Expert guides covering everything you need to know about buying land in the UK — from legal requirements to financing and planning permission.
Guide series
When it's lawful, when it isn't, the planning routes, and how to check a specific plot before you buy — an honest, plain-English series for anyone hoping to live on their own land.
Start with the full guide →Guide series
How land auctions really work, why cheap lots are cheap, the legal pack, the fees, and the checks that have to happen before bid day, because the hammer is the contract.
Start with the full guide →Guide series
Can you legally live off-grid in the UK — and would the dream be lawful on a specific plot? An honest series on planning, access and water, and how to check before you buy.
Start with the full guide →
A 25 square metre sliver can carry a £12,000 asking price and both sides can be behaving reasonably. Why per-acre maths fails for small plots, what really sets the price, and the checks to run before you offer.
HM Land Registry sells nine different things to the public, with names that give no clue what they contain. Here is each one explained: what it is, when you need it, and the statutory fee.
Planning permission determines whether you can develop land. This guide explains how the UK planning system works, what land buyers must check before purchasing, and how to navigate the application process.
Complete guide to buying unregistered land in the UK. Learn about title investigation, first registration, common problems, and how to protect your investment when purchasing land that's not yet on the Land Registry.
Pre-auction offers and post-auction negotiations are both possible, but they typically proceed on the same non-negotiable auction terms. An unsold lot isn't a bargain—it's information about the seller's expectations.
At a traditional auction, you exchange on the fall of the hammer and must complete—usually within 28 days. Here's how buyers fund land purchases at auction, why bridging finance must be arranged before bid day, and the real costs involved.
The Modern Method of Auction dominates online portals selling land. You get a reservation period instead of exchange at the hammer — but the non-refundable reservation fee is the catch buyers often miss.
The traditional land auction process runs fast and binds you legally at the fall of the hammer. Here's how it really works, what it costs, and what happens if you can't complete in 28 days.
Cheap land at auction is usually correctly priced. Before you bid, understand the recurring red flags: no planning prospects, no legal access, restrictive covenants, flood risk, contamination, and more.
The legal pack tells you what you're buying in law—but not the full planning, physical or access reality. Here's what's in it, what's missing, and which special conditions can cost you thousands.
At a traditional land auction, the fall of the hammer is exchange of contracts. You're legally bound the second you win. That means every check—planning, access, flood risk, designations—happens before bid day, not after.
Land auctions offer speed and certainty to sellers—not bargains to buyers. The hammer fall is exchange of contracts, you're legally bound, and every check must happen before you bid. Here's how it really works.