We require £1,000 as a reservation fee on all properties.

Once you pay the reservation fee, the property is normally reserved for 6 weeks, during which exchange of contracts is expected.

You have a 14-day cooling-off period from signing the Reservation Agreement. If you cancel within this time, your reservation fee will be refunded in line with the terms of the Agreement.

If contracts have not exchanged within 6 weeks and the legal process has not meaningfully progressed, we reserve the right to re-market the property or review the agreed price, following reasonable notice.

If you cancel your reservation, Albemarle Homes may retain a reasonable amount to cover administrative costs, as clearly set out in the Reservation Agreement. The remaining balance will be refunded promptly.

You have a 14-day cooling-off period from signing the Reservation Agreement, during which any deduction will be limited to reasonable and transparent costs disclosed in advance, in line with the New Homes Quality Code.

We require one form of ID, such as Passport or Driving Licence and Proof of Address along with a copy of your mortgage AIP or confirmation from a broker that you are financially able to loan the required amount. You will also need to provide payment for the £1000 reservation fee.

We offer an Early Bird reservation option for customers interested in specific plots that have not yet been released, or if you are not in a position to preoceed yet. You can secure your Early Bird reservation with a £150 refundable fee, ensuring you are notified as soon as the plot becomes available for sale.

You can also sign up to our newsletter for automatic updates by registering your details on our website.

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is payable on all homes over a certain purchase price in England.  Rates have chnaged again in 2026. The amount you will have to pay will be based upon the selling price of your home.

Currently the scale charges (which apply regardless of whether you are buying your first home or have owned a property before) are as follows:

• Nothing on the first £125,000 of the property price for residential purchases.
• First time buyers pay no SDLT on purchases up to £300,000 and 5% on the portion up to £500,000.
• Standard residential purchasers 2% payable fromt £125,001 to £250,000
• 5% payable from £250,001 to £925,000.
• Second home purchases and buy to let investments pay 5% surcharge on top of the standard SDLT rates.

A first time buyer is someone who has never owned freehold or leasehold interest in a dwelling before and who is purchasing their only or main residence.  Residential property anywhere in the world is counted when determining whether someone is a first-time buyer.  Where there are joint purchasers, all purchasers would need to be first time buyers.

NB – these figures are set by the Government, and are subject to change.

All Albemarle properties are Freehold.

Freehold means – full ownership of both the property and the land on which it stands

The house sale becomes legally binding on exchange of contracts. Your solicitor will arrange for you to sign a binding purchase contract. Your agreed deposit will need to be paid at this time.

We will also sign a copy of the contract and send it to our solicitors.

Exchange of contracts is to be within 6 weeks of contracts issued via our solicitor, which means to be able to reserve a property you will need to be in a position to proceed.

The deposit you will have to pay is 10% of the value of the property.  This is paid on exchange of contracts to our solicitor.

Local Authority search fees establish if your new home will be affected by any possible planning decisions or other proposals that may arise.