Buying a home in the United Kingdom

This guide sets out the general rules for buying residential property in the United Kingdom, together with a snapshot of asking prices in our own catalogue. The catalogue figures describe listings on European Cribs as they stood on 6 October 2026; they are asking prices from our own listings, not official statistics. The legal and tax information is general information verified in October 2026 and can change, so a local lawyer, notary or tax advisor should always be consulted before an actual purchase.

Can foreigners buy?

There are no restrictions on foreign ownership of property in the United Kingdom, and residency is not required to buy. A buyer from outside the UK can purchase a home on the same basis as a UK resident, whether the property is a house, a flat or a townhouse. The main practical differences for a non-resident buyer relate to tax, covered below, and to the practicalities of conveyancing from abroad, which a local lawyer can advise on directly.

Costs and taxes on top of the price

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) applies to purchases in England and is charged in bands. On top of the standard bands, buyers who already own a home pay a 5 percent surcharge, and buyers who are not resident in the UK pay a further 2 percent. Scotland has its own Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) and Wales has its own Land Transaction Tax (LTT), each set independently of the English SDLT bands, so the tax due depends on where in the UK the property is located.

• Conveyancing and searches: around 2,500 pounds.
• Agent fee: paid by the seller, not the buyer.
• Additional-home surcharge: 5 percent on top of the standard SDLT bands, where the buyer already owns a home.
• Non-UK-resident surcharge: a further 2 percent on top of the standard SDLT bands.

How the purchase works

An accepted offer in the United Kingdom is not binding until exchange of contracts, so either the buyer or the seller is free to withdraw at any point before exchange. Completion, when the property legally changes hands, follows exchange, usually after a period agreed between the parties. Conveyancing and searches typically cost around 2,500 pounds, and the estate agent's fee is paid by the seller rather than the buyer, which is a point of difference buyers from other markets sometimes need to adjust to.

Tenure is also worth understanding early. Many flats in the United Kingdom are sold leasehold, meaning the buyer owns the right to occupy the property for a fixed term and pays an ongoing ground rent and a service charge to the freeholder or managing agent. Houses are usually sold freehold, with no ground rent or service charge attached. Checking the tenure of a specific property, and the terms of any lease, is part of the conveyancing process.

What homes cost in our catalogue

European Cribs listed 73 homes for sale in the United Kingdom on 6 October 2026. Prices are quoted in pounds sterling and converted to euros for this catalogue. The median asking price across all 73 listings was 9,330,000 euros, with a median size of 414 square metres and a median price per square metre of 21,940 euros. The lower quartile of asking prices stood at 1,995,000 euros and the upper quartile at 12,558,000 euros, indicating a wide spread across the catalogue. None of the 73 listings, 0 percent, were priced under 100,000 euros.

Place	Listings	Median asking price
London	48	11,002,000 euros
Hampstead	16	2,230,000 euros

London accounted for the largest share of listings at 48, with a median asking price of 11,002,000 euros, followed by Hampstead with 16 listings and a median asking price of 2,230,000 euros. By property type, the catalogue included 32 houses, 20 apartments, 8 townhouses and 2 studios, giving buyers a choice across different kinds of UK homes within the same catalogue.

Running costs and practicalities

Because residency is not required to buy, the mechanics of a purchase are the same whether the buyer plans to live in the property or not. The main ongoing costs to budget for depend on tenure: a leasehold flat carries a ground rent and a service charge for as long as the lease runs, while a freehold house carries neither. Tax exposure also depends on buyer circumstances rather than on how the home will be used. A buyer who already owns another home faces the 5 percent SDLT surcharge described above, and a buyer who is not a UK resident faces the further 2 percent surcharge, both calculated on top of the standard SDLT bands. Where the property is in Scotland or Wales, LBTT or LTT applies instead of SDLT, under each nation's own bands.

Before you view

Before arranging viewings, confirm the tenure of any property that interests you, since leasehold flats carry an ongoing ground rent and service charge that freehold houses do not. Budget for conveyancing and searches of around 2,500 pounds, and work out in advance how SDLT, LBTT or LTT will apply to your situation, including the 5 percent surcharge if you already own a home and the 2 percent surcharge if you are not a UK resident. Keep in mind that an offer, once accepted, is not binding until exchange of contracts, so nothing is settled until that point, and completion follows once exchange has taken place. A local lawyer, notary or tax advisor can confirm exactly which taxes and surcharges apply to your specific purchase before you commit to viewing or offering on a property.

Browse current homes for sale in the United Kingdom, estimate taxes and fees with the buying-costs calculator, or read the latest Journal article on United Kingdom.

Rules, taxes and fees are general information verified in October 2026 and can change; regional rules may differ. Catalogue figures are asking prices of homes listed in the European Cribs catalogue on 6 October 2026 and are not official statistics. This guide is not legal, tax or investment advice — for an actual purchase, work with a local lawyer, notary or tax advisor. Cover photo: Samuel Sweet / Pexels.