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Should You Give Your Buyer Your Phone Number?

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6 min read

Should You Give Your Buyer Your Phone Number?

Once an offer is accepted, sellers often wonder whether to give their buyer direct contact details. It seems friendly and efficient — but direct communication between sellers and buyers can create complications that are difficult to manage.

The Case for Direct Contact

There are genuine advantages to direct communication with your buyer. It can speed up the exchange of practical information — completion dates, fixture arrangements, meter readings. It can build goodwill and reduce the anxiety that both parties often feel during a slow transaction. And it can help resolve minor misunderstandings before they become problems.

The Risks of Direct Contact

The risks are significant and often underestimated. Sellers and buyers who communicate directly can inadvertently make commitments that their solicitors then have to unpick. They can share information that affects the legal position of either party. They can create misunderstandings about what is included in the sale, what work will be done, or what the completion date will be. And they can make the transaction feel more personal — which makes it harder to negotiate objectively if problems arise.

What Your Solicitor Will Advise

Most solicitors advise against direct seller-buyer communication on anything substantive. The legal process is managed through solicitors for good reason — it creates a clear record of what has been agreed and ensures that commitments are made in the right form. If you give your buyer your phone number and they call you to discuss the survey findings, you are in a difficult position.

A Middle Ground

Many sellers find a middle ground that works well: sharing contact details for purely practical matters — arranging access for surveys, discussing what is included in the sale — while keeping all substantive negotiation and legal matters through solicitors. If you take this approach, be clear with your buyer about what you are and are not willing to discuss directly.

The Bottom Line

There is no single right answer. Some transactions benefit from direct communication; others are complicated by it. The key is to be intentional about it — to decide in advance what you will and will not discuss directly, and to ensure your solicitor is aware of any direct conversations that touch on the legal transaction.

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