We Buy Any Flat
The full picture of what our direct buying service covers, what "any flat" actually means in practice, the trade-off in price, and how we work with sellers in difficult circumstances.
About our service →Services and Help
How We Help Flat Sellers
Our main service is buying leasehold flats direct for cash. But selling your flat is rarely simple, so this section also covers the alternatives, the things to watch out for, and the leasehold-specific help most sellers need at some point.
A Direct Buyer, and a Help Resource
The most straightforward way to describe what we do is this: we are a specialist cash buyer of leasehold flats. We buy direct from the owner, in any condition, including the difficult cases other buyers walk away from. That is our main service, and it has been our focus since 2003.
We are honest about what selling to us means. Our offer is below open-market value, because the trade-off is speed, certainty, and a sale that does not collapse. For sellers facing a short lease, a problematic freeholder, a probate timeline, or a sale that has already fallen through, that trade-off often makes sense. For others, it does not, and we will say so.
This section is therefore both a description of our direct buying service and a wider help resource. Auction, private treaty through an estate agent, and direct sale to a cash buyer each suit different circumstances. We have set out the alternatives below alongside our own service, with honest commentary on the trade-offs of each.
Our Direct Buying Service
We buy leasehold flats across England and Wales, in any condition, including the cases other buyers decline.
Short Lease Flats
Below 80 years, mortgage lenders pull back. Below 70, the buyer pool shrinks to cash buyers only. We buy short lease flats without requiring an extension first.
Short lease flats →
Probate Flats
Estate sales bring extra steps and longer timescales. We work routinely with executors and probate solicitors and accommodate the specific timing needs of an estate.
Probate flats →
Unmortgageable Flats
Cladding, structural issues, defective lease clauses, flood history: some flats simply will not mortgage. As cash buyers, lender restrictions do not apply to us.
Unmortgageable flats →
Unmodernised Flats
Tired decor and old kitchens deter open-market buyers and slow chains down. We factor refurbishment costs in from the start, rather than chipping the price later.
Unmodernised flats →
Ex-Local Authority Flats
Former council and housing association flats often face mortgage restrictions on certain blocks, postcodes or floor heights. As cash buyers, those restrictions do not apply.
Ex-local authority flats →Other Ways to Sell a Flat
Selling direct to us is one of three main routes. Here is an honest take on the alternatives.
Most flat owners considering a sale have three realistic options: list with an estate agent for a private treaty sale on the open market, take the flat to auction, or sell direct to a cash buyer. Each has a different combination of price, speed and certainty, and the right choice depends on the specific situation.
An open-market sale through an estate agent typically achieves the highest price, but takes the longest and is the most likely to fall through, particularly where the lease is short, the building has issues, or the buyer is in a chain. Auction is faster and more certain once the hammer falls, but the price is whatever bidders will pay on the day. Selling direct to a cash buyer is the fastest and most certain route, with the trade-off being a price below open market value.
If your flat is straightforward, well-presented, and you have time on your side, an estate agent is usually the right starting point. If the flat has complications and you need certainty, auction or direct sale to a specialist buyer often work better. We are happy to advise honestly on which route is likely to suit you, even if that route is not us.
Selling at Auction
Auction is often the right route for short lease flats, ex-council blocks, properties with title issues and homes needing major work. A guide to how it works, the fees involved, and when it makes sense versus a direct cash sale.
About auction →
Selling to a Cash Buyer
What "cash buyer" really means, how genuine cash buyers differ from cash-funded mortgage purchasers, what to expect on price, and the practical due diligence to do before agreeing terms.
About cash buyers →
Compare Your Options
The full options hub: estate agent, auction and direct cash sale side by side, with realistic timelines, price comparisons and the situations where each route works best.
Compare sale routes →Things to Watch Out for With Cash Buyers
Not all cash buyers are equal. The quick-sale industry has had its share of bad actors over the years: companies that make a high opening offer to lock the seller in, then "renegotiate" downwards close to exchange when the seller is committed and short of options.
The protections most sellers rely on, an estate agent regulated by The Property Ombudsman, a clear chain of accountability, are not automatic when you sell direct. Before you accept any cash offer, including ours, there are specific questions worth asking and red flags worth recognising.
The guide below covers the most common mistakes sellers make when dealing with quick-sale companies, and the practical checks that make the difference between a clean sale and a difficult one.
Help With Leasehold-Specific Issues
Whether you sell to us or not, these resources cover the leasehold issues that derail most flat sales.
Leasehold Advice Hub
Plain-English guidance on lease length, ground rent, service charges and freeholder problems, and how each of them affects the sale of a flat.
Leasehold advice →
Selling With a Missing Freeholder
What to do when the freeholder is absent or unresponsive, the indemnity insurance route, and the practical steps that keep a sale moving despite a missing landlord.
Read the guide →
Ground Rent Problems
How onerous and escalating ground rents block mortgages and stall sales, what reform may eventually change, and what sellers can practically do about it now.
Ground rent →
How Long Does It Take to Sell?
Realistic timescales for an open-market sale, an auction sale and a direct cash sale, with a stage-by-stage breakdown and the most common reasons sales slow down or stall.
Sale timelines →