Option agreements for land in Maidstone
If you own land in or around Maidstone, option agreements is one of four ways you can sell it to us. Here's how it works and when it makes sense.
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.
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- Independent advice encouraged
- We fund the planning work
Selling land near Maidstone?
Free, no-obligation appraisal.
Maidstone at a glance
Maidstone lies in Kent, where it is the main town we cover. Nearby, we also look at land around Chatham (8 miles), Rochester (8 miles) and Gillingham (9 miles).
Metropolitan Green Belt in the west, the Kent Downs and High Weald National Landscapes, and growth around Ashford, Maidstone and the Medway towns.
| Town | Maidstone |
|---|---|
| County | Kent |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | ME14 |
| OS grid square | TQ75 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Chatham (8 mi), Rochester (8 mi), Gillingham (9 mi) |
| 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 |
When an option agreement suits land near Maidstone
- Owners happy to wait several years for a higher price
- Holdings where several owners need to work together
- Land needing access or infrastructure to be unlocked
- Owners who want to keep farming until development
If your land could be allocated in a future local plan, an option keeps it moving towards development without you funding the work.
How the money works
Purchase price
Often a percentage of market value with permission, less agreed costs.
Minimum price
A floor that protects you if values fall.
Term
How long we have to secure permission and exercise the option.
Exercise triggers
What has to happen before we can buy.
Land near Maidstone that an option agreement suits
Land without planning permission in Maidstone
We pay for the right to buy later and fund the planning work meanwhile.
Large strategic sites in Maidstone
The usual route: an option fee now and a price based on market value later.
Farmland and agricultural land in Maidstone
Common for edge-of-town farmland promoted through the local plan.
Landlocked land and access problems in Maidstone
Useful while access is negotiated with neighbours.
How a sale works
Send us the address
A postcode, a plan or a what3words location is enough to start.
We check it properly
Title, planning history, access, flood maps and local policy.
You get a written offer
With the main figures behind it, so your adviser can check it.
The legal work
Your solicitor and ours handle the contract through to completion.
Planning and legal points for land in Kent
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
- The address or postcode
- A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Any planning applications or letters
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
What people ask us about an option 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.
How long do options last?
It varies with the site. Several years is typical for land needing local plan allocation, often with extension rights.
What's the difference between an option and a promotion agreement?
Under an option the buyer has the right to buy the land. Under a promotion agreement a promoter gets permission and then sells the land on the open market, taking a share of the proceeds. We offer options, not promotion agreements.
Do you cover the villages around Maidstone?
Yes. Villages between Maidstone, Chatham and Rochester often have the kind of edge-of-settlement land we're looking for.
Also near Maidstone
More land we buy in Maidstone
- 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 Maidstone
- Option agreements in Kent
Get a straight answer about your land
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.