A Guide to Buying at Auction

With the help of Rooney & Co Auction Team, buying at Auction could not be simpler and YOU WON'T NEED TO BE A PROFESSIONAL!

However, if you are new to Buying at Auction we strongly recommend that you read the following Buyers Guide in order that you understand the procedure and terminology and in order that you are aware of any pitfalls before bidding. Remember we are just a phone call away and are happy to assist you with your bid!

Select from below to find out more.

1. Auction Catalogues

We print approximately nine thousand colour catalogues and distribute these throughout the United Kingdom and into Europe. All of our offices carry the Auction catalogues. Details of all property and land to be sold are set out in the catalogue and all lots are sold subject to special conditions of sale. It is most important that purchasers satisfy themselves as to the location, boundaries, condition and state of the lots prior to the Auction.

To request an Auction Catalogue please call our Catalogue Request Line on 0906 5581288

(Calls will be charged at £1.00 per minute on a BT Premium Line)

2. Viewing

It is essential that you view the properties which interest you as soon as possible. Viewing arrangements for each lot are contained in the catalogue. Should you experience any difficulties, please contact us.

Auction Division

Latest Viewing Schedule

3. Legal Documentation

There are special conditions of sale for most lots plus other documentation provided by the vendor's solicitors. If you wish to receive these papers please call our Auction office on 01634 735630 and we will advise you of the information we hold. We can forward the relevant documents to you or your solicitors on request; however, there is a small charge for this service.

Special Conditions of Sale will be sent free of charge, but any further documentation sent from this office will incur a charge of £15.00 per lot. We cannot guarantee that the pack will be complete; we can only despatch the documents we hold. All legal documentation in our possession is available for inspection by prior arrangement at our offices and will be available in the Auction room on the Auction day.

4. Instructing a Solicitor

Before making an offer prior to the Auction or bidding at the Auction it is advisable to consult a solicitor/licensed conveyancer to advise you on the general and special conditions of sale, the Local Authority search, the Land Registry official copy entries, and any other information provided.

5. Guide Prices

Guide prices are quoted in the catalogue. These prices are given for guidance only, and may change at any time prior to the day of the Auction. Lots may be sold at prices above or below the guide price and we cannot accept any responsibility for their accuracy. The reserve prices are confidential, between the vendors and the auctioneers, and cannot be disclosed.

6. Finance and Mortgages

It is essential to arrange finance prior to the Auction and for all surveys, valuations and inspections to take place before bidding.

For advice on mortgages please contact Mortgage Matters Direct who will be happy to advise and assist.

7. Unable to Attend


If it is impossible for you to attend the Auction there are three ways in which you can bid.

  • Firstly, you can send a friend, colleague, or perhaps a solicitor to bid on your behalf. If someone else is to bid on your behalf it is recommended that you write to the Auctioneer to provide details of this person plus give your representative a letter for them to take with them to the Auction, confirming that they are bidding on your behalf.
  • Secondly, you can bid over the telephone by prior arrangement with our Office Manager. On the day, our representative will inform you of the bidding and relay your bids to the Auctioneer. If you intend to bid by telephone a deposit for 10% of your maximum bid, or £2,000, whichever is greater, must be made available to the Auctioneer prior to Auction day.
  • Lastly, it is possible to bid by proxy. This requires you to register your highest bid in writing with the Auctioneer, together with a deposit for 10% of the figure quoted, or £2,000, whichever is greater. A member of the Auction staff will then bid on your behalf and may purchase the property for you at a lower figure than your upper limit, or at the figure. We cannot exceed your maximum proxy bid.

Click here to download a PDF of our Telephone/Proxy Bidding Form

You will also be required to pay an auction administration fee of £235 (including VAT)

8. Bidding at Auction

If you have not bid at an Auction before, it is advisable to be present when the Auction starts in order to listen to the Auctioneers opening remarks and follow the bidding in the early lots. The Auctioneer will indicate from whom the bid has been taken but it is helpful to the Auctioneer for you to raise your hand or catalogue clearly, when you bid. If the Auctioneer is in doubt whether the movement of a head or hand was in fact a bid he will usually enquire was that a bid Sir/Madam? He will also point out if the bid is against you, and give you the opportunity to respond with another bid or shake your head to indicate you have no further interest. If you are the successful bidder, a binding contract is entered into between the vendor and the bidder on the fall of the Auctioneers gavel.

After the end of the bidding you will be approached by a member of staff who will provide you with a bidding slip and ask you to supply the names of the purchaser and the solicitor who will be acting on the purchasers behalf. The successful purchaser is escorted to the clerks desk, where the 10% deposit or £2,000, whichever is greater, is payable, together with the Auction Administration Fee of £235.00.

The Auctioneers Clerk will then prepare the contracts, WHICH MUST BE SIGNED by the purchaser BEFORE LEAVING THE AUCTION ROOM. Except where the special conditions of sale state otherwise all cheques/drafts including Bankers drafts or Building Society cheques should be made payable to Ward & Partners. The Auctioneer has authority to sign on behalf of both the buyer and the seller if necessary.

9. Addendum

When you arrive at the Auction a member of our staff will hand you a list of last minute alterations and amendments to the catalogue. This is known as an addendum. It is essential that you read this information carefully in case it refers to a lot which is of interest to you. The Auctioneer will also read through the addendum prior to bidding commencing, to ensure that all present are aware of any alterations to the information given in the catalogue.

10. Deposits

Purchasers are reminded that at the fall of the auctioneers gavel a deposit by way of 10% of the sale price or £2,000 (whichever is greater) per property and an Auction Administration Fee of £235.00 (£200 + VAT) shall be payable by way of a BANKERS DRAFT OR BUILDING SOCIETY CHEQUE. Personal or Company cheques WILL NOT BE accepted unless arrangements have been made at least 3 working days before the auction. All Drafts/Cheques should be made payable to Ward & Partners. CASH WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED, but to assist prospective purchasers, deposit payments may now be made by debit cards (not credit cards), ON CONDITION THAT THE PURCHASER IS ABLE TO SUPPORT IT WITH A PIN. We suggest you obtain a draft for 10% of your maximum bid price, or £2,000, whichever is greater, and bring it with you to the auction. If you purchase for less, the difference will be deducted from your completion figure; any shortfall (subject to the auctioneers discretion) can be paid by Personal/Company Cheque.

11. Auction Administration Fee

An administration fee of £200 plus VAT (£235.00), per property will also be payable at the fall of the gavel.

12. Insurance

The successful bidder is responsible for the property and for its insurance at the fall of the gavel when contracts are entered into.

13. Completion Day

Completion normally takes place twenty eight days after contracts are exchanged, unless other arrangements are specified in the special conditions of sale.

14. Unsold Lots

After the auction our staff will prepare a results sheet, which shows the prices at which properties were sold and the amount required for unsold lots. You can then submit an offer to the Auction Division for an unsold lot and the vendors decision will be requested. If the offer is accepted the sale then proceeds according to normal Auction practice, even if the sale is agreed after Auction day.

15. Warning

A few days before the Auction please check with us that any lots you are interested in are still available.

If we have not answered all your questions, or if you are confused about any Auction matter, then please contact the Auction Division by telephone on 01634 735630, or fax 01634 735631 and we will be delighted to help.

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