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A quick guide to buying property in the UK

Nomo bank

17 Nov 2023

Buying a property in the UK can be hugely rewarding. The rewards may be financial, for example if you’re buying the property as an investment, or personal, if you’re looking for somewhere to live permanently or to use as a second home.

There are many steps to buying a UK property and it’s important to educate yourself before beginning the journey.

In this article, you’ll find some helpful information about buying property in the UK. Please be aware that any income earned from an investment property in the UK will be subject to Income tax and should you sell your property, Capital Gains Tax may apply.

You should familiarise yourself with your tax obligations before purchasing a property for investment purposes. Please be aware that this article in no way constitutes advice from Nomo and you should always do your own research.

Finding a property

Before you start house hunting, it’s important to be clear on what you intend to use the property for: are you looking to purchase a property to let it out for investment purposes, or to use it personally? This can influence the type of property and location you choose.

Once you have a clear understanding of your needs, it’s important to know what you can afford. The first step here is to get a rough estimate of the finance you may be able to receive from a bank or finance provider. You can use a finance calculator to help you. This will give you an idea of what property price you may be able to afford. For a more accurate estimate of what a bank might offer, you can get an Agreement in Principle, which is a certificate to show to property agents and sellers.

There are many ways to find a property to buy. Here are a few examples to get you started:

Use a property/estate agent

They will help you to find properties and manage negotiations between you and the owner of a property. A quick internet search will help you to find specialised property agents both in the UK and the Middle East.

Use online UK listings

Browsing online will allow you to search for exactly what you’re looking for and compare different properties. There are many UK-based search engines, such as:

Zoopla

Rightmove

Buying a rental property

If you’re looking to purchase a property to rent it out, it's important to get a sense of how much rental income the property could generate.

A fast and easy way to discover this is by using a rent calculator such as the one you’ll find on OpenRent. By entering a few basic details about the property, you will get an estimate of how much you could expect to earn per month from rent. Alternatively, you can also look at UK rental listings online, again on Zoopla or Rightmove, to see how much rent costs for similar properties in the area you are looking to buy in.

What to do when you’ve found a property

Once you’ve found a property, you’ll need to make an official offer to the seller or property agent. An Agreement in Principle will help estate agents and sellers see you as a serious buyer.

Using property finance to buy a property in the UK

Property finance can help you purchase a UK property. If you choose to buy with property finance, one of the most important things to consider is the type of property finance you apply for.

Rental property finance is for people looking to buy a property to rent out as an investment, rather than live in it. Rental property finance is usually profit-only, which means that the monthly payments will only pay off the bank's profit, not the finance amount itself. This amount will need to be paid off in full at the end of the repayment period.

Depending on how much rent you charge and the cost of your monthly payments, you could find that the property pays for itself if the rent you receive is more than the amount you’re paying to the bank.

Residential property finance is for people looking to buy a property to live in permanently or to use as a second home. Residential property finance usually involves principal and profit payments, which means that you pay both the bank’s profit on the finance, plus the value of the finance. At the end of the repayment period, there will be no outstanding finance to be paid.

Once you have agreed on a property purchase with the seller, you can start an application for property finance.

Please note that Nomo currently offers rental property finance for properties in England and Wales.

Appointing a lawyer

One of the key steps to completing a property purchase in the UK is appointing a lawyer. Your lawyer will help you fulfil all the legalities involved in transferring ownership of the property from the seller to you. This process is known as conveyancing.

If you choose to apply for property finance with Nomo, we recommend you choose a lawyer that has experience with Islamic finance. The lawyer also needs to be based in England or Wales and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. You can easily check this on the Solicitors Register.

You’re free to appoint your preferred lawyer if you want, but you can also choose to go with one of Nomo’s preferred lawyers, which include:

Hill Dickinson

Blakewater Solicitors

Kuddus Solicitor

It's typically a good idea to start the process of appointing a lawyer early on when you start applying for property finance. This can help to speed up the time it takes to get the funds ready for your purchase.

Costs associated with buying property in the UK

There are a number of costs associated with buying a property in the UK besides the property price itself. Some of these costs could include:

Application fees for property finance

These fees cover administrative and operational costs associated with processing your property finance application which can include commodity trade and introducer fees.

Legal fees

These fees cover legal work carried out by your lawyer helping you with transferring ownership from the seller to you. You will also need to cover the costs of the bank’s lawyer.

Building insurance

Insurance can protect you from costs of repairing or rebuilding your property in case of a disaster. Having building insurance in place is one of the mandatory requirements to get property finance.

Property survey costs

A standard valuation is carried out as part of the property finance process, but you can also arrange a property survey which looks at the physical condition of the property if you wish. This will help you to discover any repairs that you may need to address before you purchase the property.

Money transfer fees

To purchase a property in the UK from abroad, you may need to transfer funds overseas, for example, to pay the down payment.

Taxes

When you buy a property in the UK, you may be required to pay taxes such as Stamp Duty Tax applicable to properties in England and Land Transaction Tax for properties in Wales.

You may be also liable for Income Tax resulting from the income earned from your rental property and Capital Gains Tax in case you choose to sell the property in the future. Please refer to the UK government website for more information.

There may be other taxes due or resulting from the purchase of your rental property and you should review your personal tax situation and the implications of owning the property with a tax specialist.

The information provided on this website is of a general nature and it is not a substitute for advice specific to your circumstances. Nomo Bank and its affiliates do not provide tax, legal or accounting advice and you should consult your own advisors before engaging in any transaction.

We recommend government agencies such as MoneyHelper for impartial financial advice.

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