Petition
Make property offers legally binding upon acceptance in England and Wales
Rejected
9 signatures
What the petition asks
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.
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.
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.
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 the following petition, which calls for similar action:
Amend the home buying process in England to align with Scotland
Amend the home buying process in England to align with Scotland
Amend the home buying process in England to align with Scotland
Amend the home buying process in England to align with Scotland
Timeline
| 17 Nov 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 15 Dec 2025 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
9
Status
Rejected
Rejected
15 Dec 2025
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 31 Aug 2026.