The British Property Federation (BPF) has released standardised contract templates for Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and exclusivity clauses in property transactions. The move addresses inconsistency in contract standards across the sector, where agents and buyers currently negotiate from different templates and precedents.
Fragmented contracting practices create friction in deal flow. Buyers face repeated renegotiation of disclosure terms; agents manage conflicting exclusivity conditions across portfolios. Standardised templates reduce legal friction and speed transactions—but also lock terms in place that may favour larger market players with input into standard-setting.
For agency teams and in-house counsel, the templates offer immediate practical value: a baseline checklist removes boilerplate drafting from routine transactions. However, practitioners should test whether the BPF templates reflect their own deal flow and risk appetite, or whether selective adoption of specific clauses remains necessary.
