Frequently asked questions

Ask three questions: does it sit next to existing homes, can a car get onto it safely from a public road, and is it outside the worst flood risk? If the answer to all three is yes, it is worth an appraisal. We will tell you honestly if we don't think homes are achievable.

Yes. Without permission we usually buy on a subject-to-planning contract or an option, so the price reflects value with permission rather than farmland value. If you need a quick, unconditional sale, we can also make an outright offer that reflects the planning risk.

We look at sites from around a quarter of an acre for a single plot up to large fields on the edge of towns. Size matters less than location, access and planning prospects.

No. We are the buyer, not an agent, so there is no commission. You will normally pay your own solicitor unless we agree otherwise in writing.

Yes. Land without consent is bought and sold every day. The question is whether you want a lower price now or a higher price later that depends on permission being granted.

Hope value is the premium a buyer pays above the current use value because there is a realistic prospect of planning permission. It is higher the more likely and closer that permission is.

On subject-to-planning and option deals we normally fund the planning work. On an outright purchase it is our risk and our cost after completion.

On a conditional contract or option, if permission is not granted within the agreed period the deal ends and you keep the land. Any option fee paid is usually yours to keep.

Yes. Your solicitor will divide the title, and your mortgage lender will need to agree to release the land if it has a charge over it.

It can, especially if the garden becomes small or overlooked. We'll talk this through so you can weigh it against the plot price.

Not to sell it, but planning permission is what gives the land its value, so we usually buy subject to planning.

Combined sites often work better. We can make offers to both and structure the deal so each owner is treated fairly.

A contract that gives the buyer the right to buy your land within a set period, usually after planning permission is granted. You receive an option fee now and the purchase price if the option is exercised.

Normally, yes. The terms are set out in the agreement.

Usually as a percentage of the land's market value once permission is granted, minus agreed costs, with a minimum price. The percentage and deductions are negotiated.

It varies with the site. Several years is typical for land needing local plan allocation, often with extension rights.

A sale where contracts are exchanged now, but completion depends on planning permission being granted. If it isn't granted by the long-stop date, the contract can end.

We do, along with the surveys and consultants needed to support it.

We may appeal if the contract allows. If permission isn't secured by the long-stop date, the contract ends and you keep your land.

Usually yes, until we need access for surveys or until completion.

They can agree a sale and start the legal work, but most solicitors won't exchange contracts until the grant is issued, and completion needs it.

Executors make the decision, but they must act in the beneficiaries' interests. Many involve beneficiaries to avoid disputes. Take legal advice if there's disagreement.

Inheritance tax may apply to the estate, and capital gains tax may apply to any rise in value after death. Speak to the estate's accountant or solicitor.

It can still be sold. The title will be registered as part of the sale, which adds some time.