My new-build flat has been delayed for EIGHT months and the housebuilder is ignoring me: What can I do?

I’m buying a new build flat that I reserved back in November last year. It was meant to be completed eight months ago, in March, but it still isn’t finished. 

I moved out of my previous home at the end of February and am living in Airbnbs while I wait. 

I have had two mortgage offers expire and also missed out on the stamp duty discount after the costs went up in April.

The housing association Notting Hill Genesis, which is developing the site, is awful at communicating. I feel completely left in the dark. The last major update came at the end of March when it said completion would be in July. It wasn’t. It is now saying it won’t be until the end of the year and ignores my emails. 

Am I entitled to compensation and how do I get it?

And given the delays, my flat is likely to be ready after the November Budget – should I push to complete before then?

Waiting game: The property should have been completed seven months ago, now the developer admits it is running a year behind schedule

Ed Magnus of This is Money replies: This must have been a deeply frustrating and stressful year for you.

While buying a home can come with all manner of delays and unexpected complications, you would have hoped that you’d have skipped out most of the potential pitfalls by buying straight from a developer.

While you reserved the property before it was completed, and told me you thought the risk of delays was low as it was little more than four months before you were expecting to move in.

It sounds like customer care and communication were lacking from Notting Hill Genesis.

When we contacted the developer, it said it would not be ready until early March next year meaning the delay in completion will be almost 12 months. 

Given your experience so far, I imagine you will take this promise with a pinch of salt. 

The problem, it says, is to do with delays in connecting the new development to the local energy network. 

A spokesperson for Notting Hill Genesis said: ‘We sincerely apologise to all the buyers impacted by the delays on the latest phase of Royal Albert Wharf. 

‘This is related to complications with connection to the local energy network which supplies heating and hot water to these properties as well as the existing 1,600 households. 

‘These delays are preventing us securing the necessary statutory approvals and we cannot and will not hand homes over until we are comfortable they meet the high standards demanded by both us and our buyers.

‘As a result we have informed them that we now do not expect them to be able to move in until the beginning of March 2026. We will seek to expedite this wherever possible.’

‘We know this is hugely disappointing news and will continue to engage with all the buyers and regularly update them on progress.’

For expert advice on what you can do in this situation, we spoke to Rob Dix, co-founder of Property Hub and Paula Higgins, founder and chief executive of the property advice website Homeowners Alliance.

Our reader has spent months in limbo with their completion date pushed back further and further by the developer

Check the long-stop date

Paula Higgins replies: Your situation is more complicated because you’re buying from a housing association, which means you don’t have the same rights or protections as you would if you were buying from a private developer. 

Housing associations are not required to sign up to the independent consumer codes that govern most private new-build sales, so your contract is the key document that sets out your rights and options.

Read your contract carefully and look for the long-stop date – sometimes called the back-stop. 

This is the date by which the seller must be ready to complete. If they miss it, you normally have two options. 

One, rescind the contract and recover your deposit, often with interest, or two, agree to a new completion date and proceed.

Paula Higgins of property advice website, Homeowners Alliance

Rob Dix adds: Delays like this are, unfortunately, a common hazard of buying off-plan. 

It often catches buyers out, because completion dates can move several times – so it’s safest not to give up existing accommodation until your solicitor confirms that completion is imminent.

The key point is what your contract says about the long-stop date.

If that date passes and they still haven’t finished, you can withdraw without penalty and reclaim your deposit – but usually not the other costs you’ve incurred. 

Up to that point though you don’t have much leverage, so the first step is to confirm whether that long-stop date has been reached.

Use your solicitor to chase them 

Rob Dix replies: It sounds as though you’ve been dealing with the housing association directly. Where possible, communication should go through your solicitor, not you. 

Developers tend to take correspondence from solicitors far more seriously, and your solicitor can deal directly with the developer’s legal team rather than front-line progression staff who have little authority.

I’d recommend that you press your solicitor to be more proactive: request clear confirmation of the expected completion date, escalate concerns formally, and explore your options for compensation. 

What about compensation?

Paula Higgins replies: On costs, most new-build contracts exclude compensation, which means you’re not automatically entitled to claim for temporary accommodation, such as Airbnbs, unless your contract or a written promise says otherwise. 

Rob Dix, co-founder of Property Hub

However, you can still request a goodwill payment to cover costs like temporary housing, storage, mortgage re-application fees, or any stamp duty increase caused by delays – especially if poor communication or repeated slippage is on the seller’s side.

Send a formal written complaint to the housing association, setting out the missed deadlines, financial impact, and what you’re asking for. Keep a full record of all correspondence and receipts.

In your complaint, ask for a fixed, evidenced completion window with confirmation of building-control sign-off and warranty, or written confirmation that the long-stop date has been or will be breached and that you can withdraw if you wish.

Also ask for a goodwill payment for your documented out-of-pocket expenses and a commitment to regular, transparent updates with a named contact and clear escalation route.

Rob Dix adds: If you’ve suffered clear financial loss, you can submit a formal complaint to the developer and explore if they’re a member of a redress scheme you can escalate to. However, unless they’ve clearly breached the contract I wouldn’t have much hope of success.

What about the Budget?

Paula Higgins replies: Regarding the Budget, any announcements in November are speculative, and tax changes usually take effect from April 2026. 

There’s no need to rush completion for that reason. It’s better to ensure your new home is fully finished and built to a high standard before you complete.