Selling a UK property from overseas.

Before you put it on the market

You need an Energy Performance Certificate before you market a home for sale. It lasts 10 years, so check whether yours is still valid.

If you use an estate agent, check its redress scheme. Any agent dealing with homes in the UK must belong to a government-approved redress scheme, either The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme. That gives you somewhere to complain if things go wrong.

The agent has to check who you are. HMRC's anti-money-laundering guidance, updated on 16 July 2026, says an agent must finish its checks on a seller by the time it takes them on as a client. Expect to send identity documents from abroad.

Listings should show material information. National Trading Standards published its full guidance on 30 November 2023. It starts with the council tax band, the asking price and the tenure, then covers details such as utilities, parking and flood risk. Having these ready saves time once buyers start asking.

If the home is let

Selling doesn't end a tenancy on its own. Since 1 May 2026, most private tenancies in England have been assured periodic tenancies, and section 21 no-fault notices have gone.

You can sell with the tenants in place, usually to another landlord. If you need the home empty, there's a possession ground for landlords who intend to sell. It needs 4 months' notice and can't be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy. Once you've used it, you can't let the home, or market it to let, for 12 months.

Signing and checks from abroad

Your solicitor or conveyancer must check your identity too, because lawyers on property sales fall under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017.

The transfer deed has to be signed with a witness physically present, who then signs as well. English law still governs how the deed is signed and witnessed when you sign it abroad, so ask your solicitor how they want it done before you arrange a witness.

If you can't sign when you need to, you can give someone a power of attorney. A general power has to be made as a deed, and it lets your attorney sign the transfer for you. If you own the home jointly, extra rules apply, so ask your solicitor which kind of power to use.

HM Land Registry says a property is more at risk of fraud if you rent it out or live overseas. Its free Property Alert service emails you when there's certain activity on up to 10 properties you choose, such as a new mortgage.

From offer to completion

1. Offer accepted. It isn't legally binding yet. In England and Wales, either side can walk away until exchange.
2. Contract. Your solicitor drafts it, covering the price, the boundaries and the fixtures and fittings included, and answers questions from the buyer's solicitor.
3. Exchange. You and the buyer sign final copies and swap them. From here the sale is legally binding.
4. Completion. The buyer's solicitor sends the money. Yours pays off your mortgage, the agent and their own fee, then sends you the balance.

It takes a while. Rightmove's analysis, published on 31 July 2026, put the average at 154 days from sale agreed to completion across Great Britain. London was slowest, at 174 days, and flats took 169 days.

The money arrives in pounds. If you're moving it home, the exchange rate when you convert it decides what you receive in your own currency.

Capital Gains Tax and the 60-day report

As a non-UK resident, you must report every sale of UK property to HMRC within 60 days of completion. That applies even if there's no tax to pay or you made a loss. You report through an online Capital Gains Tax on UK property account and pay any tax due within the same 60 days. HMRC can charge interest and a penalty if you're late.

An accountant can report for you, but you have to set up the account first, so leave time for that. If you already file Self Assessment, the sale goes on that return as well.

For individuals in 2026 to 2027, the rates are 18% and 24%, and the first £3,000 of gains is tax-free. Add the taxable gain to your UK taxable income. The part that falls within the £37,700 basic rate band is taxed at 18%, and the rest at 24%. You can deduct the costs of buying and selling, including stamp duty and agent and solicitor fees, plus improvements such as an extension. Decorating and normal upkeep don't count.

Worked example · a sale completing in 2026 to 2027	Amount
Sale price	£320,000
Price paid in 2017	£250,000
Costs of buying and selling	£19,000
Taxable gain, after the £3,000 allowance	£48,000
Tax if your UK income fills the basic rate band	£11,520

That's all at 24%. With no other UK income, the first £37,700 would be taxed at 18% and the tax would be £9,258. These are example figures, not an estimate for your home.

Three more rules often change the answer:

• Owned before April 2015. You can usually work out the gain from the home's value on 5 April 2015, so only the gain since then is taxed.
• You lived in it. Private Residence Relief may reduce the gain. From 6 April 2015, for a tax year when you weren't UK resident, the home usually only qualifies if you, your spouse or civil partner spent at least 90 days in it, or in another home of yours in the UK. You also have to nominate it as your main home when you report the sale.
• A company owns it. A non-UK resident company pays Corporation Tax on the gain and reports it on its Corporation Tax return instead.

The country you live in may tax the gain as well, and a double taxation agreement can affect the UK side. Our tax guide for overseas investors covers the other UK taxes.

Who does what

We don't give tax or legal advice. With our Exit package, we handle the sale with partner estate agents and independent solicitors and keep each step moving while you're abroad. Your accountant advises on the tax, and we can introduce you to FCA-authorised currency providers to move the money. You make every decision.

Still deciding whether to sell? Our investor calculator estimates what the home could earn after letting costs, before tax, so you can compare.