Guide · 11 April 2026 · 11 min read
Buying an unbuilt commission: what transfers and what does not
A set of drawings that never went to site can be bought. What you are buying is narrower than most people assume.
Unbuilt commissions come to market more often than you would think — a client dies, a site is sold, funding fails after planning. The drawings exist, they are usually good, and somebody paid for them.
What transfers with the site is the benefit of any planning consent. What does not transfer automatically is the copyright in the drawings, which stays with the architect. You can own consent to build a design you have no licence to use.
The fix is straightforward and almost always available: approach the architect and commission them to complete it. Most say yes, because the alternative is watching their drawing built badly by somebody else. Budget for a fresh fee, not a discount.
Written by Ines Halvorsen · Coastal
