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Before you start in Devon
Homes-for-land deals interest families in Devon who want a home for a relative close by. You provide the garden plot and receive a finished home on it, built to an agreed specification, with its own title and the paperwork a mortgage lender or future buyer would expect, including a structural warranty. The agreement fixes the specification and timetable, and what happens if either needs to change, so there are no surprises at handover.
Planning authorities covering Devon include East Devon District Council, Exeter City Council, Mid Devon District Council, North Devon Council, Plymouth City Council, South Hams District Council, Teignbridge District Council, Torbay Council, Torridge District Council, West Devon Borough Council.
How it works
Free plot appraisal
We look at your title plan, access, neighbouring homes and the council’s planning policies, then talk through what might be built and whether a joint venture or a simpler sale suits you better.
Choose the structure
We explain the options side by side: a share of sale proceeds, a share of profit, a home back for your land, or a land payment plus a share. You choose what fits your plans and appetite for risk.
Heads of terms
The key terms go in writing: who funds what, your share or the home you receive, how your land is protected, deadlines, open-book reporting and what happens if planning is refused or the build stalls.
Development agreement
Your own solicitor and ours turn the heads of terms into a binding agreement. Your solicitor advises on the security that fits, such as the land staying in your name until a set stage or a legal charge.
Planning and build
We fund and manage the planning application, Building Regulations approval and construction, reporting costs and progress to you at agreed points. The council decides the application, and building control checks the work.
Sale or handover
The new homes are sold and the proceeds are split as agreed through the solicitors, or your new home is handed over with its warranty, title and certificates in place.
Garden plot joint venture in towns across Devon
- Plymouth
- Exeter
- Paignton
- Torquay
- Newton Abbot
- Exmouth
- Barnstaple
- Bideford
- Tiverton
- Brixham
- Teignmouth
- Tavistock
Questions about garden plot joint venture in Devon
Which councils decide joint venture schemes in Devon?
The council where the land sits decides; the authorities serving Devon include East Devon District Council, Exeter City Council, Mid Devon District Council, North Devon Council, Plymouth City Council and other councils. It applies the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) together with its own Local Plan. We check the relevant policies and nearby decisions before proposing any joint venture terms.
Do joint venture homes in Devon need a warranty?
New homes usually need a 10-year structural warranty, because buyers’ mortgage lenders generally ask for one, though some accept an architect’s or surveyor’s certificate. It’s arranged as part of the build. If you take a home back, you should receive it with its warranty, building control completion certificate and its own title.
What structures are common for garden joint ventures in Devon?
The main ones are a share of sale proceeds, a share of profit, homes for land, and a land payment plus a share above an agreed level. Which suits you depends on whether you want cash or a home, and how much market and cost risk you’re prepared to share.
How long does planning take for a garden plot in Devon?
The council usually has eight weeks from validation to decide a small application, though extensions are often agreed, and the whole process takes longer. Surveys, design work, pre-application advice and amendments all add time, and some ecology surveys can only be done at certain times of year. We’ll give you a realistic timetable for your plot rather than a promise.