Acquiring Ownership of a New House

[One]

Lets say I purchased a new house in a housing estate from a building company. To be more specific, lets say I signed the contract to purchase that house nad the site that the house is on. Before that house is fully constructed and before I move in who owns that house?

 

[huskerdu]

Any property belongs to the seller, until the sale is completed.
A contract is an agreement to buy the property on a date in the future. You dont own it until the sale completes.

 

[One]

And when does the sale complete? Is that when it is registered in the land registry office?

 

[j26]

In the situation above, ownership doesn't change hands until the contract is completed (i..e. the deed of transfer signed, and generally the purchase money paid over in full - commonly called "closing"). At that point title changes hands.

It can happen that a vendor will allow the purchaser in to the property before the contract is completed on a caretaker basis, but it would need to be stipulated in the contract, and in that situation, title still doesn't change until the contract is completed.