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Kolaboro / Countries / United Kingdom / How to check

How to check an off-plan project in United Kingdom

Official registers, what local projects leave out and the questions to ask, from 25 tracked projects.

To check an off-plan project in United Kingdom, match what the developer tells you against the official record before each payment. Start with the 3 official registers listed below, then ask the questions that the 25 projects we track in United Kingdom most often leave open.

The check most often missing in United Kingdom: deposit protection (not public for 25 of 25 projects).

  1. Official registers
  2. What projects here leave out
  3. Questions to ask the developer
  4. What our live lookup reads
  5. Free check
  6. Questions and answers

Step 1: official registers in United Kingdom#

Council planning portals (United Kingdom)

What it proves
Planning applications and decisions, conditions and, for larger schemes, environmental documents.
What it does not prove
Building regulations sign off, or that the developer can fund the build.
How to search
Find the local council from GOV.UK and search its planning register by address or application number.

Open the official register (opens in a new tab) www.gov.uk

From our register guide.

Companies House (United Kingdom)

What it proves
The company exists, its directors, accounts, charges and filing history.
What it does not prove
Who really controls it in every case, or that it owns the site.
How to search
Search the company name or number and read the accounts, charges and officers.

Open the official register (opens in a new tab) find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk

From our register guide.

HM Land Registry (United Kingdom)

What it proves
The registered owner, title plan and charges such as mortgages.
What it does not prove
Planning status.
How to search
Search by address and download the title register and title plan for a small fee.

Open the official register (opens in a new tab) www.gov.uk

From our register guide.

Step 2: what off-plan projects in United Kingdom leave out#

Share of the 25 tracked projects that make each check public, and how many are confirmed by an official register or independent source.

CheckPublicNot publicConfirmed
Permit or licence number21 (84%)424
Deposit protection0 (0%)250
Construction progress11 (44%)1413
Site or floor plans7 (28%)180
Developer track record18 (72%)713
No guaranteed-return language24 (96%)10

Step 3: questions to ask the developer#

The questions our research agent raised most often for projects in United Kingdom, with how many projects they apply to. Each one points at a gap in what the developer publishes.

  1. Completion advertised for 2028: does progress on site match? (25 of 25 projects)
  2. No deposit protection published: will your payments go into an escrow or trust account in your name? (23 of 25 projects)
  3. No building permit mentioned: ask for the number before paying. (23 of 25 projects)
  4. Leasehold: is the lease registered, and is the base term the one advertised? (21 of 25 projects)
  5. A permit number is published: does it exist in the official register and match this plot? (21 of 25 projects)
  6. Legal dispute reported in public sources: ask the developer for the current status, in writing. (4 of 25 projects)
  7. A building permit is claimed: does it exist in the official system and match this plot? (2 of 25 projects)
  8. Reported delays in public sources: ask the developer for the current status, in writing. (2 of 25 projects)

Send them in writing: ask the developer with our template.

What our live lookup reads in United Kingdom#

United Kingdom. Online means our lookup queries the official source itself; manual means a person checks it.

Read online, automatically

Checked by hand

Waiting for official API access

Step 4: run a free check#

Paste the project page into the free desk review: our agent reads it, quotes every claim and looks it up in the registers above where it can. Then see all projects we track in United Kingdom.

Questions and answers#

What should I check before buying off-plan in United Kingdom?

The permit or licence number, deposit protection, construction progress, plans, the developer's track record and any guaranteed-return promise. In United Kingdom the check most often missing is deposit protection (25 of 25 tracked projects do not publish it).

Is there an official register to check an off-plan project in United Kingdom?

Yes: Council planning portals; Companies House; HM Land Registry.

What do developers in United Kingdom most often leave unanswered?

Completion advertised for 2028: does progress on site match? (25 of 25 projects).

Are you the developer, or did we get something wrong? Send documents and we add your reply or correct the record: right of reply · corrections. Every figure here is computed from the open dataset (/data/bali-cases.json, CC BY 4.0) and changes when the data changes.

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