You have found a home you want to buy, your offer has been accepted, and you are ready to get things moving. It is an exciting moment. It can also feel uncertain when the mortgage, survey and legal work are still ahead of you.
A Gazeal Reservation Agreement gives you and the seller a way to make your commitment clear before exchange. You agree to move forward together, with the property reserved for you during an agreed period and a shared understanding of what happens next.
What does a Reservation Agreement do for a buyer?
A Reservation Agreement is a mutual financial commitment between you and the seller. You commit to progressing the purchase, and the seller agrees to reserve the property for you rather than continuing to market it or accepting another offer during the reservation period.
Both of you make an agreed financial commitment, backed by Gazeal. This provides protection if the other party withdraws unreasonably, subject to the terms you have agreed.
More confidence after your offer is accepted
As a buyer, you are preparing to invest time, energy and money in a home you do not yet own. Knowing that the seller has made a commitment to you can make this stage feel less like a waiting game.
The property is reserved for you. The seller agrees not to market it to other buyers during the agreed reservation period.
Your commitment is matched. You are not the only person promising to move forward. The seller makes a commitment too.
The next steps are clearer. You agree a timetable and know what you both need to do to work towards exchange.
You have agreed protection. Gazeal backs the financial commitment under the terms of your Reservation Agreement.
This helps protect you against gazumping, where a seller accepts another buyer's higher offer after agreeing a sale with you. The seller's promise to reserve the property is part of the agreement, rather than an informal reassurance.
Over 300,000 property sales collapse every year, that’s 1 in 3 transactions falling through.
With a 95% sale completion rate, we give you the certainty, protection, and peace of mind you deserve when purchasing your home.
Stand out as the Best Buyer.
Move with confidence.
The Reservation Guarantee
For Buyers who want certainty without tying up large sums of money, Gazeal’s Guarantee is the smartest way to commit. Instead of paying a holding deposit, you pay a small fee starting from £600 (inc. VAT) to guarantee a £2,000 commitment (or more if needed). The Seller matches this commitment, ensuring both parties are protected. If either party pulls out unreasonably, the innocent party is compensated.
The 3-Step Process to Secure Your Purchase
Step 1: Commitment
By asking the Agent about Gazeal’s Buyer commitment options, you can stand out from the crowd and give the Seller confidence in choosing you. There are two powerful ways to show you’re committed, protect your offer, and get it accepted faster.
Step 2: Lock In Your Commitment with Terms and Exclusivity
Once the parties have agreed on the commitment path:
You secure an exclusivity period (up to 6 months), where the Seller agrees not to market the property to other Buyers.
Both parties agree on a clear timeline and terms for exchanging contracts.
Your Commitment is secured, either with the Gazeal Guarantee or a Holding Deposit.
Step 3: Gazeal Protects Your Purchase to Exchange
With the agreement or deposit in place:
Exchange of contracts expected and both parties are locked-in to the terms agreed.
Breaking the agreement before exchange triggers a penalty. The defaulting party pays the agreed compensation to the innocent party.
If the defaulting party doesn’t pay, Gazeal provides a 100% guarantee that the compensation is paid to the innocent party swiftly.
All services are subject to their respective terms and conditions.
Fairness means a commitment on both sides
A Reservation Agreement should not feel like being asked to take all the risk. You commit to the purchase, while the seller commits to you as their buyer.
You and the seller set the terms together. Before signing, either party can propose changes. The final agreement should reflect the wording you have both reviewed, understood and accepted.
Committing to a purchase does not mean giving up the checks that help you make an informed decision. The agreement recognises justified reasons for withdrawing, and its terms determine when protection applies. It does not ask you to disregard what you learn during the transaction.
Gazeal backs the agreed commitment without representing either party. If there is a disagreement that you and the seller cannot resolve, the agreement provides a process involving an independent expert.
Trusted by 25,000+ homemovers
Gazeal is trusted by more than 25,000 homemovers. Here is what customers have shared about their Reservation Agreement experience.
Using Gazeal to secure my proposed purchase gave me the confidence that I would not be gazumped. I think I really only appreciated it, once I had exchanged and completed. Prior to that, although it made sense, I felt it was just an extra expense. However, I am pleased I used Gazeal to help secure my purchase, rather than get so far and it all go pear shaped. When my purchase took a little longer than expected, I was contacted by Gazeal and offered an additional length of time, for no further charge, to enable me get to the point of exchange, without the concern of the deal falling through. The seller and purchaser both have to commit to the agreement. Despite the additional expense it gives both parties the confidence that the other is serious and intends to go through with the sale/purchase, giving the required time for solicitors/conveyancers to do their work.
-Judith
Questions buyers often ask
Can the seller keep looking for another buyer?
Under the Reservation Agreement, the seller agrees to take the property off the market and not accept another offer during the agreed period. That exclusivity is part of their commitment to you.
What if we need more time?
Tell your agent as soon as a delay becomes apparent. An extension needs to be agreed with the seller and follow the terms of your agreement.
Make your next step a more confident one
If your offer has been accepted, ask the agent: “Can we reserve the property with a Gazeal Reservation Agreement?” It opens a conversation about commitment while you and the seller are planning the steps towards exchange.
For help understanding the process, talk to Gazeal about protecting your purchase.
Also selling a home? Read Reservation Agreement to protect my property sale to see how the agreement works from the seller's side.
This guide is a general introduction. Your signed agreement sets out the terms that apply to your transaction.
