Common questions from sellers.

An estate agent markets your property and finds a buyer, but can’t guarantee the sale. Offers can still fall through at any point up to exchange of contracts. We buy directly, so there’s no chain and no mortgage lender involved, and no one else in the chain who can pull out.

Yes. Thames House Buyers is a trading name of PropGain UK Limited, company number 16913648, which you can check on the public Companies House register. We’re ICO registered (ZC071824), HMRC-supervised for anti-money-laundering (XNML00000217270) and members of the Property Redress Scheme (PRS056317). Our guide to choosing a house-buying company explains how to check any buyer, including us.

Not always. We buy directly where that’s the best fit. Where it isn’t, we might suggest a refurbishment purchase, an introduction to an investor buyer, or an open-market sale through a partner agent. We only make an introduction with your permission.

No. We’re property buyers, and nothing on this site is legal or financial advice. You’ll have your own conveyancer for the legal side. If you’re in financial difficulty, free, independent debt advice is available — we list where to find it on our financial difficulty page.

For a direct cash purchase, offers are typically around 75–85% of the property’s realistic open-market value. The exact figure depends on its condition, tenure, location and how quickly you need to sell. Every offer is in writing, with the comparable sales evidence behind it, and it’s never a take-it-or-leave-it figure without an explanation.

Because we take on the risk, cost and time that a traditional buyer or a seller would normally carry. That includes refurbishment, holding costs, resale costs and uncertainty. In return, you get certainty, speed where it’s needed, and no agent fees, viewings or repairs. If full market value matters more to you than certainty, we’ll tell you, and an agency sale may suit you better.

Where we buy directly, or introduce you to an investor buyer, there’s no fee to you. Where we recommend the open-market route through a partner estate agent, that agent’s own fees apply. We’ll always tell you which applies to your situation before you commit to anything. As with any sale, you’ll pay your own conveyancer.

No — we don’t gazunder. The only reason we’d revisit an offer is if the legal work uncovered something material that neither of us knew about. If that happens, we’d explain exactly what and why, and you’d be free to walk away.

Yes. The valuation is free and there’s no obligation. Many people use it simply to understand their options.

From accepting an offer to completion typically takes 14–28 days, subject to your conveyancer’s legal checks. It can be quicker where the paperwork is straightforward, and longer if we’re waiting on a Grant of Probate or a leasehold management pack. We’ll agree a target date with you.

At exchange of contracts. Before that, either side can withdraw without penalty. After it, both are legally committed, and completion — when the money is paid and ownership transfers — follows on the agreed date.

Yes. You’ll need your own solicitor or licensed conveyancer, acting only for you. If you don’t already have one, any solicitor regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, or conveyancer licensed by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, can act for you. The choice is always yours.

No. We buy as seen. You can leave behind furniture and belongings you don’t want. Just tell us beforehand, and we’ll factor it in.

A valid EPC is legally required when a property is marketed for sale in England and Wales, and they last 10 years. If you don’t have one, your conveyancer will advise. It’s a small cost and rarely a cause of delay.

You can walk away at any point before exchange of contracts, with no fee to us.

Yes. We factor the remaining term into our offer, so you don’t need to extend the lease first. See our short lease & leasehold problems page.

Once a lease falls to 80 years or fewer, extending it usually becomes significantly more expensive because of a charge known as “marriage value”. Many mortgage lenders also won’t lend on shorter leases, which rules out most buyers. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 is set to change how lease extensions are calculated, but the relevant parts aren’t yet in force. Take advice on the current position.

It’s one of the most common reasons leasehold sales stall. We’re used to it, and we can often proceed with less information than a mortgage lender would insist on.

It usually makes things easier, since you can often extend your own lease with the other freeholders’ agreement. We buy share-of-freehold flats too.

Yes. Tenants can stay in place, so there’s no eviction required before a sale, and no void period while you wait. See landlord exit & tenanted property.

Under the Renters’ Rights Act, from 1 May 2026, section 21 “no-fault” evictions ended and most assured shorthold tenancies became periodic assured tenancies. A landlord who wants to sell with vacant possession generally has to use the new possession ground for selling, which has its own notice period and conditions. Selling with the tenants in place avoids that process entirely. Rules can change, so take advice on your specific tenancy.

Yes. In Wales, tenancies are “occupation contracts” under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, tenants are “contract-holders”, and landlord notice periods are generally longer. Again, a sale with the contract-holders in place avoids needing possession at all.

Yes. HMO licences don’t transfer to a new owner, which can complicate an open-market sale. It doesn’t stop us.

Yes. We can value the property, agree a route and begin the legal preparation. Completion can only happen once the Grant of Probate (where there’s a will) or Letters of Administration (where there isn’t) has been issued. We’ll wait for it.

Often, yes. A clear, independently evidenced valuation and a firm offer can help beneficiaries reach a decision. We deal with the executors or administrators and their solicitor, and never apply pressure.

No. We can buy with contents left in place. Just let us know what’s staying.

We use it only to value your property and respond to your enquiry. We never sell it, and we never pass it to anyone else without asking you first. See our privacy policy for full detail, including when and why we might introduce you to a partner firm.

No. We’ll call to discuss your enquiry and follow up once or twice if we can’t reach you. If you tell us you’re not interested, that’s the end of it.