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Sold STC meaning: what it says about a house, and what happens between STC and completion

Sold STC meaning explained: it is a marketing label, not a legal status. See what it means in England, Wales and Scotland, and what comes next.

  • 5 min read
  • Last reviewed 5 November 2026
  • By Your Property Check team

Key answer

Sold STC meaning: "sold subject to contract". An offer has been accepted, but the sale is not legally binding. GOV.UK says that in England and Wales a property is not legally sold until contracts are exchanged. Until then either side can pull out, and the seller can in law consider other offers.

Part 1 of 8

What sold STC means

General information, not legal or financial advice. "STC" stands for "subject to contract". When a listing says sold STC, the seller has accepted an offer and the paperwork has started. The label is a marketing status chosen by the agent. It is not a legal category, and it does not tell you how far along the sale really is.

The law is set out on GOV.UK: "An offer is not legally binding in England and Wales until contracts are exchanged." It adds: "Your property is not legally sold until you've exchanged written contracts with the buyer." Citizens Advice says a written offer is always made subject to contract, which is where the phrase comes from.

Part 3 of 8

Can the seller still accept another offer?

Yes in law, though many sellers do not. Citizens Advice says there is "nothing in law to prevent you from changing your mind" after accepting an offer, and advises sellers to keep the details of other buyers in case the accepted one falls through. This is what people mean by gazumping, covered in our guide to gazumping and gazundering. The buyer has the same freedom: Citizens Advice notes they can withdraw, for example if they cannot get a mortgage or a survey reveals a structural problem.

Part 4 of 8

What happens between sold STC and completion

The usual order of steps in England and Wales, from GOV.UK and Citizens Advice, is below. GOV.UK says selling takes about 5 months on average, and longer if there is a chain, so treat any single timescale as a guide.

  1. Offer accepted. The seller accepts and the property is marked sold STC. A holding deposit may be asked of the buyer. Citizens Advice says it is usually £500 to £1,000 and refundable if the sale does not go ahead.
  2. Solicitors take over. GOV.UK says that once you accept an offer the buyer's solicitor or conveyancer arranges searches, and a solicitor or conveyancer does the legal work of transferring ownership.
  3. Survey and mortgage. The buyer's lender values the property and may reduce or withdraw the offer if the valuation is low or a survey finds a problem.
  4. Exchange of contracts. Citizens Advice says that at exchange both sides become legally bound. The buyer's deposit, often around 10% of the price, is paid to the seller's solicitor, who holds it until completion. A buyer who withdraws after this point will likely lose the deposit.
  5. Completion. Citizens Advice says this is usually about four weeks after exchange, though it can be earlier. The lender releases the funds, ownership transfers and the keys are handed over.

Part 5 of 8

How long from sold STC to completion?

No official source gives a standard figure for the gap between sold STC and exchange, because it depends on the length of the chain, the searches, the mortgage and any legal questions. The only sourced timings are the 5-month average for the whole sale on GOV.UK and the usual four weeks from exchange to completion at Citizens Advice.

Part 6 of 8

What it means if you are the buyer

A sold STC property is not yet yours. Think of the label as a sign that someone else is ahead of you in the queue, and that the sale may still collapse. Citizens Advice notes that a buyer may already have paid for a valuation, survey or legal work if a sale falls through. Before you spend on a property you are interested in, run a property check on the address.

Part 7 of 8

Scotland: sold, not sold STC

Scottish sales work differently. Citizens Advice Scotland describes an offer that includes a proposed date of entry. When two or more buyers are interested, a closing date is set and the seller can choose any offer: "You don't have to choose the highest one". Once an offer is accepted, the solicitors negotiate the remaining terms, and until that is finished "the sale is not legally binding and either side can break the agreement". The final agreement comes through formal letters between solicitors, called concluding the missives. After that, "neither the buyer nor the seller can break the agreement without having to pay compensation". The sale completes on the date of entry.

So in Scotland the legal commitment arrives earlier than exchange does in England and Wales. A listing marked sold there is not the same as sold STC in England, and the source does not use "sold" as a formal status, so ask the agent what stage the missives have reached.

Part 8 of 8

What a seller can do while sold STC

Keep the sale moving: respond quickly to your solicitor's questions, keep the property information accurate and stay in touch with your agent. Keep the details of other interested buyers, as Citizens Advice suggests. If the sale falls through, the property goes back on the market. If a long chain or a failed sale leaves you wanting a different route, our sale method comparison tool shows net proceeds and timescale side by side for auction, estate agent and cash buyer.

This page is general information, not legal or financial advice.

Our take

Treat sold STC as a queue position, not a sale

Our view is that sold STC is a useful signal but not a firm commitment. GOV.UK is clear that a property is not legally sold until contracts are exchanged, and Citizens Advice notes both sides can still walk away. The common mistake is spending on surveys before knowing what else could go wrong.

If you are buying, our OfferCheck gives a plain-English risk report on an address, covering crime, flood, planning and tenure, with every figure sourced. If you are selling and the sale stalls, our sale method comparison compares auction, estate agent and cash buyer on net proceeds and timescale.

Compare sale routes

Our opinion, drawn from the facts on this page: not advice and not a forecast. We earn from OfferCheck reports and from introducing sellers to cash buyers, so weigh it with that in mind (see our disclosure). We are not authorised or regulated by the FCA.

Questions, answered

Frequently asked questions

What does sold STC mean?
Sold STC means sold subject to contract. The seller has accepted an offer, but nothing is legally binding in England and Wales until contracts are exchanged, so either side can still withdraw.
Is sold STC the same as under offer?
No official source defines the labels, and agents may use them differently. Legally both mean the same thing in England and Wales: the sale is not binding until contracts are exchanged.
Can a seller accept another offer on a sold STC house?
In law, yes. Citizens Advice says there is nothing in law to stop a seller changing their mind after accepting an offer. Many sellers do not, but it can happen, and it is called gazumping.
How long from sold STC to completion?
There is no official standard. GOV.UK says selling takes about 5 months on average, longer with a chain. Citizens Advice says completion is usually about four weeks after exchange.
What does sold mean in Scotland?
Scotland has no sold STC step. After an offer is accepted, the sale is binding once the missives are concluded, and it completes on the date of entry. Until the missives conclude either side can break the agreement.

Where this comes from

Sources

Last reviewed 5 November 2026 by the Your Property Check team. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. For your own situation, speak to a conveyancing solicitor or another qualified professional.

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