You can buy a Nottingham rental property without setting foot in the city, and a good many people do. The order matters: agree what you are looking for and what you will spend, get the lending position established before you offer, buy through a solicitor who has seen the title, then licence the property, let it and manage it. Two things surprise most overseas buyers. Stamp Duty carries a 2 percentage point surcharge for non-residents, and the identity checks take longer than the offer does.
The stamp duty surcharge, which is easy to miss
A non-UK resident buying residential property in England pays Stamp Duty Land Tax at rates 2 percentage points above those applying to a UK resident buyer. It has applied since 1 April 2021 and it sits on top of all other residential rates, including the higher rates for an additional dwelling. So it stacks rather than replaces.
The residence test for this purpose is its own test, not the one that matters for income tax. An individual buyer is treated as non-UK resident if they were not present in the UK for at least 183 days in the twelve months before the purchase. That catches people who consider themselves British and resident, and it is worth establishing early because it changes the cash you need on completion.
Rates change. Confirm the figures with your solicitor before you exchange rather than relying on any website, including this one.
The checks, and why they take longer than you expect
An overseas buyer goes through enhanced due diligence on identity and source of funds as a matter of routine, by us as agents and again by the solicitors. That means certified identity documents, evidence of where the money came from rather than merely where it is now, and often an explanation of the route it travelled.
None of this is suspicion. It is what the anti-money laundering regime requires of an estate agency and of a solicitors practice, and doing it properly at the start is faster than doing it badly and being asked again. The practical advice is to gather the documents before you make an offer, not after.
The order the steps actually happen in
The reason to keep the chain in one group is not loyalty. It is that each step depends on the one before it, and the delays happen in the handovers.
| Step | Who | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Agree the brief and the budget | You and us | Including whether you want a single let or an HMO, which changes the licensing position |
| Establish the lending position | Trent Finance | Before you offer, not after. Overseas buy to let lending is a narrower field than most people expect |
| Identity and source of funds | Us, then the solicitors | Start this early |
| Search, view and report | Us | Including what we think is wrong with each property |
| Offer and acceptance | Us | |
| Conveyancing | Trent Law | Title, searches, enquiries, report to you before exchange |
| Stamp Duty, including the surcharge | Trent Law | Confirm the figure before exchange |
| Licence application if required | Us | £240 for a selective licence, £280 for an HMO, including any VAT |
| Letting and management | Us | 12% of the rent for overseas management, including any VAT |
What we will not tell you
We will not promise you a return. Where we quote a yield it is a calculation from a specific rent and a specific price, both sourced and dated, and it describes the past rather than predicting the future.
You buy in your own name or your own company's name and the title is yours. We do not operate pooled schemes or funds, which are regulated investment activities we hold no permission for and do not want.
Questions we are asked
Do I pay extra stamp duty as an overseas buyer?
Yes. A non-UK resident buying residential property in England pays Stamp Duty Land Tax at 2 percentage points above the rates for a UK resident buyer, and that surcharge sits on top of all other residential rates including the higher rates for an additional dwelling. Confirm the figure with your solicitor before exchange.
How is non-residence decided for stamp duty?
By its own test, not the income tax one. An individual is treated as non-UK resident if they were not present in the UK for at least 183 days in the twelve months before the purchase.
Do I need to come to Nottingham?
No. Viewings, reporting, the legal work and the letting can all be done without you travelling, which is much of what the sourcing service exists for.
Why do the identity checks take so long?
Because an overseas buyer goes through enhanced due diligence on identity and source of funds, by us and again by the solicitors, as the anti-money laundering regime requires. Gathering the documents before you offer is the way to shorten it.
Will you guarantee the yield?
No, and we will not imply one. A yield we quote is a calculation from a specific rent and a specific price, both sourced and dated. We source properties; we do not sell investments.
Sources
HMRC, Rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax for non-UK residents
Nottingham City Council, Housing Licensing Fee Policy, April 2025
Property Redress, guide to property sourcing
General information about the law and practice in England. Not tax advice or legal advice.
