For landowners

Start with an appraisal of what the land could take and the routes open to you: a direct sale, an option agreement or a promotion agreement. Then take independent advice from a solicitor and, ideally, a land agent before agreeing heads of terms. Land to Homes offers a free, no-obligation site appraisal and explains each route in writing.

Yes. Land often sells without planning, either for a price that reflects the planning risk or under a deal where the price is set once permission is granted. Land to Homes can buy suitable sites directly, with or without planning and with no onward chain, subject to survey, title and contract, or promote the land through planning with you.

An option agreement gives a developer the right, but not the obligation, to buy land within an agreed period, usually once planning permission is granted. The landowner normally receives an option fee, and the purchase price is worked out under an agreed formula. On option agreements with Land to Homes, we pay your reasonable legal fees, agreed up front in the heads of terms.

Under a promotion agreement, a promoter funds and manages the planning process, then markets the land for sale with the landowner once permission is granted. The proceeds are shared under an agreed formula after the promoter's costs. With Land to Homes there is nothing to pay upfront: planning costs are only recovered from the sale proceeds if the land sells with planning.

Fields and paddocks next to towns and villages, large gardens and backland, infill plots, brownfield and former commercial sites, farmland, and buildings that could convert to homes. Sites need realistic access and planning prospects. If land is too small or too constrained for us, we will say so plainly rather than leave you waiting for an answer.

Yes. Every landowner should have their own solicitor on a land sale or agreement, and many also use a land agent or chartered surveyor. On option and promotion agreements with Land to Homes, we pay your reasonable legal fees, with the amount agreed up front in the heads of terms before you instruct anyone.

Planning permission is consent from the planning authority to carry out development, such as building new homes or changing the use of land. Applications are judged against the local development plan and national policy, which differ in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Permission can be full, or outline, which is called planning permission in principle in Scotland.

No one can guarantee planning permission. Decisions rest with the planning authority or, on appeal, an independent appeal body. What we can do is assess the prospects honestly, prepare a thorough application and deal with likely objections early. If we think a site is unlikely to succeed, we will tell you before anyone spends time or money on it.