Sell an investment property with a defined exit

Tax and legal treatment depend on individual circumstances. We recommend speaking with a qualified tax adviser or solicitor before proceeding.

Selling through an estate agent introduces variables that can be difficult to control. Buyers may rely on mortgage finance, surveys can affect agreed pricing, and negotiations can extend over weeks or months. This can make timing uncertain, particularly if you’re trying to release capital or restructure a portfolio.

A direct cash sale removes many of those moving parts. You receive a clear written offer, agree a completion timeline upfront, and deal with a single buyer. There’s no extended marketing period or dependency on third-party approvals, which allows you to make decisions based on a defined outcome rather than an open-ended process.

No. With a direct cash house buyer, there are no estate agent fees, no marketing costs, and no hidden charges deducted from the agreed price. If you use our recommended solicitors, we also cover your legal fees, meaning the figure you agree is the amount you receive on completion.

This can make a meaningful difference when assessing your net return, particularly compared to an open-market sale where agent fees, legal costs and potential price renegotiation can reduce your final proceeds.

When you sell an investment property in the UK, capital gains tax (CGT) may apply to the profit made between the original purchase price and the final sale price. The gain is calculated after deducting allowable costs such as improvements, legal fees and purchase expenses.

The exact amount you pay depends on your overall income, available allowances and current tax rates. Because tax treatment varies between individuals, it’s important to understand your position before committing to a sale. A clear cash offer can help you assess your potential gain more accurately, allowing you to make a decision with a full understanding of the financial outcome.

A direct cash sale for a rental property is based on a different set of priorities than the open market. Instead of aiming for the highest possible price through marketing and negotiation, it focuses on delivering a defined outcome within a controlled timeframe.

Offers are typically up to around 85% of market value, depending on the property, tenancy position and condition. This reflects the speed of the transaction, the certainty of completion, and the costs removed from the process, such as estate agent fees, prolonged marketing and the risk of renegotiation after survey.

For many landlords, the ability to plan with certainty and release capital quickly with a fast sale of a buy-to-let property is a worthwhile trade-off.

Yes, selling with tenants in situ is a common approach for investment properties. In this case, the tenancy agreement transfers to the buyer at completion, and the new owner becomes responsible for the tenancy and any ongoing obligations.

This can be useful if you want to avoid serving notice or disrupting tenants purely for the purpose of selling. It also removes the need to wait for vacant possession before progressing. We regularly purchase tenanted properties directly, allowing landlords to exit without extending timelines or introducing additional complexity. This can be particularly useful where maintaining rental continuity or avoiding void periods is important.

No, vacant possession is not always required. A buy to let property can be sold either with tenants in place or with vacant possession, depending on your preference and the circumstances of the tenancy.

Achieving vacant possession may increase flexibility in some cases, but it can involve notice periods and compliance with tenancy regulations. This can introduce delays if your goal is to exit a buy to let quickly. Because we buy directly, we can assess the property based on its current status and agree a route that aligns with your timeline. This allows you to decide whether to retain the tenancy or regain possession without being forced into a longer sales process.

If there’s an outstanding mortgage on the property, it is repaid from the sale proceeds at completion. Your solicitor will obtain a redemption statement from the lender, which confirms the balance required to clear the loan, including any interest or early repayment charges.

Once the mortgage is settled, the remaining funds are transferred to you. Understanding your redemption position before agreeing a sale is important, particularly if you’re planning to reinvest or restructure your portfolio. Because we provide a clear cash offer and agree completion in advance, you have time to review these figures and ensure the outcome aligns with your financial plans.

Selling at auction can work in certain situations, like when there is strong demand and the reserve price is achieved. Auctions also provide a fixed timeline once a successful bid is secured. However, there are risks to consider, including the possibility that the property doesn’t meet its reserve or that buyer demand is limited on the day.

A direct cash sale removes that uncertainty. Instead of setting a guide price and waiting for bids, you receive a clear written offer and decide whether it works for you. There are also no auction fees or marketing costs to factor in, which can make the overall outcome more predictable.

The “70% rule” is commonly referenced in property flipping, where investors aim to pay no more than 70% of a property’s after-repair value minus refurbishment costs.

It’s not a legal rule and does not automatically apply to buy to let property sales.

When selling an investment property, pricing should reflect current market value, tenancy structure and condition, not a generic formula. Our process is based on property-specific assessment rather than broad investor rules.

On the open market, selling an investment property can take several months. This depends on buyer demand, financing approvals and how negotiations progress, especially if surveys lead to changes in price or terms.

With a direct cash purchase, the process is usually shorter and more controlled, and can be as fast as 7 days.

There’s no marketing period, no reliance on mortgage lenders and no onward chain. Instead, you agree a completion timeline at the outset, which allows you to plan around refinancing, reinvestment or exit decisions. For many landlords, selling your house fast and having more control over timing is just as important as the final price achieved.

This depends on your priorities. If your goal is to achieve the highest possible price and time isn’t a factor, the open market may be the right route. However, that approach can involve uncertainty, delays and ongoing costs while the property is being marketed.

Some landlords place more value on releasing capital quickly, reducing exposure to risk, or removing the ongoing demands of managing a property. In these cases, accepting a lower but defined price can provide a clearer and more controlled outcome. A direct sale allows you to move forward with certainty, rather than waiting for a potentially higher offer that may not complete.