Cash buyer for leasehold flats
We buy leasehold flats from estates and executors. We work around the probate process, accommodate flexible completion dates, and handle the property complexity, so you can focus on winding up the estate.
Probate is the legal process of proving a will is valid and giving the executor (the person named in the will to manage the estate) official authority to deal with the deceased's assets. Where there is no will, the equivalent process produces letters of administration. Until one of these documents is issued by the Probate Registry, the estate's property cannot legally be sold or transferred.
When a leasehold flat is left as part of an estate, it cannot be sold until the executors have the legal authority to act, which means waiting for the grant of probate (or letters of administration where there is no will). That process can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months depending on the complexity of the estate and HM Courts and Tribunals Service workloads.
During that waiting period, the flat remains the estate's responsibility. Service charges, ground rent, building insurance, and utility standing charges continue to accrue. For executors managing an estate with other assets and responsibilities, an unoccupied flat adds pressure and cost.
You can accept our offer, agree terms, and instruct solicitors before probate is granted. Completion is deferred until the grant is in hand. This means that once probate comes through, the sale can complete quickly rather than starting the process from scratch.
The challenges go beyond the property itself.
Open market buyers expect to complete within three to four months of having an offer accepted. Probate sales do not run on buyer-friendly timelines. Many buyers drop out when they learn completion depends on a grant of probate, they cannot wait, or they simply do not want the uncertainty.
Many probate flats have not been updated in years. Buyers who see an older interior often factor in renovation costs and then negotiate aggressively, or pull out after surveys. Executors rarely want to invest in improvements before selling a property that is not theirs to keep.
If the flat has a short lease, outstanding service charge disputes, or a slow managing agent, these complications can delay or derail an open market sale. Solicitors reviewing the title often flag issues that the estate did not know about. We assess all of this before making our offer.
We understand that executors have a legal duty to act in the best interests of the estate and its beneficiaries. We do not pressurise. We provide a written cash offer, explain how we have arrived at it, and give executors the time and space to take independent legal advice before deciding.
Once an offer is accepted, our solicitors handle the legal process and work with the estate's probate solicitors. We can adjust the completion date as probate progresses and we do not withdraw offers because of delays in the probate process that are outside anyone's control.
We are experienced with estates involving multiple beneficiaries, disputed wills, and complex leasehold titles. We do not walk away when things become complicated.
Executors of an estate that includes a leasehold flat typically have three routes: the open market with an estate agent (private treaty), auction, or direct sale to a cash buyer like us. Each has trade-offs, and the right one depends on whether the priority is the highest price, a fixed completion date, or removing the property from the estate's responsibilities with the least friction.
The open market usually achieves the highest price but the timetable is hard to predict; many open-market buyers withdraw when they learn completion depends on a grant of probate. Auction works well once probate is in hand: contracts exchange when the hammer falls, completion follows within 28 days, and the buyer pool is comfortable with leasehold complications; the price is typically below open-market value. Selling direct to us is the simplest route at the time when executors have enough to manage: we exchange contracts and defer completion until probate is granted, with no viewings or surveys to coordinate; the trade-off is the lowest headline price.
If headline price is the priority and the estate has time, the open market is the usual answer. If a known completion date matters and the auction price works for the estate, auction suits probate flats well. If the estate needs the property off its list of ongoing responsibilities with minimal effort, sell direct.
You can accept an offer and instruct solicitors before probate is granted, but completion cannot occur until the grant is in place. We are experienced with this and can exchange contracts and defer completion until probate clears, which suits many executors.
Clearing the flat first is not required. We can purchase with the flat in any state, including with the deceased's belongings still in place. If clearing the flat is an additional burden, we can accommodate that within the completion timeline or make arrangements to deal with contents as part of the process.
This is not unusual. We are used to working with estates where there are multiple parties. We provide a written offer that all parties can consider, and we do not pressure for a quick decision. We would recommend all executors and beneficiaries take independent legal advice before agreeing to any sale.
A short lease alongside probate is a combination we buy regularly. We assess both factors together and make one offer that reflects the full picture. You do not need to extend the lease before selling to us.
