Building your own home is the norm throughout the world. In Europe, Japan and Australia, self and custom build accounts for at least half of all new housing. It is especially popular in Austria where it accounts for 80% of new properties, while in France it accounts for 60% of new homes.

In the UK, our housing has traditionally been dominated by a handful of volume housebuilders and self build has been seen as something reserved for the brave. At BuildStore, we've been banging the self and custom build drum for many years. Finding a plot in the right location has always been the tricky part but things have changed since October 2016 and that's down to new legislation dubbed Right to Build.

Right to Build Legislation - The Facts
The 'Right to Build' is part of the Self and Custom Build Housebuilding Act 2015 and it requires local authorities to ensure there is adequate land provision for those who want to build their own homes.

New legislation came about on 31st October 2016, meaning that local authorities in England are now legally obliged to maintain a list of people and groups interested in building their own homes.

How to Register
Every local authority in England and Wales has its own register and you can choose to register for a serviced plot in one, or multiple local authorities. To make life easier, BuildStore has created a new digital platform that brings together each of the local authority registers together, under one umbrella. You can register as an individual or as a group on the register.