Hard to Sell Properties

Can’t sell your property? We can still buy it.

Short leases, non-standard construction, structural issues, Japanese knotweed, flood risk — these put off mortgage lenders and traditional buyers. But not us. We buy for cash, so none of these issues are deal-breakers.

Cash buyer No fees Any condition accepted

Cash buyer — no mortgage needed

We don’t need a lender to approve the property. Construction type, lease length, and survey flags are irrelevant when you’re paying cash.

Any condition accepted

Structural damage, damp, subsidence, asbestos — we’ve seen it all. Our offer accounts for the cost of repairs, but you don’t need to do any of them.

No surveys or quotes needed from you

We arrange our own RICS survey at our cost. You don’t need to get quotes, repair estimates, or specialist reports before we can make an offer.

Hard-to-sell properties are more common than you think

Millions of homeowners in the UK face issues that make selling through traditional channels difficult or impossible.

4.1m
Leasehold homes in England [DLUHC 2022]
14 months
Average time on market for non-standard construction properties [Homebuyer data]
31%
Of UK sales collapse before completion [Quick Move Now]
£0
Fees you pay to us — no agent commission, no legal costs, no survey charges

The things people actually worry about

We’ve spoken to enough people in this situation to know the fears that keep you awake at night. Here’s the reality.

The fear

“No mortgage lender will touch it.”

The truth

We buy for cash. We don’t need a lender’s approval, so construction type, lease length, and survey issues are irrelevant to us.

The fear

“I’ve had 3 sales fall through.”

The truth

Cash sales don’t fall through for financing reasons. We have the funds ready. No chain, no mortgage, no down-valuation risk.

The fear

“The lease is under 80 years.”

The truth

We buy short-lease properties. In fact, short leases are one of our specialities — we handle the lease extension process ourselves after completion.

The fear

“An estate agent said it’s unsellable.”

The truth

Unsellable on the open market, perhaps — because most buyers need mortgages. But we’re not most buyers.

The difference it makes

This is a real scenario showing how two routes typically play out for a hard-to-sell property. Your numbers will be different, but the shape of it is almost always the same.

Scenario: Ex-council flat, Birmingham, 68-year lease

RICS valuation: £125,000. On the open market for 14 months with just 4 viewings and zero offers. No lender would approve a mortgage with fewer than 70 years remaining on the lease.

Route A: Keep trying on the open market

RICS valuation£125,000
Time on market14 months
Viewings4
Offers from mortgage-qualifying buyers0
Reduced asking price£99,000
Still no mortgage-qualifying buyer
Best case: £99,000 (if a cash buyer appears) + 14 months wasted

Route B: Sell to Lamala Group

RICS valuation£125,000
Our cash offer£125,000
Legal fees− £0 (we cover)
Lease extension groundworkIncluded
Time to completion18 days
Residual to you£125,000
£26,000 more than the agent’s reduced price + 14 months of time and stress saved

Important: this is an illustrative example, not a guarantee. Actual offer prices will vary by property, location, condition, lease length, and market conditions. We’ll walk you through your specific numbers in writing before you commit to anything.

From first call to keys handed over

A simple, four-step process with no surveys, no quotes and no repairs needed from you.

  1. Tell us about the property

    Day 1 · 15 minutes

    Fill in the form or email us. Share the basics: address, property type, the issue (short lease, construction type, structural problem, etc.). You don’t need to have reports or quotes — just tell us what you know. We’ll read it personally and reply by email.

    You feel: heard, not processed. No automated responses, no call centres.
  2. Indicative cash offer

    Within 72 hours

    We send an indicative cash offer by email, based on your postcode, property details and recent comparable sales. This gives you a clear ballpark to work with before you share the full address.

    You feel: clarity. A number on paper, not a range or a hype-tactic.
  3. RICS valuation & formal offer

    Day 5–8

    An independent RICS surveyor visits the property at our cost. We then issue a formal written cash offer confirming the final price. You can instruct your own solicitor (we pay for that too), or use ours. The offer accounts for any issues — you don’t need to fix anything first.

    You feel: in control. The number is in writing. No last-minute changes.
  4. Exchange & completion

    Day 10–21

    Contracts exchange, funds transfer to your account, keys handed over on an agreed date. No chain, no mortgage approval to wait for, no risk of the sale falling through at the last minute.

    You feel: free. The property that was stuck is finally sold.

Answers to common questions

Will you buy a property with a lease under 80 years?

Yes. Short leases are one of our specialities. Most mortgage lenders won’t approve anything under 70–80 years, which effectively locks out 90% of buyers. Because we pay cash, lease length doesn’t affect our ability to buy. We handle the lease extension process ourselves after completion.

Do you buy non-standard construction (prefab, concrete, steel frame)?

Yes. Non-standard construction properties are notoriously difficult to mortgage, which is why they sit on the market so long. We’ve purchased prefab, concrete panel, steel-frame, timber-frame, and Airey-type homes. Cash means no lender restrictions.

What about Japanese knotweed?

We buy properties affected by Japanese knotweed. Most lenders require a professional treatment plan with an insurance-backed guarantee before they’ll lend — a process that can take years. We factor the cost of treatment into our offer and handle it ourselves.

Can you buy a property with subsidence?

Yes. Subsidence is one of the most common reasons a sale falls through, because mortgage valuers flag it and lenders withdraw their offer. We assess the extent of the issue ourselves and factor any underpinning or remediation costs into our offer. You don’t need to fix anything.

What if the property has no central heating?

Not a problem. Many older properties lack central heating, and mortgage lenders often refuse to lend on them. We buy properties in any condition, with or without central heating, and install it ourselves after purchase if needed.

Do you buy ex-local authority properties?

Yes. Ex-council properties can be harder to sell because some lenders have restrictions on them, particularly flats in certain types of blocks. We have no such restrictions. If it’s a property, we can buy it.

Stuck on the market? Let’s fix that.

Tell us about the property and we’ll send you a free, no-obligation cash offer in writing. No estate agent, no viewings, no mortgage lender to satisfy. You can take as long as you need to think about it.

Request a free valuation

Private · no fees · no pressure · you can stop at any point