell it before moving into your new home
You move into your new home!

Please note: the process laid out here is not exhaustive, and some additional conditions may be required. Please review our guidance document for further information.

Further information

If you’re interested in applying, the next step is to decide whether the plot you have identified is suitable for the Self Build Wales scheme. We will require the following information from you to determine this;

Where is the land located? (Address)
What is the size of the plot/site?
What is the size of the home you want to build?
How many plots will fit on the site. If more than one, what size are the plots?
Does the plot/site have detailed planning permission, outline planning permission; or has a planning application been submitted?
Has the land been valued professionally? If so, please provide a copy of the valuation report. If not, how much do you believe the land to be worth?
Has the plot/site undergone a development appraisal?
Are there any known restrictions on the land? If so, please provide as much detail as possible.
Are there any existing structures on the land? If so, what do you intend to do with them?
Does the plot/site have road access in place?
Are services (namely utility connections – gas, electricity, water, broadband) in place to the site boundary? Please provide full details.
Are there any legal charges or encumbrances on the land from other lenders?
Who is the legal owner of the land?
Who is responsible for selling the land (e.g. landowner/agent), please provide their contact details (telephone and email)
Do you have any indication of the estimated cost of building your home?
Do you know the estimated value of the completed build?
Have you approached any other lenders for self-build funding? What was the outcome? (all applicants must explore private sector funding options before applying to SBW).

You will not be able to let or sell the self-build home for a minimum of five years from the completion date.
The completed self-build or custom-build house must be your only property.
You can only use a builder who is accredited on the TrustMark Scheme.
The cost of development of the land and the build costs should not exceed 75% of the value of the completed build.
You will not be allowed to occupy the property until the self-build development loan has been repaid.
As a government backed scheme, it is not our intention to compete with private sector lenders; you must fully explore private sector funding options before applying to the SBW scheme. We may require evidence of this.
A build cap of £350k is applicable to all developments (this cap only applies to the cost of building the property, and does not include interest, fees, enabling works or land purchase costs).
The maximum property size that may be built under the scheme is 2,045 sq.ft. / 190 sq.mt. Properties larger than this may be considered by exception, depending on need (e.g. adapted living, larger families). Should your circumstances mean that you require a property bigger than 2,045 sq.ft. / 190 sq.mt., please contact the SBW team who will be happy to discuss your requirements in more detail.

In order to participate in the scheme all builders must be TrustMark registered.

You can search on the TrustMark website for a local registered builder, or you can invite a known builder to join Trustmark online.

Click here to search for a TrustMark registered builder.

Click here to register as a builder for the TrustMark scheme.

There are no repayments to make during the term of the loan (max 2 years).
Interest will roll-up and is added to the balance of the loan on a monthly basis.
An Arrangement Fee of 1.25% of the agreed loan amount will be payable on first drawdown (there may be scope to add this to the loan in some cases)
An Exit Fee of 1.25% will be payable on any amount repaid.
There are no early repayment charges.
Professional fees and charges may also apply, such as (but not limited to) architect, contract administrator, solicitors fees.
Land Transaction Tax (“LTT”) will apply to any land purchase, and Applicants are advised to check the LTT amount, and their affordability, prior to agreeing a purchase.
Self Build Wales will take a 1^st legal charge over the land prior to first drawdown of funds.
Applicants are strongly advised to obtain independent legal advice before progressing with the scheme.

How to apply

If you’re interested in applying for the Self Build Wales scheme, simply complete our contact form via the button below and one of our expert team will be in touch.

Alternatively, please see our guidance document to access more details on the scheme and the application process.