A guide for sellers

How to check a property buying company, including us.

Selling to a property buying company can be the right answer. With the wrong company it can go badly. These are the checks worth making before you sign anything, with our own answer next to each one so you can hold us to it.

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The eight checks

Who the company is
What other sellers say
Industry membership
How the price is worked out
Fees
Tie ins and contract length
Your own solicitor
Proof they can pay

Our own answer to each one is below.

The basics

What a property buying company is, and what it costs you.

A property buying company buys homes directly from their owners. There is no estate agent, no viewings and no chain, the property can be in any condition, and the completion date is set around the seller rather than the market.

The price of that certainty is a discount on the open market value. A reputable buyer is straight about that before you spend any time with them, and shows you the workings. Our offer letter names the sales it rests on and what we allowed for, and our What we pay page shows what you would walk away with next to an estate agent sale, before you talk to anyone.

It is not the right answer for everyone. If you have time, the property is in good order and the highest price matters most, an estate agent will usually get you more. We would rather say so now than buy your home at a price you regret.

When it tends to make sense

The eight checks

What to look for, and how we answer.

Make these checks with any buyer you are considering. We have put our own answer next to each one, including the ones where, as a new company, we are still building our record.

Who the company is
A limited company you can look up free on Companies House, with a registered office, named directors and a filing history. A company that has traded for a few years has a record you can check.
Our answer
We are a new company, and we say so. Our address is Technology Centre, 40 Vulcan Road South, Norwich, Norfolk, NR6 6AF.
What other sellers say
Reviews on Trustpilot and Google, and case studies you can check. Read the poor reviews as well as the good ones, and how the company replied.
Our answer
We are new, so we will not show you star ratings we have not earned. As we buy homes, sellers' own words will appear here, unedited. Until then, judge us on the other seven checks.
Industry membership
Membership of The Property Ombudsman, which gives you a free, independent route if a complaint is not resolved, and of the National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB), which only accepts companies that buy directly and requires the Ombudsman's code of practice. Check the membership on their own websites, not just a logo.
Our answer
Our memberships will be listed here with numbers you can check on each scheme's own website, and not before. We will not show you a logo we have not earned.
How the price is worked out
A buyer who can explain the offer: the sales nearby it used, what it thinks the home is worth on the open market, and the discount it has applied. Be wary of ‘up to’ figures and prices with no workings.
Our answer
Our offer letter names the comparable sales we used and what we allowed for, and our What we pay page shows what you would walk away with next to an estate agent sale, before you talk to anyone.
Fees
No fee to value your home, no fee to register and nothing to pay before completion. A request for money upfront is a red flag.
Our answer
None. No fees, no valuation charge and no commission, and we pay your legal fees when you use our partner solicitor.
Tie ins and contract length
Option agreements or exclusivity periods that stop you selling elsewhere, especially for more than a few weeks, and fees for pulling out.
Our answer
No option agreements, no exclusivity, no lock in and no fee for walking away. You can withdraw at no cost at any point before exchange, and there is a 7 day cooling off period after you accept.
Your own solicitor
The right to use your own solicitor, and a clear answer if the buyer recommends one: who pays, and whether the buyer is paid for the referral.
Our answer
You are always free to use your own solicitor. If you use our partner solicitor, we pay their fees, and they act for you, not us.
Proof they can pay
Evidence of funds before you exchange, and a straight answer to whether the buyer is using its own money or plans to sell the property on before completing.
Our answer
Our offer letter says which of our two ways of buying applies. When we exchange with a deposit, the deposit is paid to you on exchange and is yours to keep if we fail to complete.

Red flags

Walk away if you see these.

From any buyer, including us.

Money before anything happens
Any fee before your home has been valued or the sale has started.
Where we stand: We never charge a fee.
Pressure to decide today
Offers that expire in hours, or calls that will not take no for an answer.
Where we stand: Our offer letters usually stay open for 14 days, and we can extend them in writing if you need longer.
Paperwork you cannot take away
A contract you are not given time to read, or are discouraged from showing a solicitor.
Where we stand: A solicitor acting for you explains every document before you sign.
A price with no workings
A figure nobody can explain, or an ‘up to’ price that is decided later.
Where we stand: Our letter names the comparable sales behind the price.
The price that drops at the end
A late reduction without evidence, once you are committed to moving.
Where we stand: The letter is the price. If something material comes to light, we show you the evidence and you can walk away free.
Offers far below the market
A discount much deeper than the norm, with no explanation.
Where we stand: Every offer we make is explained: the sales it rests on and what we allowed for. If another buyer is far lower and cannot say why, ask them.
Nobody to talk to
No names, no way to speak to a person, and calls or emails that go unanswered.
Where we stand: The person who would buy your home calls you, within one working day, in a slot you choose.
No address and no history
No registered company, no address and no evidence of past purchases.
Where we stand: Our address is at the foot of every page. We are new, and we will not pretend otherwise.