Buyers can do very little to reduce their chance of being gazumped, the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has warned.

A recent poll by finance website fool.co.uk found that 12 per cent of buyers in the UK had been on the receiving end of the practice within the last year and 73 per cent would like to see it made illegal but Chris Wood, vice president of the NAEA said that ultimately, sellers hold all the power.

"There is very little that a buyer can do to stop gazumping as it is in the hands of the seller rather then the buyer. However, the best advice would be to submit a strong offer," he said.

Buyers should also be honest and ensure "the passage of good information between buyer and seller".

Although some people make ''anti-gazumping agreements'' in a bid to avoid losing out on a property, Mr Wood is doubtful about their effectiveness.

"I do not believe that ''anti-gazumping agreement packs'' will do very much to prevent the problem from happening as they are not a solution until they are mandatory and they are not at present wide spread enough," he explained.