Can estate agents do this?

[AnotherOne4]

My partner and I have just had an offer accepted on a house. It's currently progressing and in the hands of solicitors. Everything is fine there. However......I received an A5 card in the post today (not sure if it was the postman or someone else delivering) but the card is advertising the estate agent and says:
"All types of properties urgently required for waiting buyers. If you are currently, or considering selling your property now or in the near future call us now to arrange your free market appraisal."
It goes or to give all the estate agents details. On the front of the card is a picture of the house I'm buying and the name of the road it is in.

Would estate agents be allowed to send out a picture and details of the house I'm buying, without my permission? I understand it's not my house yet, but even so. I feel really angry that god knows how many thousands of this postcard have been put through letterboxes and we could potentially now loose the house.

Does it suggest they've just "sold" it or that it's still on the market?

How long since the offer was accepted? There's usually a lead time on door drops.

The picture of the house does have a stamp of 'sold (subject to contract) on it.
The offer was accepted 4th June, so just over three weeks ago.

I don't get what the problem is.
If someone is looking to buy a house in your area,, they will have already seen the details of "your" house. Thr flyer makes it clear that the house is under offer.
Th3 leaflet is aimed at getting people to list their house with this agent. It's not aimed at buyers

It isn’t your house (yet!) and the agent will usually have put something in their T&Cs about using the property image for marketing purposes.
It’s unlikely you will lose the house - they are trying to encourage people to sell through them not buy through them. You could always ask them not to use that property but it quite common..

Yes it is a way of celebrating success and drumming up new business.

Yeah what breakfast said

Yes they can do this. The owners of the house will have signed a contact with the agent that includes a clause about marketing. It's not your house so you have no say. I can't imagine it will affect your purchase though as it clearly says Sold on it!!

Estate agents can do this. You can make your offer conditional on all material about the house being taken down from now on though (even material that says under offer or sold stc) their window, website, Rightmove etc. When I was a solicitor I would often advise my clients to do this as it stops cheeky offers from other buyers coming in...

Big drip feed there.

Yes they can do this.

I really wouldn’t worry. The point of those cards is to get potential vendors to sign up, so of course they show houses that are sold or sold stc. They’re saying ‘look, we’ve sold these houses, we can sell yours too’. No point trying to entice someone to give them their house to sell by showing a load of properties sitting unsold on their books!

Ok, thanks you guys. My first reaction was to panic and be like 'what the hell...' I've never had one of these cards through the door before, and Sod's law the first one I ever get has 'my house' on it.
Reading your responses though, puts it into perspective.

Estate agents don’t want to sell the same house twice. Their aim will be to get you exchanged ASAP.

The leaflet is marketing material encouraging others to put their house up for sale with them. Nothing to worry about - they just want more houses to sell.

Estate Agents don't do their homework.
DD2 had a card though her door earlier this week (as did the rest of the village) from a local firm of Estate Agents saying "We have people waiting to buy your house!"

Only thing is, everyone in the village rents from the estate the village belongs to . .

And before anyone says it was just someone paid to leaflet, the security cam footage showed a liveried Estate Agent's car doing the deliveries!

I think it’s quite common.
We’re buying and selling through the same agent and when we tied everything up they leaflet dropped with our current and new house on saying “sold in your area”. We were the only people who didn’t get one, but at least 5 neighbours/school mums came to tell me they’d got a flyer with our house on!