A UK property investment company for foreign investors
Search for a UK property investment company from abroad and almost everything on the first page is a developer's sales channel. This page explains how to tell those apart from a firm acting for you, and what we do instead.
Most firms marketed to foreign investors as UK property investment companies are resellers: they are paid a commission by a developer to place off-plan or new-build units with overseas buyers, and the commission is inside the price. A buyer-side firm is paid by the buyer, sources against the buyer's criteria including second-hand and off-market stock, and underwrites against local comparable evidence. Both are legal. Only one has an incentive to tell you a deal is bad.
What an overseas buyer needs to know
Two different businesses, one job title
Developer-paid sales agents and buyer-paid acquisition firms both describe themselves as property investment companies. Ask who issues the invoice.
Off-plan premiums are real
Units marketed abroad frequently sell above what the same building resells for two years later. Check resale prices in the same development, not the brochure.
Assured yields end
Guaranteed rental periods are usually funded from the purchase price and expire. Model the yield after the guarantee, on market rent.
Regional income, London preservation
Income-led foreign buyers generally do better in Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool; prime London is a wealth-preservation trade.
The surcharge stack
Non-resident stamp duty surcharge plus the additional-property surcharge materially change the return. Price them in before you compare deals.
Management decides the outcome
From abroad, the letting and management arrangement determines your actual return far more than the headline yield did.
What to check before you commit
Invoice direction
Ask in writing whether the firm receives any payment from the seller, developer or agent. A buyer-side firm will say no.
Resale evidence
Sold prices for comparable units in the same building or street over the last twelve months.
Rent evidence
Signed tenancies in the same postcode, not a projection.
Company record
Companies House filings, directors' history, and whether the trading entity is the one on the contract.
Exit liquidity
Who the next buyer is. If the only buyers are overseas investors being sold the same pitch, exit is thin.
All-in cost
Purchase, stamp duty with surcharges, legals, furnishing, sourcing fee, currency spread, in one number.
How we work with buyers abroad
We take a buyer-side mandate: your criteria, our search, a fee you pay and no commission from any seller. Stock is sourced off-market and from the second-hand market as well as new-build, and every recommendation carries an underwrite. You do not need to be in the UK. Identity and source-of-funds checks are completed remotely, viewings are filmed or attended on your behalf, a UK solicitor is instructed and, where you prefer, a power of attorney lets exchange and completion happen without you travelling. Reporting is written for someone in another time zone: numbers, photographs and decisions, not a request to call back.
Tell us what you're looking for
Five answers and an email. We come back the same working day with an honest read on whether we see stock that fits — including when we don’t.
UK property investment company for foreign investors: common questions
Which UK property investment company is best for foreign investors?
The useful question is not which brand, but who pays them. A firm paid by the buyer can recommend against a purchase; a firm paid by the developer cannot afford to. Verify the fee direction in writing before you engage anyone, including us.
Can foreign investors buy UK property without living in the UK?
Yes. There is no residence or visa requirement to own UK property, and the whole purchase can be completed remotely.
Is off-plan UK property a good investment for overseas buyers?
Sometimes, but it is the segment most heavily marketed abroad and most often overpriced. Check resale values in the same development before accepting an off-plan price.
What return should a foreign investor expect?
Regional buy-to-let commonly underwrites at 5–7% gross before costs, HMOs higher with more management, prime London lower. Any firm quoting a fixed return without showing the evidence is selling.