Make property offers legally binding upon acceptance in England and Wales
Introduce a law where an offer on a property becomes legally binding once accepted , to prevent gazumping, gazundering and unnecessary financial losses for buyers and sellers.
Signatures
9
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 9/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 9/100,000
- 15 DEC 2025Petition rejectedduplicate
You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action: Amend the home buying process in England to align with Scotland https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/739512
- 17 NOV 2025Petition created
Background
In England and Wales, buyers and sellers can pull out of a property deal anytime before contracts are exchanged, leaving both sides exposed to gazumping, gazundering, and losing money on surveys, legal fees, and mortgage costs.
In Scotland, an accepted offer becomes legally binding earlier through the conclusion of missives, giving more certainty, fewer fall-throughs, and a fairer, more efficient market.
We want a law that requires property offers to become legally binding upon acceptance.