Frequently Asked Questions

A cash buyer buys your home directly with its own money, so there is no mortgage, no chain and no third party involved. We Buy Any Home is a genuine cash buyer with our own funds ready every day, and we are happy to show you proof of funds. Some companies call themselves cash buyers but need to find someone else to fund the purchase, which adds delays and means your sale is not guaranteed.

We are the UK’s largest cash buying company. We have been buying homes since 2010 and have bought over 7,000 homes worth more than £1 billion. We are part of Castle Property Group and co-founded the National Association of Property Buyers.

We start with a call to understand your circumstances and your home and give you an initial cash offer. If you are happy with it, you sign our Initial Agreement so we can start work on the purchase. That commits you to nothing financially, it just tells us you are serious. We then visit your home to check its condition, take photos and videos and prepare a floor plan. This is not a formal survey. Before completion we may also arrange a survey with a RICS-qualified surveyor. We cover the cost of every inspection and survey, and we charge you no fees.

In as little as 7 days. If you would rather take longer, we work to your timescale, whether that is days, weeks or months. We can agree the sale now and complete when it suits you.

Yes. You pick the date and we work to it.

One of our team will call you, and we can usually give you a cash offer on that first call or shortly after. Every home is different and online records only tell us so much, so speaking to you means we can give you an accurate offer rather than a generic estimate and answer your questions there and then.

Yes, happily. We buy with our own funds and do not rely on mortgage lenders, property chains or third-party investors. Be wary of any buyer who will not show proof of funds. They may quote a higher price, but if they need to find someone else to buy your home there is no guarantee they can honour it.

Our funds are ready, we are completely chain-free, and our in-house team handles sales progression, underwriting and legal work. We also indemnify ourselves against legal searches, which removes one of the slowest parts of a normal purchase. After 16 years and more than 7,000 homes, our process is well tested.

Some we sell on the open market, sometimes after renovating them, taking on all the risk and cost ourselves. Others we keep, renovate if needed, and rent out.

We buy homes anywhere in England, Scotland and Wales.

No, we are a completely separate company.

We ask whether you have had a recent valuation from a local estate agent, then carry out a desktop appraisal using the details you give us and recent sold prices for similar homes near you. That gives you your initial offer. We then view your home in person, and in some cases arrange a full survey. Anything that affects value, such as condition or a short lease, is reflected in the offer.

We can give you an initial offer straight away from the information you give us. We then inspect every home in person, and may arrange a survey, before the final offer is confirmed.

It can change if the in-person visit or the survey uncovers something we did not know about, or if local sold prices have moved. If that happens we will be open with you and discuss it before anything changes, and you are free to walk away at no cost.

Yes. Once a sale is agreed, any survey we arrange is carried out by a RICS-qualified surveyor, free of charge to you.

Someone needs to be there to give access for the in-person visit and any survey. That can be you, someone on your behalf, or you can arrange for us to collect the keys.

There is no set percentage. Offers are typically up to 85% of market value, but it depends on the home. Every property is assessed individually rather than by a blanket percentage. The trade-off for a fast, guaranteed sale with no fees is a lower price than a full open-market sale, and we are upfront about that.

We cover all the buying costs, including the higher commercial rates of stamp duty where they apply, legal fees, conveyancing and surveys. We then carry the risk and cost of owning the home, including any refurbishment, council tax and bills while it is empty, and the cost of selling it on. Any cash buyer who says they can pay full market value is not genuine.

Estate agents are competing for your business, so valuations are often set high. That is why so many homes are reduced after time on the market, sometimes more than once. We value on actual recent sold prices for similar local homes, the condition of your home, and anything else that affects value such as a short lease. Research shows agents overprice by around £33,500 on average, and by around £44,000 in London. Each price drop costs a seller roughly £12,000 and adds up to ten weeks to the sale.

A cash sale is not right for everyone. Selling on the open market usually takes 6 to 9 months, with agent fees of 1% to 3% plus VAT, possible marketing costs, the risk of fall-throughs and price reductions, keeping the home ready for viewings, and ongoing bills and mortgage payments throughout. Set against all of that, many people find a guaranteed cash offer now is the better option, particularly if the home is empty and costing money.

Yes. We have other options that can get you closer to market value. They are not guaranteed sales and take a little longer, because we need to find a buyer for you, but they are usually 1 to 3 months rather than the 6 to 9 months an open-market sale takes. Speak to one of our advisers and they will talk you through them.

No. There are no fees at all when we buy your home, and no hidden costs. We pay for every inspection and survey. The only thing to allow for is your own legal fees and disbursements.

No. We instruct and pay for any RICS survey ourselves.

No. If we buy your home and later sell it, we arrange a new EPC at our own cost.

Almost. We buy houses, flats, bungalows, maisonettes and rural properties, whatever their age or condition, as long as we can agree a price. The only homes we cannot buy are park homes, houseboats, caravans, and Shared Ownership homes where you have not staircased to 100% ownership.

Yes. We assess commercial properties case by case.

Yes. There are restrictions on who retirement homes can be sold to, so that will be reflected in the offer we can make.

Yes. Speak to one of our advisers and they will help you.

Yes. We never refuse a home because of its condition. Issues like knotweed or subsidence are taken into account in the offer, because we need to put them right before we can sell the home on.

Yes, as long as you have the right to sell the home.

Yes, including homes with a short lease. We may factor in the cost of extending the lease, and we will also need to know the service charge and ground rent.

Yes. We will need to know how long the tenants have lived there, how much rent they pay, when the rent was last reviewed, and whether they have paid on time and looked after the home.

Yes.

Yes, in most cases. Check your estate agent contract for any exclusivity or fee clauses first. If you accept our offer, we will ask you to take the home off the market.

Yes. The outstanding mortgage is settled from the sale proceeds at completion, the same as any other sale. Do check that the proceeds will cover what you owe, and how you would cover any shortfall.

Yes. Because we can complete quickly, we are often able to help you sell before the lender takes action, and it is not always too late once proceedings have started. The sooner you contact us, the more options you will have, and we will tell you honestly what is achievable.

We can buy your home quickly, which may ease the immediate pressure. Do check whether the sale proceeds will cover your mortgage and any arrears. We are not debt advisers, so for regulated debt or financial advice please speak to a qualified adviser or a free service such as StepChange.

Yes, we buy inherited homes regularly. Probate can take longer because of the legal process, but we can agree the sale now and hold off on completion until probate is complete.

Yes. We deal with these situations regularly and handle them discreetly. We will work with whoever needs to be involved, and we will need permission from both owners before we can buy.

Yes. A guaranteed sale on a completion date of your choosing suits relocation well.

Yes. We are chain-free cash buyers, so we can step in quickly when a chain collapses.

Yes, we handle both regularly. There is no pressure to proceed until you are ready.

You will need a solicitor for the conveyancing, and their fees are yours to cover. We can recommend a solicitor from our panel, or you can use your own. Panel solicitors know how we work, which usually speeds things up. Your adviser can explain the likely costs.

Yes. Once you have accepted our offer we will ask you to sign our Initial Agreement so we can start work on the purchase. If the price changes afterwards for any reason, you are free to walk away with no financial liability.

Our team will tell you exactly what is needed at each stage. As a minimum, the solicitors will need proof of identity and proof that you own the home.

The offer is usually subject to survey and standard property searches. If something material comes up we will talk it through with you honestly and share a copy of the survey. If it affects the value and we need to revise the offer, you are free to walk away with no liability.

Funds are typically in your account on the day of completion.

By bank transfer to your solicitor’s client account, and then on to you.

Yes. Between exchange and completion we are happy to discuss an advance to help with the costs of moving.

Once the sale has completed you no longer have the right to stay, so please make sure the completion date works for you and your onward move is arranged. We are chain-free, so we can work to whatever date suits you. If your circumstances change and you need a little longer, we can discuss a Licence to Occupy for a short period, case by case.

Yes. We Buy Any Home is part of Castle Property Group and we co-founded the National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB) in 2013. We abide by The Property Ombudsman’s Code of Conduct, hold an “Excellent” TrustScore on Trustpilot with over 1,000 reviews, and have a Google rating of over 4 stars.

Not by the Financial Conduct Authority. Legitimate companies operate under the NAPB code and are subject to The Property Ombudsman. Membership of both is a reliable sign that a company works to recognised standards.

The NAPB is the trade body for the cash-buying sector. It sets standards and provides a complaints process, and we were a founding member in 2013. The Property Ombudsman is an independent body that handles complaints about property businesses and holds members to a published Code of Conduct.

There are companies in this sector that do not operate well. The three things to look for are NAPB membership, adherence to The Property Ombudsman’s Code of Conduct, and proof of funds. We meet all three, over 7,000 homeowners have sold their home to us, and you are under no obligation until you sign a contract.

We compare the valuation of your home to all recent sold prices in your area, plus we send someone out to your home to valuate the condition.

No. There is no For Sale board, your home is not listed publicly, and there are no viewings. Unless you tell people, there is no reason for anyone to know.

Your data is handled in line with our privacy policy. We use it to progress your sale and we do not sell it to third parties.

No. Requesting a valuation is free and there is no obligation to proceed.

If the offer has changed, for example after survey findings, you can walk away at no cost at any point. If the offer is unchanged and you have simply had a change of heart, a small fee may apply depending on the time and cost already invested. Each case is looked at individually.

Yes. Once we have agreed to buy your home you will have a dedicated sales progressor as your main point of contact.