bidq
Order a report
iam-sold · UK property auction

Bid on iam-sold lots with the legal position priced in - not exchanged blind.

iamsold does not run its own auction rooms. It sells through partner estate agency branches across the UK - several thousand of them - with each property running its own timed online auction rather than appearing in a scheduled catalogue. Auction windows commonly run between two and fourteen days and the timer extends automatically if a bid lands near the end. Stock is overwhelmingly residential, and the buyer is frequently an owner-occupier rather than an investor, which shapes both the competition and the documentation.

Region
UK-wide, sold through partner estate agency branches rather than the company’s own rooms, with separate operations for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Auction calendar
No fixed sale diary - each property runs its own timed online auction, commonly between two and fourteen days, with the timer extending automatically if a bid is placed near the end.

Page reviewed 4 September 2026

SRA-regulated solicitor review · 24-hour SLA available · From £595 + VAT
iam-sold

How iam-sold legal packs are structured.

The central question on any iamsold lot is which route applies. The 56-day Modern Method of Auction runs on a reservation agreement and a non-refundable Reservation Fee, while the 28-day Traditional Auction exchanges on the fall of the hammer with a ten per cent deposit. The Reservation Fee is paid in addition to the purchase price, does not come off it, and is considered within the Stamp Duty liability.

Documents are supplied as a Buyer Information Pack, sometimes called the Auction Pack, available on the property listing behind a free account. It is free to view before bidding, with the winning bidder paying the pack fee on completion - a published £349 including VAT. Packs are frequently prepared by Medway Law, an iamsold sister company, which is a different arrangement from the independent seller’s solicitor pack seen at most auction houses. Additional documents may be added before the auction ends, so the pack should be re-checked rather than reviewed once. Under the Modern Method the 56-day period runs from the point the buyer’s solicitor receives the draft contract pack, not from the end of the auction, which moves the real completion deadline later than a calendar count from the sale suggests. The Reservation Fee is calculated as a percentage of the sale with a minimum shown on the property’s profile page.

Pack conventions at iam-sold

  • Two routes: the 56-day Modern Method of Auction and a 28-day Traditional Auction
  • Under the Modern Method the winning bidder pays a non-refundable Reservation Fee and signs a Reservation Agreement for an exclusivity period; the fee is a percentage of the sale with a minimum shown on the property’s profile page
  • The Reservation Fee is paid in addition to the purchase price, does not come off the price, and is considered within the Stamp Duty liability
  • The 56 days run from the point the buyer’s solicitor receives the draft contract pack, not from the end of the auction
  • Documents come as a Buyer Information Pack, free to view, with a fee of £349 including VAT payable by the winning bidder on completion
  • Packs are often prepared by Medway Law, an iamsold sister company, rather than an independent seller’s solicitor
  • Bidding increments are automatic, in £500 steps

What iam-sold sells

Overwhelmingly residential - houses, flats and bungalows - with land, commercial property, garages and parking, guest houses and hotels, retirement property and private halls appearing less often. Because much of the stock is ordinary residential sold to owner-occupiers as well as investors, the packs are generally lighter than a traditional auction pack, and the risk is more often in the fee structure and the timetable than in exotic title problems.

A realistic example

Three findings from a iam-sold review.

Anonymised illustrations, chosen to be representative of the issues that arise on iam-sold lots. Every report rates each finding red, amber or green and sets out what to do about it.

F-01 Red
Reservation Fee treated as part of the purchase price
The non-refundable Reservation Fee is payable in addition to the price, does not reduce it, and is considered within the Stamp Duty liability - an assumption to the contrary understates the true acquisition cost.
F-02 Amber
Completion deadline measured from the wrong date
The 56-day period runs from the buyer’s solicitor receiving the draft contract pack rather than from the auction end, so a schedule counted from the sale date will be wrong.
F-03 Green
Title and tenure consistent with the listing
Registered title, tenure and extent all reconcile to the property listing, with no restrictions or third-party rights disclosed.

Anonymised examples · illustrative only · not drawn from any identifiable lot

The review

The Bidq review for iam-sold lots.

Upload the pack, answer five questions, and an SRA-regulated solicitor reads every document against a structured framework - title, special conditions, searches, leases and tenancies - returning a bid posture, category scores and numbered R/A/G findings.

The full process is set out on how it works, and you can read a complete report on the sample report page.

FAQ

iam-sold - common questions.

Quick answers on coverage, turnaround and how Bidq fits alongside your solicitor.

What does the iamsold Reservation Fee actually cost me?
Under the Modern Method the winning bidder pays a non-refundable Reservation Fee calculated as a percentage of the sale, subject to a minimum shown on the property’s profile page. It is paid in addition to the purchase price, does not come off the price, and is considered within the Stamp Duty liability. That last point in particular is frequently missed. Bidq reports on the pack and does not give tax advice - the point is flagged for you to take to your own advisers.
When does the 56-day clock actually start?
Not at the end of the auction. iamsold states that the 56 days run from the point the buyer’s solicitor receives the draft contract pack. A completion schedule counted from the sale date will therefore be wrong, usually in your favour - but it is worth knowing precisely, because your funding is drawn against the real date rather than the assumed one.
Is the Buyer Information Pack the same as a traditional auction legal pack?
It serves the same purpose but is assembled differently. It is free to view before bidding, with a fee of £349 including VAT payable by the winning bidder on completion, and it is often prepared by Medway Law, an iamsold sister company, rather than by an independent seller’s solicitor. That is worth knowing when weighing how the documents have been compiled and what is not in them.
Should I re-check the pack before the auction ends?
Yes. iamsold states that additional documents may be added before the auction ends, so a pack reviewed at the start of a fourteen-day window may not be the pack you bid on. Where material documents land late, a Bidq Supplement reviews the additions against the report you already hold.
Is a Traditional Auction lot on iamsold different from a Modern Method lot?
Substantially. A Traditional Auction lot exchanges on the fall of the hammer with a ten per cent deposit and completion around 28 days later - the conventional unconditional position. A Modern Method lot runs on a reservation agreement, a non-refundable fee and a 56-day timetable. The report confirms which route applies before you commit to a funding structure.
Solicitor-reviewed · SRA-regulated · Investor-focused · From £595 + VAT
iam-sold legal pack? Order a 24-hour review.Order - from £595