From 24 March 2027, gas boilers are in effect banned in new homes in England, because the Part L 2026 targets cannot be met by a home heated with gas. Yet some new homes completed in 2027 and 2028 will still have one. If you are buying a new build over the next two years, this is why, and how to find out what you are getting. For the rules themselves, see the guide to gas boilers banned in new builds.
Why some 2027 and 2028 homes still have boilers
The new rules do not apply where a building notice, initial notice or full plans application was given to building control before 24 March 2027, provided work on that building starts before 24 March 2028. Homes in that position can be built to the previous standard, gas boiler included. The protection is assessed building by building, so it is plot-specific.
Phased sites can mix both
On a large development built in phases, the early plots may fall under the transitional rules while later plots, started after the deadline, are built to Part L 2026 with heat pumps and solar PV. Two similar houses on the same street can end up with different heating systems.
Apartment blocks and higher-risk buildings
For higher-risk building work, such as taller blocks of flats, the Part L 2026 changes take effect later, on 24 September 2027. They do not apply where a valid building control approval application was submitted to the Building Safety Regulator before that date and has not been rejected.
Questions to ask the developer
Which edition of Part L the plot is being built to. What heating system it will have, and whether solar PV is included. For an off-plan purchase, the predicted energy assessment, which shows the expected energy rating before completion. At handover, the EPC, the MCS certificate for any solar, and the heat pump's operating and maintenance information.
If your new build does have a gas boiler
Gas boilers are not being banned in existing homes: the Warm Homes Plan published in January 2026 did not bring in the previously proposed ban on new gas boilers after 2035, so you can keep and replace it. If you later switch to a heat pump, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme currently pays £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump. New builds that a developer is still building are not eligible, but GOV.UK says that if you move into a finished new build with a fossil fuel boiler, you may be able to get a grant for a heat pump under the scheme.
