Published 1 September 2026 | By FJP Investment Editorial Team

If you have spent any time looking at property listings in the UK, you will almost certainly have seen the words Sold STC.

It can look as though the property has already gone and there is no point enquiring about it.

That is not quite what it means.

Sold STC stands for “Sold Subject to Contract”. It means the seller has accepted an offer, but the legal work has not yet reached the point where buyer and seller are contractually committed to the transaction.

In England and Wales, that normally happens when contracts are exchanged.

Until then, the transaction can still change. The buyer can withdraw, the seller can withdraw, the price can potentially be renegotiated and another interested buyer may still make an offer.

This guide explains exactly what Sold STC means, whether you can still view or offer on the property, what happens after an offer is accepted and when the sale finally becomes legally binding.

Important: This article focuses mainly on the home-buying process in England and Wales. Property transactions operate differently in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

What does Sold STC mean?

Sold Subject to Contract means that an offer has been accepted by the seller but contracts have not yet been exchanged.

The government describes a property at this stage as sold subject to contract because the paperwork has not yet been finalised.

It is therefore better thought of as:

“Sale agreed, but not legally completed or contractually binding yet.”

The buyer will normally now begin or continue with:

• their full mortgage application;
• conveyancing;
• property searches;
• a survey;
• legal enquiries;
• reviewing the title;
• agreeing fixtures and fittings; and
• negotiating the eventual completion date.

The seller’s solicitor or conveyancer will also prepare the legal documentation needed to transfer ownership.

The government’s home-selling guidance confirms that an accepted offer remains subject to contract until exchange takes place.

Is Sold STC legally binding?

No, not in England and Wales.

An accepted offer is not legally binding until contracts are exchanged.

That remains true even where:

• the seller has accepted the offer in writing;
• the estate agent has changed the listing to Sold STC;
• the buyer has instructed a solicitor;
• the mortgage application is underway;
• the buyer has paid for a survey; or
• both parties fully intend to proceed.

Those steps show commitment, but they do not create the final binding property contract.

Government guidance on making an offer on a home expressly states that an offer is not legally binding in England and Wales until exchange of contracts.

Can you still make an offer on a Sold STC property?

Yes.

Another buyer can still make an offer before contracts have been exchanged.

In fact, estate agents are generally legally obliged to pass offers on to the seller right up to exchange, unless the seller has given specific instructions that certain types of offers should not be passed on.

Government guidance confirms that estate agents must pass on other offers for the property until contracts are exchanged.

The latest Property Ombudsman Code of Practice also states that estate agents must continue passing on offers after one has been accepted subject to contract, unless instructed otherwise by the seller.

So seeing “Sold STC” on a listing does not mean you are legally prevented from making an offer.

Whether doing so is worthwhile is a different question.

Will the seller actually consider another offer?

Some sellers will. Others will not.

A seller who is happy with the existing buyer, confident that their mortgage is progressing and keen to keep the transaction moving may have no interest in reopening negotiations.

Another seller may reconsider if:

• the existing buyer is progressing very slowly;
• the buyer has not instructed a solicitor;
• mortgage finance appears uncertain;
• the buyer has a long or unstable property chain;
• another buyer is chain-free;
• a new offer is materially higher; or
• the alternative buyer can complete much faster.

Price is therefore not always the only consideration.

A £300,000 offer from a first-time buyer with a mortgage agreed in principle may sometimes be more attractive to a seller than a £305,000 offer from somebody who still needs to sell their own property.

Our guide to chain-free homes and buyers looks at why this can matter during negotiations.

What is gazumping?

Gazumping is the term commonly used when a seller accepts an offer from one buyer but later accepts a higher or otherwise more attractive offer from somebody else before exchange of contracts.

It is frustrating for the original buyer, particularly if they have already paid for:

• survey fees;
• mortgage valuations;
• legal work;
• searches; and
• other transaction costs.

But because the original sale is not yet legally binding, gazumping can occur in England and Wales.

MoneyHelper confirms that a seller can change their mind or accept a higher offer before exchange. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

This is one reason buyers are often keen to move from offer acceptance to exchange without unnecessary delays.

Does Sold STC mean the property should come off the market?

Usually, buyers will ask the estate agent to stop actively marketing the property after their offer has been accepted.

Government guidance recommends asking the agent to remove the listing from online property portals, although ultimately the seller decides whether marketing continues.

The Property Ombudsman Code requires agents to confirm the seller’s instructions about whether a property should be withdrawn from the market or continue being marketed after an offer is accepted subject to contract.

If marketing continues, the existing buyer should be informed.

So there are several possible situations:

• the property remains online but is marked Sold STC;
• it remains visible but new viewings are stopped;
• the seller continues accepting viewings as a backup;
• the listing is removed entirely; or
• the seller leaves it marketed until the buyer demonstrates sufficient progress.

There is no single rule that every estate agent must immediately remove an SSTC property from all advertising.

Can you still view a Sold STC property?

Potentially.

This depends on the seller’s instructions.

If the seller has withdrawn the property from active marketing, the estate agent may decline further viewings.

If the seller wants to keep backup interest available until exchange, additional viewings may continue.

A prospective buyer can therefore ask the agent:

“Is the seller still accepting viewings or backup offers?”

The answer will tell you much more than the Sold STC label itself.

What is the difference between Sold STC and Under Offer?

In everyday UK estate-agency usage, the two terms are often used interchangeably.

Government guidance describes under offer as effectively the same position as Sold Subject to Contract: an offer has been made and accepted, but contracts have not yet been exchanged.

Individual estate agents may use the phrases slightly differently on their websites.

For example, one agency might use “under offer” while negotiations are still being finalised and switch to “Sold STC” once an offer is formally accepted.

But legally, neither label means that ownership has transferred or that contracts have been exchanged.

What happens after a property becomes Sold STC?

This is where the real work begins.

The buyer will normally instruct their solicitor or conveyancer, submit their mortgage application and arrange a survey.

The seller’s conveyancer will prepare the draft contract package and provide information about the property.

The buyer’s conveyancer will then investigate matters such as:

• legal ownership;
• boundaries;
• rights of way;
• restrictive covenants;
• planning matters;
• drainage;
• local authority information;
• lease terms where relevant; and
• other legal issues affecting the property.

This process is known as conveyancing.

Our Conveyancing 101 guide explains the process in more detail.

What happens if the survey finds a problem?

Sold STC does not prevent the buyer from reconsidering the agreed price if new information emerges.

Suppose the buyer offers £350,000 based on the information available during the viewing.

A later survey might identify:

• roof problems;
• damp;
• structural movement;
• electrical issues;
• drainage defects;
• Japanese knotweed; or
• other expensive problems.

The buyer can then decide whether to proceed at the original price, renegotiate or withdraw.

Government guidance specifically notes that an offer made subject to contract can still be negotiated if, for example, a survey identifies a problem.

Our guide to what is commonly flagged during a property survey looks at many of these issues.

What if the mortgage valuation is lower than the agreed price?

This can create another negotiation during the SSTC period.

A buyer may agree to pay £400,000, only for their mortgage lender’s valuer to conclude that the property is worth £380,000.

The lender may then calculate the mortgage using the lower valuation.

The buyer may have to:

• contribute a larger deposit;
• negotiate a lower price;
• find another lender; or
• withdraw from the transaction.

Again, none of this is prevented by the Sold STC label because contracts have not yet been exchanged.

Can the buyer reduce their offer after Sold STC?

Yes.

Before exchange, a buyer can seek to renegotiate the price.

There may be perfectly legitimate reasons for doing so, particularly where a survey or valuation identifies information that was not available when the original offer was made.

However, deliberately reducing an offer very late in the transaction purely to put pressure on a seller is often referred to as gazundering.

The seller does not have to accept the revised figure.

They can refuse it, continue negotiating or put the property back on the market.

Can the seller pull out after Sold STC?

Yes, before contracts are exchanged in England and Wales.

The seller might change their mind because:

• they decide not to move;
• their onward purchase collapses;
• their circumstances change;
• the transaction takes too long;
• they cannot agree revised terms with the buyer; or
• they accept another offer.

The buyer may already have incurred costs by this stage, which is why a collapsed transaction can be financially painful even though no binding contract existed.

FJP has previously looked at this problem in our guide to home buyers’ protection insurance.

When does the sale finally become legally binding?

In England and Wales, the key point is exchange of contracts.

Once both sides have agreed the contract, signed the required documents and contracts are formally exchanged through the legal representatives, the agreement becomes legally binding.

The completion date is normally agreed at or before this point.

After exchange, simply deciding that you no longer fancy buying or selling the property is a very different matter.

A party that fails to complete can potentially face serious contractual and financial consequences.

Government conveyancing guidance confirms that the agreement to sell and buy becomes legally binding when contracts are exchanged. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

How long does a property normally remain Sold STC?

There is no fixed period.

The government’s home-selling guide indicates that the period from Sold STC through to moving can often be around twelve weeks, although actual timing varies considerably.

The wider government buying and selling guides now state that purchasing or selling a home takes around five months on average overall, and property chains can make the process longer. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

The SSTC stage can be affected by:

• mortgage processing;
• search turnaround times;
• survey results;
• leasehold enquiries;
• the length of the property chain;
• problems with title;
• missing documents;
• renegotiations; and
• how quickly both legal representatives respond.

A straightforward chain-free freehold purchase can therefore progress very differently from a complicated leasehold transaction involving several linked buyers and sellers.

What should you do if you really want a Sold STC property?

There is nothing wrong with registering your interest.

You could tell the estate agent:

• that you remain interested if the existing transaction falls through;
• your financial position;
• whether you are chain-free;
• whether you have a mortgage agreement in principle;
• how quickly you could instruct a solicitor; and
• whether you would like to make a formal offer now.

Even if the seller refuses another offer today, circumstances may change later.

Transactions fall through for many reasons.

Being the estate agent’s first backup buyer may therefore put you in a useful position without putting unnecessary pressure on the existing transaction.

Should you offer more than the accepted offer?

That is entirely a matter for the individual buyer.

Do not assume that because another buyer has already secured the property you need to make an irrationally high offer to dislodge them.

Consider:

• what comparable properties have actually sold for;
• your maximum budget;
• the condition of the property;
• how much you genuinely want that particular home;
• the likely mortgage valuation; and
• whether another suitable property is available.

The asking price is not automatically the property’s market value, and neither is the amount another buyer happened to offer.

If a listing uses terminology such as Offers in Excess Of, our updated OIEO guide explains how buyers can approach the advertised price.

Frequently asked questions about Sold STC

What does Sold STC stand for?

Sold STC means Sold Subject to Contract. The seller has accepted an offer, but contracts have not yet been exchanged.

Is a Sold STC property definitely sold?

No. The transaction is progressing, but in England and Wales it is not legally binding until exchange of contracts.

Can I still make an offer on a Sold STC house?

Yes. Another buyer can make an offer before contracts are exchanged. Estate agents generally remain obliged to pass offers to the seller unless the seller has instructed them otherwise.

Can you still view a Sold STC property?

Possibly. It depends on whether the seller has instructed the estate agent to continue accepting viewings.

Can a seller accept another offer after going Sold STC?

Yes, before exchange of contracts. Accepting another offer after previously agreeing a sale is commonly known as gazumping.

Can the buyer pull out after Sold STC?

Yes, before exchange in England and Wales. Buyers may withdraw because of survey problems, mortgage difficulties, a change of circumstances or simply because they decide not to proceed.

Can the buyer renegotiate after Sold STC?

Yes. The price can still be negotiated before exchange, particularly where a survey or mortgage valuation identifies a material issue.

What is the difference between Sold STC and Under Offer?

The terms are often used interchangeably. Both generally indicate that an offer has been accepted but contracts have not yet been exchanged.

When is a house legally sold?

In England and Wales, the buyer and seller normally become legally committed at exchange of contracts. Legal ownership itself transfers on completion.

Final thoughts

A Sold STC board is best understood as an important milestone rather than the end of the transaction.

The seller has chosen a buyer and agreed a price, but there is still a substantial amount of work between offer acceptance and completion.

Surveys can uncover problems. Mortgage valuations can come in low. Chains can collapse. Buyers and sellers can change their minds. And another offer can still arrive.

That does not mean buyers should treat every Sold STC property as fair game and aggressively try to disrupt somebody else’s purchase.

But if a property genuinely interests you, there is no harm in asking the estate agent whether the seller is still accepting interest or whether they would like your details kept as a backup.

Jamie Johnson, CEO of FJP Investment, comments: “Sold STC sounds much more final than it actually is. The seller has agreed a deal, but until contracts are exchanged there is still risk on both sides. If you’re the buyer, the best thing you can normally do is get your mortgage, survey and solicitor moving quickly rather than assuming the property is yours because the board outside has changed.”

For the existing buyer, the goal is straightforward: progress the transaction efficiently and get to exchange.

For everybody else, Sold STC means the property is spoken for — but not legally sold just yet.

This article is provided for general information only and should not be regarded as legal, mortgage or financial advice. The home-buying process differs between jurisdictions and individual transactions. Appropriate professional advice should be obtained where required.