There's no legal deadline to respond to a house offer in the UK—but best practice is within 24–72 hours. Here's how to handle offers professionally, what your options are, and how timing affects negotiations.
Quick Answer
No. In England and Wales, there is no law specifying how long a seller must take to respond to an offer on their property. An offer to purchase property is not a legally binding contract—it's an informal expression of interest until exchange of contracts happens.
This works both ways: the buyer can also withdraw their offer at any time before exchange, and so can you as the seller. However, in practice, taking too long to respond erodes buyer confidence and risks losing the sale.
| Response Time | Perception | Appropriate When |
|---|---|---|
| Same day | Enthusiastic and decisive | Offer at or near asking price; you're eager to sell |
| 24 hours | Professional and prompt | Most situations; ideal for maintaining buyer confidence |
| 48–72 hours | Considered | Waiting for other offers; need to discuss with family |
| 3–7 days | Slow; buyer may move on | Only if genuinely awaiting better information |
| Over a week | Very slow; suggests disinterest | Rarely advisable; high risk of losing buyer |
If you genuinely need more time—for example, you're waiting to see if another viewing leads to a competing offer—the professional approach is to ask your estate agent to communicate this to the buyer. Something like: "The seller is considering the offer and hopes to respond within 48 hours" keeps the buyer informed and avoids them feeling ignored.
If the offer is acceptable, instruct your estate agent to formally inform the buyer in writing. Note that an accepted offer in England and Wales is not legally binding—either party can still withdraw before exchange of contracts. It's "subject to contract" (STC).
Once you accept, your agent should take the property off the market (listed as "Sale Agreed" or "Under Offer") and you should instruct your solicitor as soon as possible.
If an offer is clearly too low and you're not interested in negotiating, you can simply reject it through your estate agent. You don't need to provide a reason, though giving one can help the buyer understand what it would take to reopen discussions.
Be careful not to reject outright when a counter-offer might be more productive—a flat rejection closes the conversation, whereas a counter keeps it going.
The most common outcome when an offer isn't quite right. You propose an alternative price (usually between the original offer and your asking price), and the buyer can accept, reject, or counter again.
Counter-offers work best when they're close enough to the buyer's figure to keep them engaged but clearly reflect your expectations. Going straight back to full asking price after a low offer is unlikely to work—meeting somewhere in the middle is more effective.
If your property receives multiple offers—common in competitive markets or for popular properties—you have several options:
⚠️ Gazumping
In England and Wales, you can legally accept a better offer even after you've already accepted another—right up to the point of exchange. This is called gazumping and while legal, it's considered poor practice and damages trust. Sellers who gazump regularly find their chain becomes vulnerable to the same treatment. The moral and reputational risk of gazumping rarely outweighs a modest financial gain.
Accepting an offer starts the conveyancing process. Here's what comes next:
| Step | Who Does It | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Agent marks property STC | Estate agent | Same day as acceptance |
| Instruct solicitors (both sides) | Buyer and seller independently | Day 1–3 |
| Complete property information forms | Seller | Week 1 |
| Draft contracts sent | Seller's solicitor | Week 1–2 |
| Searches, survey, mortgage (buyer) | Buyer and buyer's solicitor | Weeks 2–8 |
| Enquiries and replies | Both solicitors | Weeks 4–10 |
| Exchange of contracts | Both solicitors | Week 8–14 |
| Completion | Both solicitors + everyone | 1–2 weeks after exchange |
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