Buying a Holiday Home in the UK

This is probably not the best place for this question. If you are a property owner in UK it could/might changes things but simply don't know. I would ask the real estate agent in the UK or better an immigration attorney in the UK. For something that critical and important, I don't think you should rely on any comments here. I am sure a google search would turn up a more appropriate forum for your question.

And don't forget all the various taxes that accrue under different circumstances

Stamp duty on purchase
Council Tax each year
Capital Gains Tax
Inheritance Tax

There are Time Shares . We stayed in a friend's Condo on Rutland Water at a Resort which was a very nice remodel of a Mews or stable. It had all the modern amenities including Wifi , Kitchen and laundry. You also had use of the Clubhouse with Swimming Pool and Restaurant. I am sure there are many Holiday Homes you can "own" as a Time Share and avoid tax implications. That way you can try many locations throughout the UK. You can check international Time Shares from the US on line.

Thanks for the replies. I have done plenty of research and am now looking for people who are or are planning to be in the same position as I, hopefully with more experience under their belt.

I have spoken with both estate agents and immigration consultants. Estate agents are not especially helpful as they really just want to sell you a home, not discourage you from buying one. I also do not think they are well versed in immigration rules. Immigration agents really only deal with people looking for work or full-time resident visas, neither of which apply to me, so they do not typically advise tourists who do not need a visa.

I am hoping that this forum would be helpful as many posters are tourists such as myself.

Here are 2 of the best websites for searching for property in the UK:>
https://www.onthemarket.com
www.zoopla.co.uk

Don’t forget that the nearer you are to London, the higher the prices. You will get more bang for your buck elsewhere. Also consider transport links and you may also like to consider buying a small car - so consider safe parking. The winters in the UK are not wonderful but really severe winter weather is comparatively rare - especially in the south. So, for winter breaks, consider the south rather than the north.

You may find that with a British holiday home, you become very popular with your friends!

Why would estate agents be versed in immigration rules? I would imagine that this would be the same if I were to ask advice of a USA realtor if I were seeking to buy in America!

I would imagine that there are few timeshares in London.

There are many expat forums where people will have had direct experience, rather than asking on this travel forum.

You need to take specialist advice. Without wanting to sound rude, but if you can afford to buy a property in London with its high prices, you can afford such specialists.

Some of the taxes that others have mentioned are probably not relevant, as the UK has a double tax treaty with the USA, which you would need to investigate, depending on where you are fiscally resident.

My brother in law lives in Los Angeles, but owns a flat in the U.K.. He does not normally stay over here for long periods, usually 3-4 weeks at most. He and his wife travel on U.S. passports, although he has dual citizenship. I don't recall that he has ever had problems with immigration, although I understand that he just says that he is visiting family (true) as the purpose of his visit, rather than that he has a second home here.

He also appears to have no problems with arriving in the U.K. but then leaving for a short trip to another European country. There are lots of people who travel across the Atlantic several times a year, apparently without difficulty. However, buying a home in another country does depend on your being able to access it easily, and it has to be your decision as to the slight risk involved. There are many Brits with second homes in E.U. countries who are currently worried what the position might be after Brexit.

There are Time Shares . We stayed in a friend's Condo on Rutland Water at a Resort which was a very nice remodel of a Mews or stable. It had all the modern amenities including Wifi , Kitchen and laundry. You also had use of the Clubhouse with Swimming Pool and Restaurant. I am sure there are many Holiday Homes you can "own" as a Time Share and avoid tax implications. That way you can try many locations throughout the UK. You can check international Time Shares from the US on line.

There are very few timeshares in London, just a handful and few in the UK in general. Timesharing is not viewed as favourably in Britain asit is in the US primarily due to bad practices in the past. We own a few timeshare weeks with Marriott only because they are a reputable company and the only times we trade is if we're intending to visit the US where there's a much wider choice. If we wanted to trade into the UK we are met with perhaps seven or eight properties all of which are of a lower standard than Marriott ones.

I subscribe to a popular timeshare forum and London exchanges are very difficult judging by the posts I read. I would not regard timesharing as a viable alternative to holiday home ownership.

My brother in law lives in Los Angeles, but owns a flat in the U.K.. He does not normally stay over here for long periods, usually 3-4 weeks at most. He and his wife travel on U.S. passports, although he has dual citizenship. I don't recall that he has ever had problems with immigration, although I understand that he just says that he is visiting family (true) as the purpose of his visit, rather than that he has a second home here.

Bob, that is the most helpful response I have ever received on this issue. Thanks. I wonder if I were to use a UK flat for longer periods if I would be at risk of not being admitted. I have heard from someone that it might not be a good idea to mention to immigration officials that I own the home. Also, that I should carry with me proof of my US address, proof of income or assets like a bank statement, and proof of health insurance.

If there is any chance that your brother-in-law knows of a good forum for such discussions or could give me any additional thoughts on the topic, I would be very grateful.

I'm not clear why you would want to hide property ownership from immigration. It's not illegal to own property.

You can always buy British residency, I think it's 2 million pounds.

As far as immigration is concerned part of the present wording of what the decision maker needs to be satisfied of is:

"will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home"

Coming a few times a year for short periods isn't likely to challenge this with a good returning record. Regularly coming each year and staying for a long period approaching six months might start to flag up further questioning. Ownership of a property as such doesn't really come into this.

The taxes I referred to above can all be imposed on UK ownership of property by non-residents under varying circumstances, although in some cases they might be offsetable against USA taxes, but there will be a liability in one jurisdiction or the other. CGT has been payable by non-residents since 2015 (old advice may suggest exemption). Rates are tiered from 18% to 28%.

2 million pounds?? Good grief and people complain that its tough to become an American citizen!

https://www.gov.uk/tier-1-investor

Thanks Marco. Where are you quoting from? Looks interesting.

Owning property doesn't come into it directly but it indicates a reason for coming frequently if asked.

Don't overlook the above mentioned Council Tax liability. Depending on the band and Council it could be £150 a month or much more. And council tax doesn't get offset in another jurisdiction or country.

I lived in the UK for a year. I had a valid 3 year work/residence visa. Every time that I re-entered the UK during that period (and for the five years after I left but was still on the same passport), I got a longer than average quiz from immigration. While I was working, they wanted to make sure that I was still working for the same employer in the same assignment (i.e., I had not violated the terms of my work permit which was restricted to a specific employer). For the period after I left, they generally were making sure that I was not returning to live there and at least once I was asked to show my return ticket.

Now, this of course is anecdotal as would be any information you get on a message board. However, based on my personal experience, I would not expect to be able to stay 6 months at a time in the UK year after year. I will also add that I think it would be challenging to maintain a flat in London without a local bank account. To open a bank account in the U.K., I needed to provide both my visa and a letter of reference from my U.K. employer. This was before the U.S. enacted FATCA which has made it harder for U.S. citizens to open bank accounts abroad.

If you plan to make multiple entries into the UK you might look into getting Registered Traveler. It expedites entrance into the UK. I have it and since getting it have never spent more than 10 minutes getting through immigration.

I've looked into this - if you're willing to invest between 50K - 200K pounds in a business you may be eligible for a Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa. If you have this you can stay for a little over 3 years with possible renewals. For some people who are in business already, it's a way to diversify as well as gain entry to the UK for longer than 6 months with in-out privileges that won't be questioned by immigration. Maybe for you this is worth looking into if you have the kind of cash it takes to both invest in a business AND purchase property.

Thanks Anita. I have looked into it and corresponded with a firm specializing in finding such eligible business activities. I have heard that the rejection rate is around 60% so I have set that aside at least for the time being. Have you seriously looked into this for yourself? If so, please give me your thoughts.

Thanks Marco. Where are you quoting from? Looks interesting.

Do you mean the immigration regulations? The ones relating for qualification as a visitor are here.

Thanks Marco.

I haven't gone any further than you...but my thought is to purchase a mixed use property in the area of England I visit most frequently. I would use an upstairs residential unit as a holiday let (and stay there when I wish) and fund/run a small business downstairs in the commercial space. I'm visiting this area again in August and plan to further explore the possibilities.