Outright purchase: how it works
We agree a price and buy the land, with no planning condition attached.
An outright purchase is a straightforward sale: we agree a price, carry out due diligence, exchange contracts and complete, without waiting for planning permission. It gives a landowner certainty and speed, and suits land with planning permission or a clear planning route.
How does an outright purchase work?
Free appraisal
We look at the land, its title and its planning position and tell you whether an outright purchase makes sense.
Offer and heads of terms
We put our offer in writing with the main terms: price, timing, what is included and any conditions such as survey and title.
Due diligence
Our solicitors review title and searches; we may survey the land. You instruct your own solicitor.
Exchange and completion
Contracts are exchanged, then completion takes place and you are paid.
Is it right for you?
What you gain
- Certainty: no waiting for a planning decision
- A clean break from the land
- Simple legal documentation
- Often the quickest route to money in the bank
What to weigh up
- The price reflects any planning risk we take on
- You will not share in later uplift unless overage is agreed
- Due diligence can still raise questions to resolve
Usually suits
- Land with outline or full planning permission
- Brownfield and redundant buildings with a clear route
- Owners who want certainty and a clean break
Every site is different. Take independent legal, valuation and tax advice before agreeing terms; we are happy to work with your advisers.
Land this route often suits
WantedResidential development land
Land that could take new homes, from a handful of plots to whole neighbourhoods.
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WantedLand with planning permission
Sites with outline or full permission for homes, including permissions close to expiry.
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WantedBrownfield land
Previously developed sites: former yards, depots, works and cleared plots.
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WantedInfill plots
Gaps between existing buildings on established streets.
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WantedSmall sites
Sites for roughly 1 to 9 homes in towns and villages.
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WantedCommercial and industrial sites
Industrial units, yards and commercial land where homes could replace the current use.
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WantedRedundant buildings
Empty offices, shops, pubs and other buildings suited to conversion or redevelopment.
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WantedGarage courts and yards
Lock-up garage blocks, parking courts and small service yards.
Learn moreOutright purchase by area
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- County Durham
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- The East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- The 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
- The West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire
- Clwyd
- Dyfed
- Gwent
- Gwynedd
- Mid Glamorgan
- Powys
- South Glamorgan
- West Glamorgan
Outright purchase: questions
Can I include overage in an outright sale?
Yes. If you want a share of any future uplift, for example if a larger scheme is later approved, an overage clause can be negotiated.
Do you need to survey the land first?
We usually carry out some checks before exchange, such as title review, searches and, where relevant, ground or ecology surveys.
Will you pay a deposit?
Deposits on exchange are common and are agreed as part of the heads of terms.
Is an outright purchase always quicker?
Usually, but timing still depends on title, searches and both sides' solicitors.