By Melissa York

Buyers are being misled by false information on property portals. Here’s what to look out for — and what you can do if the particulars are not particular enough.

For most people looking to buy or rent a new home, the journey starts on a property portal. Despite estate agents’ hyperbole, though, too many would-be buyers discover that vital details are often missing from the sales listing leading to frustration, wasted time and lost money.

“My partner and I found it incredibly frustrating how opaque many listings were with lots of missing or incorrect information,” says Marianna Hunt, 29, who started house-hunting last year. “Some had photos of garages and gardens but they turned out not to come with either.

“Trying to find info about EWS1 [external wall cladding] forms was like getting blood out of a stone. We saw properties with service charges listed that were completely different to what the vendor later told us. There’s no penalty for estate agents who consistently list wrong or incomplete information, so there’s no incentive for things to improve.”

Marianna Hunt was frustrated by the lack of information on property listings online.

Incomplete listings can lead inexperienced buyers to make a poor investment on what is usually the biggest purchase of their life because they don’t know what information they should be asking for. “It’s often what’s missing from the listing that’s just as important as what’s included,” Charlie Warner, a partner at the buying agency Heaton and Partners, says.

The average visitor to the property portal Zoopla spends only two minutes and 57 seconds looking at a listing and, its data shows, “only a small proportion“ (less than 10 per cent) of visitors bother to look at maps, floorplans and images before booking a viewing. Even when buyers are more discerning, they are often met with incomplete information.

In some cases, the properties listed online aren’t even for sale. In January 2021, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint about a listing on manchestersalerent.co.uk and overstreet.co.uk that advertised a “four-bedroom detached house for sale in Rackenford” described as “stunning’” with a virtual tour and a button directing buyers to book a viewing. The advertising watchdog ordered that the listing should be taken down because it understood that the property had not been on sale since 2017.

Another buyer, who wishes to remain anonymous, says he asked to view two properties he saw online listed with the estate agency Dexters only to be told they were under offer. “It is done purely to get more applicants to call them and offer other properties,” he says. Dexters declined to comment.

It has been an offence to leave out important information on property listings since 2008, but in reality there is a lack of consistency on property portals and estate agency websites on which details are included.

In 2022 National Trading Standards introduced guidance on what should be in a property listing and it gave estate agents a year to comply. The consumer watchdog mandated that all listings should include council tax band or rate; the price (“offers invited” or “price on application” are no longer allowed); reservation fees for new-builds; and tenure information (freehold or leasehold).

Paula Higgins, from the HomeOwners Alliance, a consumer rights organisation, says: “Many estate agents don’t even realise that these obligations exist. That said, anyone can rock up and be an estate agent with no qualifications or prior training.”

Camilla Dell, the founder of the London buying agency Black Brick, is “always amazed by how many properties I see advertised that don’t have basic information such as the service charge, ground rent, lease length”, all of which can have a dramatic impact on the value of a property and whether the buyer can get a mortgage for it.

Dell advises buyers to seek independent legal advice for the cost of a lease extension and never take the seller or estate agent’s word for it. She says: “We’ve seen cases where a buyer is told the extension will cost a certain amount and then finds out it’s a lot more expensive.”

In May 2021 the ASA ruled that an advertisement for shared ownership was misleading, in part because it did not include information about the “significant” cost of extending a lease, which can run into tens of thousands of pounds. The percentage of the share of the property being bought and the rent must also be displayed under new Trading Standards rules.

The National Leasehold Campaign, which campaigns to abolish leasehold, thinks a copy of the Land Registry title document should accompany online listings because it’s “the only way to ensure accurate and complete information is provided by agents”.

In November 2023 Trading Standards added to its guidance for estate agents so that the type of property (house/flat/bungalow) is included alongside building materials used, the number of rooms, parking, and information about utilities including broadband type/speed and mobile phone coverage.

This is particularly important for rural property listings. A “pet hate” for Warner is when the advertisement doesn’t make it clear that the property is a wing or part of a bigger house. “One of the other things common with selling agents that don’t regularly work with country properties is not including acreage,” he says. “They can talk about paddocks but don’t always realise how important the total size of land is to some buyers.”

Size — in square feet or metres — is often left out on listings too. This isn’t just vital for buyers wanting more house for their money. If the property doesn’t meet certain space requirements, it could be impossible to buy with a mortgage or let to private tenants. For rental properties fees applicable such as the deposit should be stated close to the asking rent.

The latest guidance also means that sales listings should declare any flood risks, restrictive covenants on the property or land, building safety such as unsafe cladding, and rights and easements such as public rights of way and shared driveways.

While most buyers would expect prices, locations and features to be accurate, the ASA expects images for new-builds, even computer-generated ones, to accurately reflect the quality of finish of the property being advertised. Images that show a higher quality finish than the buyer can expect should have a qualifying caption such as “image includes optional upgrades at additional cost”.

However, listings are improving. On the Market recently became the first big property portal to allow buyers to search for accessibility, so wheelchair users and other people with mobility needs can find homes with wide doorways, ramped access, wet rooms and other useful adaptations. It also has a “greener choice” filter that shows only properties with an EPC (energy performance certificate) rating of A or B, and eco-features such as solar panels or rainwater harvesting.

Last week Zoopla added a tenure filter to make it easier for buyers to search for freehold, leasehold or share of freehold properties. It also added a search based on the number of bathrooms. To determine whether a property is overpriced, Zoopla also has a listing history on the same page as the sales listing that displays how long the property has been on the market and any asking price reductions. Property Log, a free Google Chrome browser extension, shows price reductions on Rightmove.

Rich Hayes, the chief operating officer at Zoopla, says: “There are also plenty of other handy features Zoopla users can use to maximise their property search experience and ensure they’re served properties that are curated to their needs, be it filtering by leasehold or freehold or using ‘market stats’ on listings to get a sense of what similar properties in the area have sold for.”

By Melissa York

Listed homes are worth 50 per cent more on average than unlisted ones — but buyers should be aware of the extra costs involved and hidden dangers.

Britain has no shortage of historic or architecturally amazing homes, but properties with a heritage listing are worth 50 per cent more than unlisted ones.

Researchers at the quick-sale company Upstix found that the average value of a listed property in England and Wales is £443,692, which is £158,057 more than properties without legal protections.

Historically or architecturally important properties are granted listed status by the government and then sorted into three categories: grade I for the most important buildings, then grade II* and grade II. There are more than 400,000 listed building entries in England and more than 30,000 in Wales.

This rarity value pushes up the price. “Not every house is deemed important enough to be listed,” says Lindsay Cuthill, co-founder of the country estate agency Blue Book. “As a nation enamoured with history and the charm of heritage homes, vendors should capitalise on this fascination.”

In London the listed-property premium is 80 per cent — the highest of any region — followed by a 73 per cent premium in the southeast of England. The smallest price gap is in Wales, where listed properties are 22 per cent more expensive on average.

Grade II* and I properties, which comprise 5.8 per cent and 2.5 per cent of the listed building entries respectively, have the highest level of protection. These grades are often reserved for national landmarks and properties of rare historical importance, but there are some residential properties with the highest grade of listing, such as Park Crescent, the white terraced houses designed by the architect John Nash on the perimeter of Regent’s Park in London. These properties will be subject to interior and exterior restrictions, so they are difficult to renovate.

To make any alterations or repairs relating to the listing, owners have to obtain listed building consent from local planners to make sure the changes reflect the nature of the building. This can be a laborious and costly process; sometimes consent is granted only if original materials and techniques are used, and specialist craftspeople frequently have to be drafted in.

Amy Reynolds, the head of sales at the estate agency Antony Roberts, loves selling listed buildings but has come across some surprising restrictions. “I once sold a listed cottage with a dreadful 1970s fitted wardrobe that was also covered by the listing,” she says. “While I understand the value of showing changes over time, there was nothing special about that wardrobe and it made the bedroom difficult to use.”

Some owners relish the challenge, such as Loretta Fraser, 59, and her husband, Bill, 67. They spotted their grade II listed house on their wedding day in 1999. After they tied the knot at Grafton Manor in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, they peered through the hedge, saw the priest’s house next door and vowed to buy it if it ever came on to the market “as a sort of joke”, says Loretta, who eventually bought the property in 2017.

“We will always live in old houses. We love history and take the approach that we are just custodians of these beautiful homes. And my husband is 6ft 6in, so Georgian-style properties suit him because they have tall doorways and ceilings.”

Their six-bedroom house was built in about 1800, but it’s believed that the site, which was formerly part of the Grafton Estate, was home to a priest who was hanged for his part in the Gunpowder Plot in 1605. The heritage listing protects the exterior of the building as well as plasterwork in the lounge, cornicing, a staircase and the original Catholic confessional.

But it hasn’t stopped the Frasers from modernising the home. They replaced the wiring and plumbing, installed a new water tank and improved the property’s energy efficiency by installing separate boilers to isolate heating to the parts of the building they are using.

Their biggest project was replacing the courtyard with an orangery. The Frasers consulted an architect and then invited over planning officers from the council to discuss what would be acceptable. “[The planners] wanted oak in the windows, reclaimed bricks for any replacement brickwork and cement that had lime in it, so we followed everything,” Loretta says. The couple hired a recommended builder who had experience with old and listed properties. The Frasers are selling the house for £1.85 million.

Buyers of listed properties can be easily caught out with extra costs if they skip their research. They should ask the sellers if they have done any work that amounts to a change in the heritage listing — that can include doorways that have been opened or blocked, the installation of double-glazing and the attachment of satellite dishes or aerials to chimneys. The local authority can ask the new owners to put these right.

Tom Kain, at the buying agency Black Brick, says he finds breaches in listed building consent in the “majority” of the modernised listed buildings he sees and estate agents often don’t realise. “It is a case of buyer beware when understanding how they have been updated,” he says.

To avoid an unexpected bill, Kain recommends asking a surveyor to compare the building with the listing description and commissioning a heritage consultant report that outlines whether enforcement is likely and gives an idea of the costs involved.

Unapproved additions can knock a lot of value off a listed property. Adrian Philpott, of the estate agency Winkworth, recalls one client who put his grade II listed house up for sale for £3 million only to find it was unmortgageable because he had added an unapproved lift and a glass extension. Eventually Philpott found a cash buyer who secured it for £500,000 less than the asking price, “with the view that they would remediate. The lift and the glass extension have now gone.”

If a breach is found, the buyer has to gamble on the likelihood of the council finding out and negotiate the price according to the risk involved — or simply walk away. “They could apply for retrospective planning, but it’s unlikely the seller will allow them time,” says Jonathan Harington at the buying agency Haringtons UK. “I’ve never had a client take [this] route.”

Listed properties take 34 days longer to sell on average than non-listed properties at 55 days, according to the estate agency Hamptons. And those in a city sell quicker than their counterparts in the suburbs or countryside: 64 days on average, compared with 90 days.

This slowdown in the country is partly because prices rose sharply in rural areas in 2021 and 2022 when the pandemic-fuelled race for space was in full swing, and now, because of increased mortgage rates, buyers are struggling to borrow the sums they need.

The cost of building work and utilities has also increased recently, making renovating and heating an older property more expensive. Aneisha Beveridge, the head of research at Hamptons, says, “Particularly for listed homes, the energy price shock has made people think about what size home they need.”

Until 2012, owners of listed properties were excluded from paying VAT for approved works, but now the tax is charged at 20 per cent, just as it is with other properties. Insurance premiums are also higher for listed buildings, to match the greater expense of repairing or replacing any damage.

Maintenance costs were a key reason behind Sarah and George de Watteville’s move from their grade II listed cottage in Longparish, Hampshire, to a new-build townhouse. They spent 23 years modernising the seven-bedroom detached house, which dates to 1840, creating a garden party room and a two-bedroom holiday let annexe on their acre of land. Five of their six children have flown the nest, but the semi-retired couple found that life wasn’t much cheaper because their mortgage rate and utility bills had increased so much.

This prompted them to sell and move into a five-bedroom townhouse at Berkeley Homes’ Knights Quarter development in Winchester. Prices for a townhouse on the estate start from £1.3 million, but still the couple’s mortgage has reduced by a third. In addition, new-builds have to meet stricter energy efficiency standards, which means they are 57 per cent cheaper to run on average than older homes.

“In our previous home with dated insulation, our energy bills were extortionate at about £1,000 a month,” George, 63, says. “Here, we’ve got great insulation, underfloor heating and radiators, so we’re hopeful we will notice a positive difference.”

Sarah, 57, says, “We loved our life in the village, but the maintenance of a home of that scale took up a lot of our time.”

From deepest Cornwall to the wild Scottish Highlands, life’s a beach at our top 20 coastal hotspots

By Tim Palmer

If this year’s stop-start summer weather is good for one thing, it’s to remind us how vital it is to be ready to make the most of a rare day when the sun peeks out from behind the rainclouds. Rather than gambling precious time off on our increasingly unreliable climate, live by the sea — then every day can be like a holiday. You’ll be in pole position to spend time in, on or beside the water.

This selection of the best places to live by the coast includes something for everyone: arty, commutable towns, seaside suburbs, pretty honeypots and spectacular, wild escapes. All these contrasting locations have something to offer in every season, with the kind of communities, connections and practicalities that will make the holiday feeling last all year round. And there’s something for every budget, too — with an average house price for each location provided by Savills, using Land Registry data.

The Witterings, West Sussex

West Wittering’s vast expanse of pristine white sand is a spectacle you might hope to see in the Western Isles or the Caribbean, but in the overcrowded southeast of England it’s a miracle. Every aquatic activity is catered for here: surfing, sailing, kayaking and paddleboarding in Chichester Harbour, or just eating chips from the stylish beach café. The village itself is idyllic, with daisy-covered lawns and lovely flint houses in a warren of winding lanes and private roads. It’s easy to be discreet here, which is one reason why A-list celebs such as Kate Winslet and Keith Richards have chosen to call it home. House prices are correspondingly stratospheric — an average of £954,150. Which is where its next-door neighbour, East Wittering, comes in. Its own beach is pretty good, West Wittering is only a 30-minute walk away and you can get an average home here for about half the price. It’s much less rarefied and bucolic, but a lot more practical with its friendly pub, fresh fish from the fisherman’s hut on the beach and an old-fashioned selection of independent shops.
Average house price (East and West): £537,897

North Berwick, East Lothian

With two great beaches and a harbour, North Berwick has everything you want for a life by the sea, and a whole lot more besides: a brilliant high street packed with independent shops, natural beauty all around, excellent schools and a half-hour train link to Edinburgh. You’ll see swimmers in the water and dog-walkers on the sand all year round, but it’s in summer that the town really comes into its own. There’s a summer solstice beach bonfire, the Fringe by the Sea festival brings in the crowds for cultural high jinks and the lobster shack serves its famous lobster rolls. No wonder house prices are high. A period mansion in a prime spot on Fidra Road could cost over £2 million.
Average price: £460,161

Shaldon, Devon

This self-styled “quaint drinking village with a fishing problem” certainly knows how to have a good time. From the water carnival to the summer regatta and the giant beach bonfire, there’s always something going on — and most of it revolves around the water. Paddleboarding and kayaking are to the fore in the Teign estuary and there’s high-class yachting in the choppier waters of the Channel. There’s also a choice of red-sand beaches, but check the tides before you head through the old smugglers’ tunnel to Ness Cove Beach — it disappears at high water. As well as the trio of pubs, there’s a butcher, a baker and well-stocked village store. If you can, grab one of the Georgian houses on the village green, which go for about £1 million, depending on size and condition.
Average price: £516,087

Folkestone, Kent

Folkestone’s eye-catching regeneration remains a work in progress, but the colourful Old High Street and views of the sea, the White Cliffs and France from the revitalised Harbour Arm make this the most interesting base on the much-hyped Kent coast. Even the areas untouched by the town’s arty makeover are looking brighter, with the blighted bus station due to be transformed into a park. Add high-speed trains (reaching London St Pancras in under an hour), excellent schools and superior sports facilities, and Folkestone is hard to beat. The most striking address is the new seafront Shoreline development, where prices range from £395,000 for a one-bedroom apartment to £2.75 million for a three-bedroom penthouse.
Average price: £300,448

• Why Folkestone, Kent, is the best place to live in the southeast of England 2024

Arnside, Cumbria

The magnificent vista along the wooded shore of the Kent estuary is one of the best estuary views — an ever-changing spectacle of glowing sand, sparkling water and wonderful wildlife. Try to bag a room or two with a view and ideally a garden, perhaps at sea level on the Promenade or High Knott Road and Redhills Road closer to the panoramic summit of Arnside Knott. A handful of larger, grander homes might top the £1 million mark but there are plenty of good houses on the market for £500,000. Visitors descend on the village on a summer’s evening to watch the sunset while tucking into cod and chips from the famous chippie. But the social scene remains lively all year at the friendly sailing club and a variety of other groups and classes.
Average price: £367,629

Arnside, Cumbria

The magnificent vista along the wooded shore of the Kent estuary is one of the best estuary views — an ever-changing spectacle of glowing sand, sparkling water and wonderful wildlife. Try to bag a room or two with a view and ideally a garden, perhaps at sea level on the Promenade or High Knott Road and Redhills Road closer to the panoramic summit of Arnside Knott. A handful of larger, grander homes might top the £1 million mark but there are plenty of good houses on the market for £500,000. Visitors descend on the village on a summer’s evening to watch the sunset while tucking into cod and chips from the famous chippie. But the social scene remains lively all year at the friendly sailing club and a variety of other groups and classes.
Average price: £367,629

Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear

For all the upwardly mobile appeal of revitalised Whitley Bay, elegant Tynemouth is long established as the first choice for the discerning Geordie in search of sand, surf and super-fresh seafood. You’ll find the first two at blue-flagged Longsands, the pick of the beaches. Riley’s Fish Shack provides the latter, turning out top-class grub from a Portakabin on King Edward’s Bay, which has its own blue flag. Away from the shore, the town has an appealing arty-crafty collection of indie shops and restaurants, as well as a lively market in the old railway station. Good schools and a 35-minute Metro connection to the centre of Newcastle ensure it scores highly for practicalities. Finding a house — or a parking space — may not be plain sailing. Demand is high and period homes in prime spots close to the beach such as Percy Gardens can push the seven-figure barrier. There’s better value to be found on Millview Drive or the Broadway, or two miles up the coast in neighbouring Cullercoats.
Average price: £320,276

Portobello, Edinburgh

Go back 20 years and it’s hard to imagine that down-at-heel Porty would become one of Edinburgh’s most fought-over addresses. But with three-bedroom houses flying off the shelves for about £800,000 and the best detached homes topping the £1 million mark, this sandy suburb is where every artist, author and cool young family now wants to live. The beach — with kayaking and volleyball in summer, bonfires in winter and swimming all year round — is the big draw. The useful high street has more than its fair share of artisans and indie establishments. Pizza from Civerinos Slice Bar and seafood from Shrimpwreck ensure that foodies don’t need to take the 20-minute bike ride or 30-minute bus journey into the city centre for seriously good grub.
Average price: £303,208

Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire

Saundersfoot may not have the Instagrammable looks of Tenby along the coast, but on most counts it’s more than a match for its colourful Georgian neighbour. A recently completed harbour development has brought a bit of buzz to the waterfront, while Saundersfoot Beach was named one of the three most sustainable in the world in a TripAdvisor survey this year and there are two others to hang out on. The sandy beaches are the big draw for holidaymakers, but there’s enough going on year-round to make this the perfect base to explore the riches of the wild coast of west Wales. There’s a good primary school, trains to Swansea (in a leisurely 90 minutes) and a full roster of community clubs and activities.
Average price: £370,537

Amble, Northumberland

Today, there’s little sign of the gloom that followed the decline of the mining industry here — head to the beaches or harbour where you can buy fish fresh from the boats, and admire the view of Coquet Island, home to puffins and rare roseate terns. You can dine on top-notch seafood at Jasper’s Bistro or the Fish Shack — where Harrison Ford tucked into sardines and a pint while filming the latest Indiana Jones movie, Dial of Destiny. The schools are good and access to Newcastle, the East Coast Main Line and the wilder corners of the windswept Northumberland coast could hardly be easier. Unlike holiday-home honeypots such as Bamburgh or Craster, this is a proper, year-round community: to see just how much is going on, check the Ambler, the town’s own hyperlocal paper. House prices are forgiving — less than half the cost of buying in neighbouring Warkworth, according to Rightmove.
Average price: £209,709

Ballycastle, Co Antrim

With expansive beaches, Game of Thrones scenery all around and views across the wild Atlantic to Rathlin Island and the Mull of Kintyre, Ballycastle is a feast for the eyes. And for the tastebuds — try the brilliant bakery Ursa Minor and the North Coast Smokehouse, and the local produce at the market, before tucking into Morton’s famous fish and chips. See the town at its liveliest during the Ould Lammas Fair in late August, when thousands crowd into the streets to watch the horse-trading while tucking into local delicacies such as yellowman (honeycomb) and dulse (seaweed). The best address is probably Quay Road, where a new, four-bedroom Georgian-style townhouse is on the market for £475,000.
Average price: £249,667

Waterloo, Merseyside

The greatest attractions here are the 100 life-sized cast-iron figures that make up Another Place, Antony Gormley’s mesmerising installation which has transformed the huge sandy Crosby Beach into one of the country’s most uplifting spectacles — even more so if you spot one of the dolphins that are increasingly regular visitors to the Mersey. But there are more down-to-earth attractions in this unpretentious beachside enclave that’s less than 20 minutes by reliable Merseyrail train from the centre of Liverpool. There are good schools, a lively selection of bars and restaurants clustered around the station on South Road and the lovely Plaza Community Cinema. Best of all is a useful stock of Victorian and Edwardian houses, which are both closer to the water and cheaper than in Waterloo’s better-known neighbour, Crosby. A four-bedroom place with a view of the beach will cost £350,000-£400,000. An extra £100,000 will secure a spot right on the beach.
Average price: £213,198

Mumbles, Glamorgan

For somewhere that’s essentially a suburb of Swansea, Mumbles has a frankly indecent amount to offer the most demanding thalassophile. Within a few miles of the centre of Wales’s second city, you can watch wading birds forage on the shoreline of Swansea Bay, explore the rockpools of Bracelet Bay, join the hardy year-round swimmers at Langland Bay or hop on your surfboard at Caswell Bay. An ice cream from Joe’s, Forte’s or Verdi’s is the perfect reward for a day on the beach. For those seeking even wilder landscapes Rhossili Bay, on the tip of the Gower peninsula, is 40 minutes in the opposite direction. The best addresses round here — some would say in all of Wales — are Caswell Bay and Langland, sometimes optimistically described as the country’s answer to the Hamptons.
Average price: £412,524

Penzance/Newlyn, Cornwall

Penzance may be at the end of the train line, but this is no salty backwater, and some new investments have spruced things up. Cornish culture is to the fore, and since the pandemic a clutch of bars and restaurants have opened, including 45 Queen Street, Lovetts café and the harbourside fish joint Argoe, which is listed in the Michelin guide. From historic Chapel Street to the art deco Jubilee Pool (where full-time residents get a discount), architecture is a strong point. And best of all, those beautiful old houses offer excellent value for money, at least compared with the hooray hotspots on the north coast. “We remain in a buyer’s market and there’s plenty of choice, from detached Victorian villas for around £1 million, to cute cottages overlooking Mount’s Bay for under £500,000,” says Anna Sharp, of the buying agency Black Brick.
Average price: £302,328

Nairn, Highlands

You wouldn’t mistake the weather for Tenerife, but Nairn is one of the sunniest, driest corners of Scotland. Faint praise, perhaps, but that means there’s more time to enjoy the panoply of pursuits on offer in this handsome town on the Moray Firth. It has two beaches, two championship golf courses and limitless walking and mountain biking opportunities nearby, and a resident pod of dolphins to watch out for. A books and arts festival highlights Nairn’s cultural depth. The bright lights and superstores of Inverness are close at hand (30 minutes by car, 20 by train), but you can get most of what you need in the town centre. There’s a good range of Victorian homes, from cottages for about £200,000 to large detached villas (£500,000 or so).
Average price: £250,435

Rishi who? Wealthy US buyers don’t care about UK politics, they just want to splash their cash on prime properties

By Emanuele Midolo

A few days ago, the British comedian Simon Brodkin went viral on social media when he asked some New Yorkers what they thought of Rishi Sunak. “Of who?” most of them replied. Oddly a few thought he was a DJ. “Techno DJ. Doof doof doof.”

The video was captioned “DJ Sunak taking bookings from July 5” — in the comments some were wondering what would have happened if he’d asked the same question about Keir Starmer.

Although they may not know (or care) much about British politics, Americans seem to love Britain. Taylor Swift is reportedly renting a £3 million cottage in Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds, a stone’s throw from Soho Farmhouse, the exclusive members’ club. Tom Cruise and Ellen DeGeneres are also rumoured to be on the hunt for houses there. Since the pandemic US buyers have snapped up trophy mansions, penthouses and huge lateral apartments in some of England’s best addresses — particularly in London.

Last year four in ten London homes valued at £15 million and above were sold to an American buyer, according to an analysis by the super-prime agency Beauchamp Estates. This accounts for more than half a billion pounds’ worth of properties. The data, from the property portal LonRes (plus Beauchamp’s own market insights), also shows that 70 per cent of all purchases were made in cash.

“Americans don’t give a flying f*** about non-dom status,” Beauchamp’s founder, Gary Hersham, says, referring to the tax status of “non-domiciled residents” — like Sunak’s wife, the Indian businesswoman Akshata Murty — who do not have to pay tax on money they earned outside of the UK.

The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced in the spring budget that he is scrapping the non-dom tax regime. There were worries in property circles that the change, which will take place in April 2025, may dampen foreign investments. When it comes to American buyers, at least, that doesn’t seem to be the case — yet.

“They’re taxed worldwide and they’re not concerned about politics here or in America,” Hersham says. “They’re wealthy enough to live anywhere they want. And they love it here. They love the quality of work of the properties in London, which they just do not get in California or New York. Nothing to compare.”

In the past two weeks alone American buyers have snapped up properties in London worth £150 million. Not even the prospect of a Labour government, which may introduce higher taxes on foreign ownership of UK homes, seems to be denting their enthusiasm.

“None of [our American clients] are really talking to us about a Labour government or the general election and how that may impact them,” Camilla Dell, managing partner of the buying agency Black Brick, says. “Some of them have been talking to us about Donald Trump, saying that if he gets elected [in the US] they’re going to think twice whether they want to stay there or even come here permanently. But others think Trump is good news for anybody in America who’s got money.”

Many of Dell’s American clients are professionals — either working in tech or finance — living on the Pacific west coast who want to buy a pied-à-terre or a holiday home in Kensington and Chelsea. Their budgets range from £1.5 million to £8 million, she says.

“Many of them have business links here,” Dell explains. “They like being in London and everything the city has to offer: theatres, shopping, parks. But they also love to use the capital as a springboard into Europe. Here in London we take the continent for granted, whereas Americans really see how close amazing places are — Paris, Rome, Greece — and they make the most of it. They move around and explore.”

London’s top agents agree that, historically, US buyers have been interested in period houses with period features. “Some of our houses are older than the cities they come from,” says Jessica Bishop from DDRE Global, the super-prime boutique agency that is the subject of the hit Netflix show Buying London. About half of DDRE’s clients are American, and it uses a US brokerage model to do business.

Bishop says US buyers dream about the charm and character of traditional British homes. “I’m looking on behalf of a very influential American at the moment. Their focus is particularly on the exterior of the house, the stucco façades that you see in Belgravia and on [the Netflix period drama] Bridgerton.”

Another drive is the quality of schools in England. Bishop has just sold a multimillion-pound townhouse in Notting Hill, west London, to an American family — they want their children to be educated here.

Peter Wetherell, head of the estate agency Wetherell, which specialises in properties in Mayfair, is selling a house in Hay’s Mews, priced at £6.75 million, for the third time in his career. “I sold the house to an American lady back in 1987, then in 2000 it was purchased by another American buyer, a Chicago financier, Ralph I Goldenberg,” Wetherell says. “Now his daughter, Jane Goldenberg, who is based in Chicago, has asked us to sell the house again. Our main focus is marketing it in the United States.”

Wetherell says that for London’s super-prime developers, marketing to an American audience has become “essential” and “mission critical”, so roadshows for London trophy homes regularly take place in Manhattan, Miami and Chicago. “UK property firms are spending vast sums of money advertising in American newspapers and magazines.”

More recently American buyers have started to hunt for new-builds too, partly due to a lack of available stock in addresses like Mayfair, Chelsea or Belgravia.

“Americans have never been as prevalent in the London market as they are now, and as more have come in, they’ve massively diversified the types of properties they buy,” Claire Reynolds, managing partner at UK Sotheby’s International Realty, says. Reynolds has just sold a two-bedroom flat in a development on Grosvenor Square in Mayfair to an American businessman for £23.5 million.

“This was a guy who was opening an office in London and just wanted an apartment that could double up as a wardrobe,” she adds. “He said that even if he flies by private jet he doesn’t want to bring anything beyond his phone, wallet and passport.”

This trend is not exclusive to prime London. Americans have been flocking to the Cotswolds for some time. “The north, close to Soho Farmhouse, tends to attract celebrities who want to be noticed,” says Henry Sherwood, founder of The Buying Agents consultancy, which covers the home counties. “If you want to be more discreet you should go to the south. There’s a lot of old money in the Cotswolds, they don’t need to sell and are very selective.” Sherwood adds that the Royal Air Force airport at Brize Norton, around 15 miles away from Chipping Norton, now accepts private jets.

Trevor Kearney, who for 20 years sold prime properties for Savills and has just set up his own firm, the Private Office, says that the private estates in Surrey — including the Wentworth Estate and St George’s Hill — are also extremely popular among Americans.

“They might have been aware of them in the past but they’re now looking to buy there and make home there,” Kearney says, adding that there are two big ACS international schools (formerly known as American Community Schools) in Surrey, one of them in Cobham, close to St George’s Hill, and the other in Egham, close to Wentworth.

Kearney says he is advising two American families looking for large family homes in Surrey. “Both originally came saying they wanted traditional British homes,” he explains. “They had a typical Cotswolds cottage in mind. They don’t any more. Both want sleek design, security, high-tech facilities and amenities.”

Neither prospective buyer, it seems, could care less who the next UK’s prime minister will be.

Estate agents are increasingly using platforms like Instagram to sell prime properties — but it can be a risky strategy

Camilla Dell

This week alone I must have been sent a dozen invitations to champagne-fuelled property launches. The last time I was being sent this sort of invitation was before the financial crisis.

There are 20 per cent more sales listings for £5 million-plus properties than this time last year, data from the house price analyst LonRes shows, but the number of these homes under offer is down 43 per cent.

This has led to a surge of sellers attempting to stoke up interest in their prime properties with parties and publicity. Some properties are struggling to sell and estate agents are trying different tactics, including social media.

I am on Instagram, but have chosen to have a private profile, and my firm, Black Brick, is on social channels to inform and educate rather than boast and promote.

I don’t believe my clients want me to be the star. Or care to know intricate details about my private life. It’s not about me. I believe sellers and buyers should take caution when thinking about selling or buying through social media platforms.

Sellers, don’t believe that a little bit of glitz and glamour will shift your home in a market that is looking increasingly crowded with options. Champagne-fuelled launch parties and plenty of social media exposure on Instagram and TikTok is not the answer.

The properties I see pop up on my social feed are often overpriced or compromised, or both. Sometimes they have been on the market for long periods, with various agents pushing them on their feeds with slightly different shouty loud music.

The real answer is to market these properties at the right price to begin with. Last summer we were asked to advise on the sale of a special property in a prime area of London. The seller’s expectations were high. We told them this, but they were adamant to achieve their price.

We suggested an off-market strategy to test the waters without the danger of overexposure. We showed the property to the best buying and selling agents in super-prime London. One buying agent had a buyer. They came to see it twice, but could not get their head round the price.

We advised the seller to lower it. Instead, they instructed a property influencer with over 200,000 followers. That didn’t work. So they engaged yet more property influencers. I must have seen the property on my social feeds a dozen times now. It still has not sold a year later, even with its now much-reduced asking price.

If you are a seller, the danger of going social is that you deter potential buyers (as much as you may attract others) and you achieve a lower price. The biggest premiums I have seen being paid by buyers are when properties are exclusive, off-market and special.

It can be a significant security risk for certain buyers to have the floor plan on the internet. We once bought a country estate for a client that unfortunately had been promoted on several websites and social media. Our clients’ lawyers then spent a large amount of time contacting various publications to have the property removed.

That’s not to say there isn’t a place for social media. Done well, it can be helpful and entice interest, but be sure to do your due diligence. Is the influencer a genuine industry expert with a track record interested in doing the best for you and your property, or a TV wannabe more interested in using your property to promote themselves and gain followers?

Recent analysis of acquisitions made by my firm, Black Brick, during the past 12 months shows that buying agents and their clients rarely buy properties that are all over social media. Over the last year, only five of the 30 homes we acquired for our clients had appeared on social media. Many of our clients value privacy and discretion when purchasing prime property. They don’t want to buy something the whole world has seen.

Ultimately, the best and most desirable properties just don’t require that kind of exposure to find suitable buyers. The best way to sell your property is to price it realistically and discreetly show it to the right people before.
Camilla Dell is the founder of buying agency Black Brick