Buying process
How buying a new-build in London actually works
From first conversation to keys in hand: eleven steps, with the tool or guide that helps at each one.
Read the guide →Insights
Understand before
you commit.
Plain-English guidance on the London new-build market, the buying process and the things that matter most to Turkish and international buyers. Educational, never sales.
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Stamp duty calculator
Work out the tax on a London purchase, including the overseas and additional-property surcharges and first-time buyer relief.
Buying process
Reserving a new home: deposit, refunds and contract stages
When the reservation deposit comes back, what a reservation commits you to, and how the sale becomes binding at exchange and the home passes to you at completion.
Read the guide →For Turkish buyers
Five things that are genuinely different here
Surcharges that follow the buyer, currency paid in stages, leasehold, documented funds and distance: what does not translate from buying at home.
Read the guide →For Turkish buyers
Does buying a home in the UK give you residency or a visa?
Short answer: no. Why ownership, entry and the right to live here are separate questions, where the Ankara Agreement visas stand today, and who to ask what.
Read the guide →Budget · Costs
How much money do you need to buy a home in London?
Price, total cost and the cash you need; the three questions that change stamp duty, and which payment is due when. With the calculator and payment timeline.
Read the guide →Ownership · Costs
Running costs of a new London flat: service charge and ground rent
What the service charge covers and how it is worked out, ground rent, estate charges, and eight things to ask for in writing before you reserve.
Read the guide →Areas
London areas, compared honestly
The six things that actually separate one London area from another for a new-build buyer, eight areas we are asked about most, and what no area page can tell you.
Read the guide →Comparing
Yield or capital growth
Four questions to help you assess rental income and possible capital growth against your objectives.
Read the guide →Compliance
Buying with money from your family: which documents do you need?
Source of funds and source of wealth, the gift letter, the giver’s identity and source of funds, the transfer trail between accounts and sending documents safely.
Read the guide →Comparing
Ten questions to ask before you reserve
A printable checklist covering the unit, the costs, the contract and the timeline, with what a good answer looks like for each.
Read the checklist →Families
A London home for your student child: is council tax due?
The full-time student exemption, the discount if a non-student lives there, the second homes premium after graduation; the journey to campus and lease conditions.
Read the guide →Buying process
Mortgage or cash purchase
What changes in the process, the paperwork and the timetable depending on how you fund, and why sequencing decides whether you complete on time.
Read the guide →For Turkish buyers · Finance
UK mortgage on Turkish income: what lenders check
How lenders look at income evidence, income in another currency, your deposit and your credit history, and what to check when choosing a broker. No lending promise.
Read the guide →For Turkish buyers · Letting
Letting a UK home while living in Türkiye: NRLS and your duties
Tax deducted from the rent, the NRL1 application, the tax return and the letting rules since 1 May 2026: deposits, tenant checks, gas, electrics and the energy certificate.
Read the guide →Compliance
Capital gains tax for non-residents
Selling brings a non-resident within UK capital gains tax. What owners from abroad most often miss, with no rates and no worked example.
Read the guide →Buying process
Buying off-plan in London: what if completion is delayed?
The estimated date and the long-stop date in the contract, the right to cancel for delay, how long a mortgage offer lasts and deposit cover if the developer fails.
Read the guide →Buying process · Handover
New-build handover: what is snagging?
The right to a pre-completion inspection, recording and reporting defects with dates, two years of after-sales service, what the warranty covers and the free Ombudsman.
Read the guide →For Turkish buyers · After completion
After buying in England: how to check the title register
Registration, adding your address in Türkiye to the register, the £7 copy, free Property Alert and a restriction for owners who live abroad.
Read the guide →Stay informed
New insights, occasionally.
Considered notes on the London market and buying process. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. By subscribing you agree to receive occasional updates from OGK International Real Estate Ltd. We never sell your details or share them for marketing. See our Privacy Policy.
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