Option agreements for land in Barnet
Choosing how to sell matters as much as choosing who to sell to. For land near Barnet, an option agreement trades certainty and timing in a particular way.
An option agreement gives a buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy land within a set period, usually once planning permission is obtained. The landowner receives an option fee up front and, if the option is exercised, a price normally based on market value with permission, less agreed deductions.
- Free appraisal and written offer
- Independent advice encouraged
- We fund the planning work
Tell us about your land
We'll check the title and planning, then call you.
Land around Barnet
Barnet (EN5) sits in OS grid square TQ29, about 10 miles north of central London. Sites between here and Hadley Wood or Borehamwood are just as much of interest to us.
Land is scarce and mostly brownfield. The outer boroughs contain Metropolitan Green Belt and metropolitan open land, both closely protected.
| Town | Barnet |
|---|---|
| County | Greater London |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | EN5 |
| OS grid square | TQ29 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Hadley Wood (2 mi), Potters Bar (3 mi), Borehamwood (3 mi) |
| Distance from central London | About 10 miles north |
| Planning system | National Planning Policy Framework and local plan |
| When you're paid | Option fee now, price when the option is exercised |
| Planning costs | Ours, sometimes recoverable from the price |
Who an option agreement works best for
- Larger fields and blocks on the edge of towns and villages
- Owners happy to wait several years for a higher price
- Land needing access or infrastructure to be unlocked
- Owners who want to keep farming until development
Options are the usual way to bring larger sites forward. They let us invest in planning while you keep ownership and the use of your land.
What to check in an option agreement
Option fee
A payment on signing, which you usually keep even if the option isn't exercised.
Purchase price
Often a percentage of market value with permission, less agreed costs.
Minimum price
A floor that protects you if values fall.
Deductions
Which planning and infrastructure costs come off the price before you're paid.
Land near Barnet that an option agreement suits
Land with planning permission in Barnet
Rarely needed once consent exists, but can suit phased sites.
Land for affordable homes in Barnet
Useful while housing need is evidenced and a scheme is prepared.
Infill plots and gap sites in Barnet
Seldom needed for single infill plots.
Small sites in Barnet
Useful if land needs assembling from more than one owner.
How a sale works
Tell us about your land
Send the postcode or address and a rough size.
We do the homework
We read the title and planning record and check flood risk and access.
We put an offer in writing
It shows how we got there. There's no obligation to accept.
Solicitors complete the sale
Exchange and complete, or exchange now and complete when planning is granted.
What England's rules mean for your land
Planning framework
Planning decisions in England follow the National Planning Policy Framework, revised in August 2026, and the local plan, prepared by the council or, in a national park, the park authority. Plans are reviewed periodically, which is when new housing sites are usually allocated.
Section 106 and CIL
Larger schemes often need a Section 106 agreement for affordable housing or contributions, and councils that have adopted the Community Infrastructure Levy charge it per square metre of new floorspace.
When the land isn't straightforward
You're worried about the deductions
Ask for a clear list and a cap on what can be deducted. We'll explain each one.
You'd like your advisers' costs covered
Many option agreements include a contribution to the landowner's legal and agent costs. We'll tell you if ours does.
Useful to send us
- A rough size, in acres or hectares
- Any planning applications or letters
- Photos of the land and its access
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Common questions
Do I keep the option fee if you don't buy?
Normally, yes. The terms are set out in the agreement.
How is the price set?
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.
Can I sell to someone else during the option?
Not usually. The option binds the land, and it's normally registered against your title.
Do you cover the villages around Barnet?
Yes. Villages between Barnet, Hadley Wood and Potters Bar often have the kind of edge-of-settlement land we're looking for.
Other land types and routes
- Development land
- Land with planning permission
- Land without planning permission
- Large strategic sites
- Green belt and grey belt land
- Land for affordable homes
- Farmland and agricultural land
- Paddocks and equestrian land
- Barns and rural buildings
- Building plots
- Garden land and backland
- Infill plots and gap sites
- Small sites
- Garage sites
- Brownfield land
- Redundant commercial and industrial land
- Inherited and probate land
- Landlocked land and access problems
- Outright purchase
- Subject-to-planning sale
- Joint ventures
- All land in Barnet
- Option agreements in Greater London
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Barnet
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.