Can a foreigner buy property in the United Kingdom?

Foreigners may buy on much the same terms as citizens

There is no nationality bar on owning property in the United Kingdom. A foreigner can buy freehold or leasehold land and buildings, and the extra rules concern tax and registration, not whether you may own.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Rules change. This page describes the structure of the rule, not prices, taxes or quotas. Confirm the current position with the official source listed below, and with a lawyer in the country, before you pay anything. This is general information, not legal advice.

Land

Land can be owned freehold, or held on a long lease, by anyone, whatever their nationality or residence.

Houses and flats

Houses and flats can be bought on the same legal terms as by a British citizen.

Buying through a company

An overseas company that owns land in England and Wales must register on the Register of Overseas Entities kept by Companies House, and disclose who ultimately owns it.

Limits and closed zones

England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate property laws and separate land registers.

What to watch for

Non-residents pay extra property tax on a purchase. The tax is not a bar to buying, but it affects the cost.
Scotland sells property through a different process from England and Wales.

Understand the legal system first

The United Kingdom belongs to the Common law family. Property is registered and transferred differently in different traditions, so it helps to know how the system works.

Read the United Kingdom legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Compare United Kingdom with another country →

Official sources

TheLawToKnow Tools’s guide to foreign property ownership is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.