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United Kingdom · GBP

London real estate

London is a stamp-duty, leasehold and borough-planning market. A Zone 1 trophy and a Zone 4 terrace are different products under one ISO path.

ManchesterBirminghamEdinburghGlasgowLeeds
Land Registry path
Leasehold term checked
3D map
+2%non-resident SDLT surcharge in England
+5%additional-dwelling surcharge on the whole price
Exchangethe moment an offer becomes a contract
Leaseholdmost flats — term, ground rent, service charge
What a purchase really costs

£500,000 home in London

Stamp duty (slice bands) — SDLT
£15,000
Non-resident surcharge (+2%)
£10,000
Legal, searches & Land Registry (≈0.4%)
£2,000
Survey (≈0.2%)
£1,000
Cash needed at completion
£528,000

≈ +5.6% over the price. Scotland is a different tax and a different contract: LBTT with 8% ADS, and missives that bind earlier than an English exchange. In England and Wales an offer binds nobody until exchange — gazumping is legal, which is why the survey and the searches come before the celebration. A second or additional dwelling adds 5% SDLT on the whole price.

Rentals run on rules

The let side, in three lines

  • A tenant deposit must sit in a government-approved protection scheme within 30 days — unprotected deposits cost the landlord up to three times the sum.
  • The Renters’ Rights Act ends assured shorthold fixed terms and section 21 no-fault eviction; possession now runs through stated statutory grounds.
  • An EPC of E or better is required to let, and a leasehold flat carries ground rent, service charge and a term that shortens every year.

Yield on a leasehold flat is service charge minus optimism. Read the last three years of accounts and the cladding/EWS1 file.

Cities

Six metros, two tax systems

England and Northern Ireland pay SDLT; Scotland pays LBTT on its own bands and binds at missives, not exchange. Edinburgh and London are not the same transaction with different weather.

Neighborhoods

Areas in London

Premium districts with price anchors, walk and transit scores.

Check remaining lease term, ground rent and service charge before you compare price per square foot. Under about eighty years a lease starts costing real money to extend, and the premium grows every year you wait.

SDLT is paid by the buyer on slice bands, plus 2% if you are non-resident and a further 5% if this will not be your only dwelling. Exchange is the contract — until then, gazumping is legal.

Cladding and EWS1 files have repriced whole buildings since 2017. The building safety pack is not optional reading, and lenders treat it as underwriting.

Buy in LondonRent in London

FAQ

Freehold or leasehold?
Most flats are leasehold. A short lease is a discount with a future bill attached — price the extension, not the asking price.
Overseas buyer extra tax?
A 2% non-resident SDLT surcharge on top of the standard bands, plus 5% more if it is an additional dwelling. Budget it before the offer.

All markets: sivrce.com · Georgia marketplace: sivrce.ge · Prices and availability are published only when a verified listing exists. Market currency: GBP.

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