Outright sale, subject to planning or option: which suits you?
An outright sale pays you on completion and gives the most certainty, but at a lower price if there's no planning permission. A subject-to-planning sale pays more but completes only if permission is granted. An option pays a fee now and usually the highest price later, if the buyer exercises it.
Updated October 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.
When should I choose an outright sale?
When certainty matters most: you need the money, you're winding up an estate, or the land already has permission. You'll be paid on completion, and the planning risk becomes the buyer's.
When does a subject-to-planning sale make sense?
When there's a good chance of permission in a reasonable time, such as a building plot, garden land or small site. You exchange contracts now and complete once permission is granted. The buyer pays for the application. If permission isn't secured by the long-stop date, you keep your land.
When is an option the right route?
For larger sites that need a longer planning journey, often through the local plan. You receive an option fee and keep using your land. If the buyer gets permission and exercises the option, you're paid a price usually linked to market value at that time, less agreed costs.
What about a joint venture?
A joint venture shares the profit from building the homes. It can pay the most overall but takes longest and means you share in the risk of the homes selling for less than expected.
How do I decide?
Ask yourself how soon you need the money, how much risk you're comfortable with, and how good the planning prospects really are. Then take independent advice. Our page comparing the four ways to sell sets out the differences side by side.
This guide is general information for landowners in England and Wales. It isn't legal, tax or financial advice. Take advice from a solicitor, surveyor or accountant about your own situation.