UK: cross-border payments and remote closing

A buyer who lives abroad will ask the same questions again and again: when do I pay, how do I send the money, do I have to come, and what can go wrong. This briefing gives your team the sequence and the points that most often cost time in an English purchase. It is written for agencies and developers. Scotland and Northern Ireland follow different procedures, so check before you advise a buyer there.

The sequence in one view

Law-firm summaries describe the same path: an offer is accepted and a memorandum of sale is issued, the buyer's solicitor reviews title and carries out searches, surveys are commissioned, contracts are exchanged and the deposit is paid, and the sale completes when the balance is paid and ownership is registered (see Osbornes and Kingsley Napley). Put this sequence in front of the buyer in the first week, with who does what.

The point that surprises overseas buyers

Neither side is legally bound until contracts are exchanged. A buyer can have an offer accepted, spend money on surveys and legal work, and still lose the property if the seller changes their mind or accepts a higher offer. The same sources describe this as the main risk of the English system for a buyer who is not present. Do not describe an accepted offer as a done deal. Tell buyers that speed, and a prepared file, are what protect them.

Solicitors, proof of funds and why onboarding is slow

An overseas buyer needs a UK-based conveyancing solicitor, who carries out their own identity and anti-money-laundering checks. The solicitor will typically ask for proof of identity and address and evidence of the source of funds, and sometimes of the source of wealth: bank statements, sale documents, business accounts or similar. A leasehold flat adds a further layer, because the solicitor reviews the lease, service charges, ground rent and the remaining term (see Forsters).

Forsters notes that onboarding international clients takes longer because of the proof and source-of-funds rules, and that identity verification can often be done remotely by phone. Ask the buyer to appoint the solicitor before they make an offer, and to start the funds paperwork at once. Agents often work with particular solicitors, and Forsters points out that instructing one the agent knows can help a seller accept an offer. Do not recommend a solicitor in a way that implies a connection you cannot disclose.

How the money moves

Sources describe the deposit being paid when contracts are exchanged, with the balance paid at completion, both through the solicitor. Some summaries state that the customary deposit is about ten percent; treat that as a custom that can be negotiated, and ask the solicitor. What we could not verify in this review: bank-transfer times and limits from specific countries, how a solicitor handles a transfer from a third party, and exchange-rate practice. For a buyer abroad, say clearly:

• tell the bank early that a large transfer is coming, and ask what it will want to see
• send funds from an account in the buyer's own name where possible, and explain any other source in writing
• expect the solicitor to refuse funds whose origin cannot be shown, however late it is
• keep the exchange rate in mind: a buyer paying from another currency carries the movement between the offer and completion

Do not hold the buyer's money yourself and do not suggest a payment route that avoids the solicitor.

Remote signing and powers of attorney

The sources we read confirm that the process can be run from abroad with a UK solicitor, but they do not state the rules for remote signing, witnessed signatures or powers of attorney. Practice varies. Ask the buyer's solicitor, before the offer, whether the buyer can sign contracts and transfer documents from abroad and what form of witnessing or attestation is needed. If a power of attorney is proposed, ask the solicitor to confirm it is acceptable and who will hold it.

Tax at completion

Stamp Duty Land Tax applies to residential purchases in England and Northern Ireland, with surcharges for non-residents and for additional dwellings (see the 2026 briefing, UK: what changed for foreign buyers). The solicitor normally files the return and pays the tax after completion, and the buyer needs the money on top of the price. We could not confirm the exact deadline in this review, so ask the solicitor. Tell the buyer about the surcharge at the offer stage, not at completion.

Where purchases lose time

• the buyer's funds paperwork starts late, because the buyer did not expect a source-of-funds file
• the buyer is a company that is not on the register of overseas entities
• a leasehold flat has a short lease or high charges that the buyer did not expect
• a survey finds a defect after the price was agreed
• the chain above or below the property breaks
• the buyer cannot be reached for a signature on the day contracts are ready

A short checklist for your team

• explain at the first call that the offer is not binding until exchange
• ask the buyer to appoint a solicitor and start the funds file before the offer
• tell the buyer to warn the bank about the transfer
• ask the solicitor how documents can be signed from abroad before you promise a date
• show the tax surcharge in the budget at the offer stage
• keep your own file as complete as the solicitor's

Working with D.H. Realting

D.H. Realting is a trilingual (Russian, English, Polish) overseas-property platform. We introduce buyers, including expats and cross-border buyers, and support the process. Agencies that handle the deal locally and want to be introduced to such buyers can contact us through our partners page.

This briefing is informational only and is not legal, tax or investment advice. Facts were checked on 12 October 2026 from the sources named in the text; rules change, so confirm with a local lawyer before relying on any point.