What the job involves day to day
You work from a sales centre on a live development, usually with one or more show homes beside it. You greet people who walk in, show them round, explain plot layouts, specifications and prices, and follow up on enquiries that come in from the website and portals. When a buyer commits, you take the reservation, collect the fee and pass the sale to solicitors. Then you track it through exchange and completion, keeping the buyer informed as the build progresses.
A big part of the job is managing what is available and when. You learn which plots are released, which are built, and what each one includes as standard. You handle part-exchange and assisted-move offers, and you keep in touch with the site manager about build stages and completion dates. The Code also requires sales staff to give accurate details on size, tenure, energy ratings, service charges, warranty and the expected Council Tax band, so you need to know the product properly.
How the New Homes Quality Code shapes your selling
The New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) oversees the Code, and the Code Council runs it day to day. Registered developers must follow it and accept decisions from the New Homes Ombudsman Service. For a sales adviser, the core rule is no high-pressure selling. You cannot claim other buyers are interested, or that the price is about to rise, when that is untrue. You cannot offer money in return for an on-the-spot decision. You cannot tell someone they will lose the chance to personalise a home if the build stage still allows it.
Launch weekends have a specific rule. Anyone who attends must get seven days to think it over, and the incentive stays open for that time even if the advertised deadline passes. You must also tell them the home itself could still go to someone else. You can recommend conveyancers, mortgage brokers or inspectors, but buyers must know they are free to choose their own. Developers cannot offer incentives when they recommend an adviser.
Reservations, incentives and the paperwork
Under the Code, every Reservation Agreement must set out the reservation fee and how refunds work. It must also tell the buyer they have a 14-day cooling-off period and will get the full fee back if they cancel within it. The deadline for exchange of contracts must be reasonable and no earlier than six weeks after reservation, unless the buyer asks for an earlier date. Early-bird plot options cannot cost more than £150.
Incentives such as part exchange need careful handling. Terms must be clear and in plain language, and you cannot use them to push a buyer into a sale. Treat every buyer as potentially vulnerable. The Code says developers should regard all customers as situationally vulnerable, because most people rarely buy a home. Mistakes have a long tail: buyers can complain for two years from reservation or completion, whichever is later.
Hours, commission and who does well
Sales centres open when buyers can visit, so expect to work weekends, with days off during the week, and to staff launch events. Pay usually combines a basic salary with commission on reservations or completions. One 2025 advert on the government's Find a Job service offered a £30,000 to £31,000 basic with on-target earnings of £60,000. Another offered £10,000 a year in commission on top of basic pay.
People who do well tend to be organised, comfortable talking about money, and steady with buyers who are anxious about a large purchase. The Code means your conversations are scrutinised and can end up in front of the ombudsman. Advisers who keep clear records and set honest expectations on completion dates last longer in the job.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. Ranges run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, modelled from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2026 (provisional), for the wider sales category and uprated with a wage index. Regional figures are modelled estimates. Commission on reservations and completions can lift total earnings well above basic pay. The Wales row shows the 25th percentile to the median (£24,600 to £29,000), and the 75th percentile there is £38,100. Refer to the New Homes Sales salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Sales or customer experienceSome employers advertise trainee roles. Others ask for two to five years of new homes sales experience for negotiator posts.
- Code trainingRegistered developers must have staff training in place to meet the Code's customer-service rules, so expect training from your employer on the New Homes Quality Code.
- Product knowledgeYou must describe each home accurately, including floor area measured to the RICS Code of Measuring Practice, tenure, specification, energy rating and service charges.
- Weekend availabilitySales centres and launch events run when buyers can visit, which normally means Saturdays and Sundays.
- Numeracy and record keepingYou handle reservation fees, part-exchange terms and incentives, and you need clear notes in case a complaint reaches the ombudsman.
Across the UK
| England, Wales and Northern Ireland | The Code requires the Reservation Agreement to state that the sale is subject to contract, and the deadline for exchange of contracts must be at least six weeks after reservation unless the buyer asks for earlier. |
|---|---|
| Scotland | The same Code applies, but the deadline is for conclusion of missives in place of exchange of contracts. The six-week minimum works the same way. |
| Northern Ireland | When you describe a home, you give the expected Rates position, where in Great Britain you would give the Council Tax band. |
How to get there
- Starting outTrainee or assistant sales adviserCover the sales centre and show homes, handle enquiries and learn the Code and the paperwork under a senior adviser.
- Once establishedSales adviserRun your own development or share one. Take reservations, manage plot releases and progress sales to completion. Commission becomes a bigger share of pay.
- With a track recordSenior sales adviser or negotiatorHandle larger or flagship sites, launch events and part-exchange cases. Mentor newer staff.
- SeniorSales managerOversee several sites or a regional team. Set pricing and incentive plans with the land and build teams, and make sure the Code is followed.
- Any stageMoves sidewaysSome advisers move into estate agency, mortgage broking or customer care roles with housebuilders.
Open now on PropertyRoles.uk
Questions people ask
Do you need qualifications to become a new homes sales adviser?
Employers advertise trainee new homes sales roles, so you can start without a property qualification. More senior negotiator posts often ask for two to five years of new homes sales experience. Your employer must train you on the New Homes Quality Code.
Is it high-pressure selling?
The New Homes Quality Code bans it. You cannot invent rival buyers, warn of price rises that are not coming, or offer an incentive for an immediate decision. At launch events, buyers get seven days to decide and the incentive stays open for them.
What is the cooling-off period on a new home reservation?
Under the Code, buyers have 14 days to cancel a Reservation Agreement and get the whole reservation fee back. Any exchange or completion within that window needs the buyer's express consent.
How is a new homes sales adviser paid?
Most roles pay a basic salary plus commission. The modelled UK median for the category is £32,500 a year, and adverts on Find a Job have quoted on-target earnings of up to £60,000.
Who handles complaints from buyers?
The developer has to run a complaints procedure and an after-sales service for at least two years after completion. If the buyer is unhappy with the outcome, they can take the complaint to the New Homes Ombudsman Service.
Sources
- New Homes Quality Board: New Homes Quality Code, Version 2 (March 2026)
- New Homes Quality Board: Part 3, after-sales service, complaints and the New Homes Ombudsman
- New Homes Quality Board: homebuyer overview
- DWP Find a Job: New Homes Sales Negotiator (OTE £60,000)
- DWP Find a Job: New Homes Sales Negotiator FTC (+£10,000 commission)
- DWP Find a Job: Trainee new homes sales advisor
- DWP Find a Job: new home sales job search
