Option agreements for land in Guildford
If you own land in or around Guildford, option agreements is one of four ways you can sell it to us. Here's how it works and when it makes sense.
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.
- No commission: we're the buyer
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- Independent advice encouraged
Selling land near Guildford?
Free, no-obligation appraisal.
Guildford at a glance
Guildford (GU1) sits in OS grid square SU94, roughly 6 miles south of Woking. Sites between here and Godalming or Aldershot are just as much of interest to us.
| Town | Guildford |
|---|---|
| County | Surrey |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | GU1 |
| OS grid square | SU94 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Godalming (4 mi), Woking (6 mi), Aldershot (8 mi) |
| Distance from Woking | About 6 miles south |
| 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 |
Is an option agreement right for your land?
- Land being considered in a local plan review
- 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
An option can capture more of your land's value where it needs a long planning journey, but the details matter. We explain every term before you commit.
How the money works
Option fee
A payment on signing, which you usually keep even if the option isn't exercised.
Minimum price
A floor that protects you if values fall.
Term
How long we have to secure permission and exercise the option.
Deductions
Which planning and infrastructure costs come off the price before you're paid.
Land near Guildford that an option agreement suits
Land for affordable homes in Guildford
Useful while housing need is evidenced and a scheme is prepared.
Paddocks and equestrian land in Guildford
Useful where the paddock could form part of a wider site.
Building plots in Guildford
Rarely needed for single plots.
Redundant commercial and industrial land in Guildford
Useful where vacant possession is some way off.
How a sale works
Send us the address
A postcode, a plan or a what3words location is enough to start.
We do the homework
We read the title and planning record and check flood risk and access.
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.
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 want to be sure we'll actually pursue planning
Agreements can include obligations to use reasonable endeavours and set milestones.
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
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
- Photos of the land and its access
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Your questions answered
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 Guildford?
Yes. Villages between Guildford, Godalming and Woking 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 Guildford
- Option agreements in Surrey
Get a straight answer about your land
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.