From private school fees to zero service charges – the best FREE perks housebuilders are offering buyers right now

HOMEBUYERS are being offered increasingly unusual perks to entice them into buying new-build properties. From covering private school fees and service charges to free gym memberships and holiday vouchers developers are getting increasingly desperate to bag a buyer. That means it’s a great time for anyone looking to purchase a new-build home, as you could save thousands of pounds on the property itself or through another sweetener. The Sun has rounded up the best incentives we’ve found and how to get them. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Berkeley Group is offering to cover private school fees worth up to £41,000 Credit: JohnnyGreig Private school fees covered for two years – worth £40k Developer Berkeley Group has offered to pay for up to two years of fees at St John’s Preparatory and Senior School if families purchase one of its homes at its Trent Park housing estate in Enfield, North London. The fees cost up to £20,880 a year for children aged 11 and over, meaning you’d save buyers up to £41,760 over two years. The development in an affluent area of the capital is attempting to attract wealthier buyers with the lucrative offer. Properties at Trent Park cost £760,000 for a one-bedroom home, while a five-bedroom house will set you back £1.6million. You could get your service charges covered if you buy at Urban Picturehouse Credit: Getty Service charges covered – worth up to £7,500 The Urban Picturehouse development in Sidcup, just outside London, is offering to cover service charges up to £7,500 for the first two years after you buy your home. The one, two and three-bed apartments are priced from £255,000 and sell for up to £530,000 for the top homes. Most read in Money The developer will provide a service charge contribution on completion to the value of £7,500 for 3-bedroom apartments, £7,000 for 2-bedroom apartments, £5,700 for 1-bedroom apartments, and £5,250 for studios. That equals the value of the service charge for those apartments over a two year period based on the 2026 rates. You could bag a free holiday worth £2,000 if you buy a home at Urban Picturehouse Credit: Getty TUI holiday freebie – worth £2,000 Developer L&Q Homes is luring in buyers for its London development Rockcliffe Square with a TUI holiday voucher worth £2,000. Anyone who reserves a home between now and September 12 for £99 will receive a £2,000 TUI holiday voucher. Those reserving through shared ownership can also bag the same deal up to September 12. Bellway is offering to pay 105% of your old home’s value to get you into its new properties Credit: Getty Get 105% of your old home’s sale price – variable worth Bellway is offering buyers with a home to sell first a higher price to entice them into buying one of its new-build properties. The developer says it will pay an additional 5% on top of the assessed market value of your old property to go towards your move. You need to agree to use your current home as part payment of your new Bellway home. Two local estate agents will need to value your home, and Bellway will then exchange it with an extra 5% added to that value – so you’ll get a bigger chunk towards your new home. However, the scheme is only available where the existing home being traded is at least 30% lower in value than the new home you are buying. You could kit out your home with a free £8,000 package for buying with Bellway Credit: Getty Get the cost of your new furniture paid – up to £8,000 Bellway is also offering buyers at some of its developments a ‘furniture package’ worth up to £8,000. At one of its developments, Millworks in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, it is offering a furniture package of £8,000 included with the purchase of any one or two-bed apartment. The deal allows you to select sofas, dining tables, beds and other staples, while you can throw in finishing touches like artwork if you still have budget. Speak to your local Bellway sales adviser as the package can vary between locations. A couple could bag free gym memberships for a year with their new home Credit: Getty Free gym memberships – £726 a year Property developer Redmile is flogging one-year memberships for local gyms at some of its new-build estates, and you could save hundreds of pounds a year if you like to get active. At its new estate in Killamarsh, Derbyshire, you can get two annual gym memberships at Killamarsh Active worth £363 each thrown in with your house purchase. Some developers will cover all your legal and estate fees if you buy with them Credit: Getty Images Estate and legal fees paid – up to £4,000 A number of developers offer to pay for all your legal fees when you move home to make the process easier and cheaper. Redmile says it will pay up to £2,000 in legal fees, plus £2,000 in estate fees for customers moving into one of its developments. So, you could save up to £4,000 on your move just for picking one of its plots. It’s worth asking your developer if they are prepared to cover any fees before agreeing to buy your home. Many developers offer to top up your deposit so you can get onto the property ladder Credit: PA:Press Association Get a boost to your deposit – £18,500 One of the most common incentives developers will offer is a top up to your deposit. For example, Persimmon’s Deposit Boost adds an extra 5% where a buyer already has a 10% deposit, bringing your total deposit to 15%. Bloor Homes is also offering a 5% deposit boost. For one development in Felixstowe, Kent, it says this could be worth up to £18,500. The amount you’ll save depends on the value of the property to you buy, and some developers may cap the amount they will offer – but you could boost your deposit by up to tens of thousands of pounds. As this is such a common incentive, it’s worth asking the developer of your new-build home what deposit boost schemes they have. Comment now