US Expats Flee Trump To Buy A Home in England

Britain has a proud heritage of welcoming foreigners to live in its cosmopolitan trading cities, such as London, Bristol, and Liverpool.

That tradition continues to the present as the doors remain open to international buyers.

Who is buying is often a barometer of politics, as international buyers seek sanctuary from civil unrest, persecution, and economic upheaval elsewhere in the world.

These factors have prompted property consultants Hamptons to compile data showing which countries expats investing in UK property come from.

These international buyers are not coming across the Channel in small boats, but are wealthy, educated families.

The Brexit Effect

The table shows that Brexit played an important role in expat house buying. Since Britain left the European Union, buyers from the USA and Canada have largely overtaken those from Europe. For a decade, most foreign buyers in the UK came from France, with smaller numbers from Italy, Spain, and Switzerland.

French buyers are still a strong market segment, but their dominance has gone to the USA, Canada and Hong Kong. More recently, buyers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman have joined the rankings.

The increase in buyers from the USA coincides with the start of Donald Trump’s first term in office as US President.

London is the destination of choice for just over half of international buyers (54 per cent). Expats looking for more affordable homes or investment properties venture to the north of England, where Liverpool is the most popular city.

The Hamptons report says: “It seems as though overseas buyers are seeking a permanent residence in Great Britain rather than a holiday home or investment property. The proportion of international applicants seeking a second home or a buy-to-let property has decreased by over a third in the last five years, from 30 per cent in 2019 to 19 per cent in Q1 2025.

Stamp Duty Makes £1m Homes Unaffordable

“This fall in demand predominantly comes from the rise in stamp duty, as well as changes to the non-dom tax classification.”

Since 2021, international buyers have had to pay ever-increasing amounts of stamp duty.

In 2021, a 2 per cent stamp duty surcharge was introduced on top of existing rates.

This was increased in 2024 for second homes and investment properties, meaning international buyers in England now pay a 7 per cent surcharge on a property purchase. This change, along with the end of the stamp duty holiday in April, increases the bill for an international buyer to £113,750 for a £1 million second home, resulting in an effective tax rate of more than 11 per cent.

Estate agent Savills reported that the average property in prime central London, which covers postcodes such as Knightsbridge, Mayfair and Belgravia, is priced 21.2 per cent lower than the peak in June 2014.

This means astute buyers can save £ 1.2 million on an average prime central London property worth £ 4.6 million.

These discounts compare to those seen in the early 1990s and in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis.

Where Expat Homebuyers In The UK Come From

Source: Hamptons

Where Expats Are Buying Homes

Source: Hamptons

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