Petition
Reform Home Buying so Agreed Sales Require A Deposit & Binding Commitment
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
We call on the Government to reform home buying in England and Wales so that when a sale is agreed, the buyer must place a deposit. If either party withdraws for reasons other than genuine exceptional circumstances, they lose the deposit.
This would bring the system closer to Scotlands where accepted offers are binding, reducing failed sales and giving buyers and sellers more certainty.
In England and Wales nearly a third of sales collapse after an offer is accepted causing wasted money, delays and stress. A binding commitment at the point of sale would:
Cut the number of failed transactions
Protect both buyer and seller form wasted costs
Make the process faster, fairer and more reliable
Its time to modernise home buying
In England and Wales nearly a third of sales collapse after an offer is accepted causing wasted money, delays and stress. A binding commitment at the point of sale would:
Cut the number of failed transactions
Protect both buyer and seller form wasted costs
Make the process faster, fairer and more reliable
Its time to modernise home buying
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
You may wish to sign this petition, which calls for a similar action: "Amend the home buying process in England to align with Scotland" Amend the home buying process in England to align with Scotland
Timeline
| 3 Oct 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 29 Oct 2025 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
29 Oct 2025
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 27 Jul 2026.