Every year, a new list names the most expensive streets in London, and every year the lists disagree with each other. One ranking puts a quiet square in Belgravia at the top with an average price near £30 million. Another puts a road in Barnet at the top with anContinue Reading
Buyers of prime London homes negotiate hard over the purchase price, then discover that the price was only the first bill. A luxury London home keeps charging every year: council tax, service charges, insurance, utilities, upkeep, and, for many owners, staff and management. None of these is large on itsContinue Reading
High-Value Home Insurance and Rebuild Cost for Luxury Homes Insure a £500,000 house for its market value and the error is usually small. Insure a £5 million house the same way and the error can be catastrophic. Market value and rebuild cost are two different numbers, and on a luxuryContinue Reading
Buying off-plan means buying a home that does not exist yet. You choose it from floor plans, a brochure and a show apartment, you exchange contracts months or years before completion, and you pay the balance when the developer says the building is ready. For a prime London buyer, especiallyContinue Reading
Lease Extension Cost on a Prime London Flat: Marriage Value, the 80-Year Line and What to Pay A prime London flat is rarely bought for the bricks alone. It is bought for the address, the building, the floor, the light, and, quietly, for the number of years left on itsContinue Reading
Ask a buyer what their new London home cost and they will quote the purchase price. Ask their solicitor the same question a month after completion and the answer will be several hundred thousand pounds higher. At prime price points the gap between the headline price and the true costContinue Reading
If you are buying UK property from overseas, the single most common cause of delay is not the survey, the searches or the price negotiation. It is the source of funds check. Your UK conveyancer is legally required to verify where your money came from before your purchase can proceed,Continue Reading
Buying a UK property while you live overseas does not have to mean flying back for every signature. Exchange of contracts, the transfer deed and the mortgage deed all need a valid signature at the right moment, and if you cannot be in the country, a power of attorney letsContinue Reading
Buying UK property from abroad already involves currency transfers, unfamiliar tax rules and remote decision making. Add a property chain to the mix and the risks multiply. A chain links your purchase to the buying and selling plans of strangers, and when you cannot walk into an estate agent’s officeContinue Reading