Sell Your UK Property from Abroad: Cash Offer for Overseas Owners

If you live overseas and own a property in the UK you’ve decided to sell, the standard route (list with an estate agent, hold viewings, wait for a chain to assemble) is rarely the right fit. You can’t easily attend viewings, you’re managing solicitors across time zones, and the property is often empty or tenanted with all the headaches both bring.

We buy UK property directly, for cash, from non-resident owners. The whole process runs without you flying back. WhatsApp keeps communication frictionless across time zones, and we handle the moving parts that overseas sellers find hardest: the 60-day NRCGT reporting, the Power of Attorney setup, and the currency exchange logistics.

The five things that make selling from abroad harder than you think

Most overseas owners discover these only after they’ve started the sale process:

1. Estate agent coordination across time zones. Most UK estate agents work 9 to 6 GMT and don’t return WhatsApp messages. If you’re in Sydney, that’s 8pm to 5am your time. Decisions get delayed by entire working days.
2. Viewings without you. Without an in-person attendee or a trusted UK contact, you’re handing keys to strangers based on the agent’s word. Many overseas owners abandon the open-market route after a few weeks of this.
3. The 60-day CGT clock. From completion, you have 60 days to report the sale to HMRC and pay any Non-Resident CGT due. Miss it and you face penalties starting at £100, escalating with daily interest. Most overseas sellers don’t know about this until their solicitor mentions it on completion day.
4. Empty property risk. If the property is unoccupied, your insurance is likely void after 30 consecutive days. You’re also liable for council-tax empty-property premiums (often double the standard rate after 12 months) and at risk of frozen pipes, squatters, and theft.
5. Currency and timing. Wiring £300,000 across borders at the wrong moment can cost you £5,000+ vs the right moment. Most solicitors won’t guide you on FX timing (that’s not their job), and you’re left navigating it solo while jet-lagged.

A direct cash buyer collapses all five.

How our process works for overseas sellers

The standard journey, adapted for someone in another country:

1. Initial conversation: same day

Send us the postcode, a few photos if you have them, and a short note on the situation. WhatsApp is fine, usually fastest. We’ll reply within hours regardless of time zone.

2. Written offer: within 24 hours

We research the property: comparable sales, condition (from photos and external visits), tenancy status if let, lease length if leasehold. Within 24 hours you receive a written, no-obligation offer.

3. Acceptance and instruction: week 1

On acceptance, we instruct solicitors immediately and start the legal process. You instruct your own solicitor, who can be UK-based or work alongside an overseas legal adviser. We share a list of UK conveyancers experienced with overseas sellers if you don’t have one.

4. Power of Attorney (if needed): weeks 1 to 4

If you’d rather not handle remote signings yourself, we’ll guide you through setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney for the transaction. This involves notarising your signature locally (UK consulate or local notary with apostille) and registering with the Office of the Public Guardian. Allow 4 to 8 weeks. Or skip the LPA entirely and use e-signing, which most modern UK conveyancers accept.

5. Exchange and completion: weeks 2 to 4

Searches, enquiries, and contract review happen during this window. Exchange of contracts is the legal commit point; completion follows shortly after. Funds land with your solicitor, who wires them to your nominated account.

6. NRCGT reporting: within 60 days of completion

You file the non-resident CGT return through HMRC’s online portal. Pay any tax due. We can recommend cross-border tax advisors who handle this in their sleep.

7. Currency conversion: when you’re ready

Once funds are in your control, convert and remit at your own pace. Most overseas sellers use Wise, Currencies Direct, or OFX for the FX leg.

The tax picture, plainly stated

Figures and rules below are accurate as of May 2026. UK tax law shifts over time; always check current rates and how they apply to your situation with a qualified cross-border tax adviser before acting.

There are three taxes that touch a UK property sale by a non-resident.

Non-Resident Capital Gains Tax (NRCGT) is the main one. You pay UK CGT on the gain in value since 6 April 2015 (or since you acquired the property, whichever is later). 2026 rates: 18% on gains in the basic-rate band, 24% on higher. Reported within 60 days of completion via HMRC’s online service.

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is paid by the buyer, not you. You don’t pay SDLT on a sale.

Tax in your country of residence depends on your local rules. If your country has a Double Taxation Treaty with the UK (most do: US, Australia, Canada, India, France, Germany, UAE, Singapore, HK, Spain among the major ones), tax paid in the UK typically credits against tax owed locally. Without a treaty, unilateral relief may still apply. Always confirm with a local tax adviser before completion.

The fresh angle worth knowing: from 6 April 2025, the UK’s Inheritance Tax rules switched from a domicile-based to a residence-based system. This mainly affects long-term non-residents who previously claimed non-dom status. If you’ve been outside the UK for over 10 years, your worldwide estate is now likely outside UK IHT’s scope, which can change the calculus on whether to sell or hold the UK property as part of your wider estate planning.

Country-specific notes

We sell to non-residents in most jurisdictions. A few common ones:

• Australia, New Zealand, Canada: strong DTT, straightforward CGT credit, e-signing widely accepted.
• USA: DTT in place, but the interaction with US federal (and sometimes state) tax, including reporting the gain on your US return and Form 8938 disclosure if foreign-asset balances exceed thresholds, makes this the most complex jurisdiction. A cross-border CPA pays for itself here.
• UAE / Dubai: no income or CGT in the UAE itself, so you pay only the UK NRCGT. Simple from a tax standpoint. Notarisation via UAE notary plus UK apostille.
• Spain, France, Italy, Portugal: DTTs in place. EU member states can have additional reporting on overseas asset disposals. Local tax adviser recommended.
• Hong Kong, Singapore: DTTs in place, generally favourable. E-signing works seamlessly.
• South Africa, India, Pakistan: DTTs in place. Foreign Exchange Management Act (India) imposes some restrictions on inward remittance, so plan ahead.

The notes above are broad sketches. Each country’s tax rules interact with UK rules in their own way. Always confirm specifics with a cross-border tax adviser who knows both jurisdictions before relying on any of this for decisions.

For all jurisdictions, our core process is the same. Only the document notarisation route changes.

Why a cash sale beats the open market for overseas sellers

The open-market route assumes you can be physically present (or have a trusted person who can be) for viewings, surveys, and last-minute issues. Overseas sellers rarely have either. The result: longer time on market, higher fall-through rate, and carrying costs you didn’t budget for.

The honest comparison, on a £300,000 UK property:

Illustrative figures based on the assumptions above. Your specific numbers will differ.

A roughly £26k difference for around 5 months of savings, no fall-through risk, and no need to fly back. For many overseas sellers, that’s worth it. For others, it isn’t, and we’ll be the first to tell you. Our offer comes with an honest comparison every time.

Related terms and processes

This page touches several terms that come up in overseas property sales:

• Cash buyer: what we are and how that works for overseas sellers
• Conveyancing: the legal process, including remote signing
• Exchange of contracts: the legal commit point
• Vacant possession: relevant if your property is empty or tenanted
• Title deeds: what your solicitor will need from you

For broader context, see our guide on selling a UK house quickly and our comparison of selling routes. If your property is in London, our London page has city-specific notes that apply heavily to overseas-owned property.

Start a cash offer from abroad

Send us the property’s postcode and a short note about your situation. Tell us what time zone you’re in. We’ll reply on WhatsApp or email, whichever you prefer, within hours, and have a written offer with you inside 24 hours.

The whole process, including completion, can run without you setting foot in the UK.