Sell your land outright
An outright purchase, or unconditional sale, is a sale where we agree a price, exchange contracts and complete without waiting for planning permission. It's the quickest and most certain way to sell, but the price reflects the planning risk the buyer takes on.
If certainty matters more than squeezing out the highest possible figure, an outright purchase is usually the right route.
- No commission: we're the buyer
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- Independent advice encouraged
Get an offer for your land
Send the postcode and a rough size. We'll come back with a straight answer.
Land this route suits
- Land with planning permission already granted
- Owners who want a clean break
- Executors winding up an estate
- Businesses relocating from a site
- Land with a registered title and no disputes
- Sites where any hope value is modest
- Owners who've had a sale fall through
An outright sale means you're paid on completion and the land, and its risks, become ours.
How an outright land sale compares
This is the route for land with planning permission, for executors who need to wind up an estate, and for anyone who'd rather not wait.
| Feature | Outright purchase | Subject-to-planning sale | Option agreements | Joint ventures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| When you're paid | On completion | On completion, after permission is granted | Option fee now, price when the option is exercised | Over time, as homes are built and sold |
| Certainty | High once contracts are exchanged | Medium: depends on planning | Lower: depends on planning over time | Lowest: you share in sales risk |
| Price | Lower than a conditional deal, reflecting the risk we take | Usually higher than an outright sale | Based on market value with permission, less agreed deductions | A share of the development value, if the scheme succeeds |
| Planning costs | Ours, after completion | Ours | Ours, sometimes recoverable from the price | Shared or ours, as agreed |
| Timescale | Set mainly by the legal work | Planning period, often months | Often several years | The longest route |
| Best for | Consented land, estates, owners who want certainty | Plots, garden land and small sites | Larger and strategic sites | Owners who want to share in development value |
The terms that matter
Planning risk
Without permission, the price reflects the chance planning is refused.
Speed
A faster sale can mean a lower price than a conditional deal that waits for permission.
Overage
Adding an overage clause can let you share in later uplift after an outright sale.
Title
Clean, registered title keeps an unconditional sale simple.
Vacant possession
Land free of tenants and occupiers completes more easily.
Deposit
A deposit is usually paid on exchange, with the balance on completion.
Costs
You normally pay your own legal costs on a straightforward sale.
When the land isn't straightforward
You think the land might get planning later
An overage clause can pay you a share of any future uplift.
You need the money by a certain date
Tell us at the start. We'll be honest about whether that's achievable.
A previous buyer pulled out
With an unconditional exchange, we're legally committed to complete.
What happens next
Tell us about your land
Send the address or postcode, a rough size and anything you know about planning. A plan or a photo helps but isn't essential.
We check it properly
We look at the title, planning history, access, flood maps and local policy, then call you to talk it through.
You get a written offer
We put the offer in writing with the main figures behind it, so you or your adviser can check it. There's no obligation and no deadline we impose.
Solicitors do the legal work
Your solicitor and ours deal with the contract. On an outright sale we exchange and complete; on a conditional deal we exchange now and complete when the condition is met.
England and Wales: what's different
We buy land in both countries. These are the rules most likely to affect an outright land sale.
England
Land registration
Land in England is registered with HM Land Registry. Unregistered land needs first registration when it's sold, which your solicitor arranges.
Wales
Land registration
HM Land Registry covers Wales as well as England. Unregistered land needs first registration when it's sold.
Questions about an outright land sale
What is an outright land sale?
A sale with no conditions such as planning permission. Once contracts are exchanged, both sides are committed to complete on the agreed date.
How fast can an outright sale complete?
It depends on the title, searches and how quickly both solicitors work. Straightforward registered land can move quickly; we won't promise a date before seeing the title.
Does an outright sale pay the most?
Usually not, for land without permission. You're trading some price for speed and certainty. A conditional deal or option may pay more but takes longer.
When do I get paid?
Normally a deposit at exchange and the balance at completion, as set out in the contract.
Can I still benefit if you get planning later?
Yes, if we agree an overage clause in the contract.
Can you pull out after exchange?
No. An unconditional exchange is legally binding on both sides.
Related guides
Outright purchase by county
England
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- County Durham
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire
Wales
Find out what we'd pay for your land
Send us the postcode and a rough size. We'll check the title and planning position and come back with a straight answer.