5 things to ask before buying an off-plan apartment

Off-plan is the only point in a development's life when you get first choice of floor, aspect and layout, and the only point at which the price is set before the building exists to justify it. That is the whole appeal. It is also why the questions you ask at this stage carry more weight than any you will ask later.

Who is the developer, and what have they finished? Not what they have announced — what they have handed over. Ask for two completed schemes you can visit. Walk the corridors and the parking, not the show unit. A developer's third building tells you what their first two taught them.

What exactly is the payment structure? A staged plan should tie each payment to a construction milestone, not to a calendar date. Ask what happens to your money if the milestone slips, where deposits are held, and under what circumstances they are refundable. Get the answer in the sale agreement rather than in conversation.

What is the completion date, and what is the contractual one? These are often different. The marketing date is a target; the agreement usually carries a longer stop date and a grace period on top. Ask for both, and ask what remedy you have if the stop date passes.

What is included in the finish? Fully finished covers a wide range. Ask for a written specification: floor finishes room by room, kitchen appliances by make, sanitaryware, whether wardrobes are fitted, whether the balcony is tiled. The gap between a good and a poor specification on the same floor plan is substantial, and it is not visible in a render.

What will it cost to hold? Service charges, sinking-fund contributions, parking, and any management fee. On a completed neighbouring scheme these are knowable today — ask what they run at, per square metre, and use that rather than the developer's projection.

None of these questions is adversarial, and a developer who has thought the scheme through will have the answers in a folder already. The ones who hesitate have told you something too.