Buying & selling property overseas

International property services

There seems to be no let up in the boom in the purchase of residential property in other countries, as people continue to want a place in the sun and an investment for the future. This has been enhanced by the recent upsurge in cheap air travel and dramatic improvements in electronic communications and flexible working practices.

Our experience in international property

Irwin Mitchell has highly experienced professionals who can advise you in conveyancing, planning laws and tax advice.

We have professionals who are experienced in the legal aspects of property ownership overseas and also the interaction of UK and foreign tax rules. We have a number of non-UK lawyers in the firm, who together with our tax professionals are well placed to give all round independent advice in this complex area, to ensure that your home in the sun fulfils your dreams without becoming a nightmare.

About buying and selling property overseas

Buying and selling a property abroad has many legal and tax implications which are often overlooked when being swept along with the idea of a home in the sun. It is important that the purchase or sale is structured carefully to ensure that there are no unexpected tax charges.

Buying a property overseas

The first stage has to be to ensure that you are choosing a property in the right area with the transport, communications and general infra-structure suited to your lifestyle needs. Talking to other UK owners in the area will be a useful source of information to help you decide on the right area to look for a property. You will need to choose a lawyer specialising in international property transactions and the various tax implications for the UK client.

If you are considering buying a property on a development, it is likely that the vendors of the development will offer the services of their lawyers. In order to ensure that you are receiving completely independent advice, you should consider whether or not your position would be better protected by appointing your own lawyer.

Your lawyer must be registered with the local Law Society and should speak English. Similarly if you use a solicitor in England or Scotland, the same principles will apply and the solicitor must be qualified to give advice on property law and tax in the relevant country.

Selling a property overseas

We have a number of fully qualified lawyers who speak a range of languages and can advise on:

• Ownership in different jurisdictions
• Property registry and transferring ownership
• Planning law
• Local tax systems
• Local residency tests
• The non-resident taxation regime
• Buy to let properties

Call us now on +44 (0) 207 477 2775, or use the links above to drop us a line.