The register, the planning application and any financial exemptions are separate processes. [1] [2] [3]
What counts as self-build or custom build?
Government guidance focuses on homes built or commissioned by individuals for their own occupation, with the initial owner having primary input into the final design and layout. The owner does not have to carry out the construction personally. A standard developer-designed home does not become custom build merely because the buyer chooses finishes. [1]
Describe the intended arrangement clearly. Establish who will commission the work, who will occupy the home and how the initial owner's design input will be secured. These details matter when a council assesses whether a permission genuinely counts as self-build or custom housebuilding. [2]
What does the council's duty require?
The relevant authority must grant sufficient development permissions for serviced plots to meet the demand established through the register, within the statutory framework. Government guidance describes a three-year period after each base period. Changes commenced in January 2024 also carry forward unmet demand and clarify that permissions counted must genuinely be for self-build or custom housebuilding. [2]
That is a duty relating to the authority's overall supply of permissions. It is not a promise to supply a particular individual with land, fund a build or approve a chosen site regardless of its constraints. A proposed home still needs the appropriate planning route. [1] [4]
Check the local eligibility rules
Councils can use the permitted local-connection and financial-solvency tests. Where a local-connection test creates a two-part register, Part 1 entries count towards the serviced-plot duty; Part 2 records those meeting the other criteria but not that local-connection test, and has a different role. [2]
Epping Forest publishes its own registration process and eligibility information. Use that district's requirements for an Epping Forest project rather than a London borough's form. For any area, check whether an entry fee or ongoing registration fee applies and keep your details current. [5] [2]
Do not confuse registration with CIL relief
A qualifying self-build home can receive CIL exemption, but the exemption must be applied for and obtained before commencement. The prescribed procedure includes assumption of liability, the exemption claim, the commencement notice and completion evidence. It is not awarded automatically because the applicant appears on a register. [3]
The home must remain the claimant's principal residence for the required three-year period. Disposal, letting or other disqualifying events can trigger repayment, and failures in the procedure can result in liability or surcharges. Confirm the requirements before any work treated as commencement begins. [3]
BNG changed on 6 August 2026
The separate statutory BNG self-build exemption was removed for applications made from 6 August 2026. A project may qualify for another exemption, including the sites-of-0.2-hectares-or-less exemption where its priority-habitat exception does not apply. Self-build status alone is no longer sufficient. [6]
Keep each regime's eligibility and evidence separate. Joining the register, obtaining planning permission, claiming CIL relief and making a DIY VAT claim are different steps with different conditions. [1] [3] [7]