Self-Build Plot Assessment Checklist

Who this is for

Compare up to three building plots before you buy one. Each check is marked for Plot A, B and C with where you found the answer, and a costs table sets each plot's price beside the quoted costs of making it ready to build on.

Self-builders and custom builders weighing up plots for sale, people on a self-build register who have been told about a plot, and anyone buying land with permission for a single home.

What this helps you track

• Planning status, conditions and start-by date for each plot
• Road access and connections for power, water and drainage
• Ground, slope, trees, ecology and flood risk
• Boundaries, rights of way and restrictions on the title
• Each plot's price and the quoted costs before building can start

How to use it

1. Write a name or address for Plot A, B and C at the top, with who is assessing them and your own build budget.
2. Work down the checks for each plot, writing OK, Query or Problem in its column and where the answer came from: the planning file, the title, a provider or your own visit.
3. Ask the electricity, water and drainage providers and the road authority for quotes or answers in writing, and copy the figures into the costs table.
4. The plot totals in the summary are worked out in the browser version; on paper, add down each plot's column and compare it with your budget.
5. Work through the before-you-offer list, and have the title and planning papers checked by your solicitor or adviser.
6. Fill it in on paper or in the browser version, which saves in your own browser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What does serviced plot mean?

Usually a plot with access to a road and either connections, or a practical way to connect, for electricity, water and waste water. What counts as serviced, and who pays for what, depends on the seller and the rules where you are, so ask for it in writing.

Why compare three plots on one sheet?

Plots rarely fail on the same point. Side by side, you can see which problems are shared and which belong to one plot, and the costs table shows whether a cheaper plot stays cheaper once connections and surveys are added.

Does planning permission mean I can build my own design?

Not necessarily. A permission covers a particular scheme, with conditions and a date by which work must start. A different design may need a new application, so read the decision notice and ask the planning authority or your adviser.

Where do the connection costs come from?

From written quotes or budget estimates you ask the electricity, water and drainage providers for. The sheet supplies no costs; leave a line blank until you have a figure, and note who quoted it and when.

How is this different from the area research sheet?

The neighbourhood and area research sheet is about an existing home and the place around it. This checklist is about the land itself: whether it can be built on, reached and connected, and what that costs before work starts.