If your flat has sat on the market for months, or a buyer has already pulled out, it is usually one of these:
- A short lease. Below about 80 years extending gets sharply dearer, and most lenders will not touch a lease much under 70 — so your buyer cannot get a mortgage even if they want to proceed.
- High service charges. Lenders assess affordability including them. A large one can fail a buyer's application outright.
- Major works. A pending Section 20 notice can run to tens of thousands, and buyers walk when they see it.
- A slow freeholder. The management pack takes weeks. Chains collapse in that time.
- Cladding and EWS1. Still stopping sales in some blocks.
None of these are your fault, and all of them run to somebody else's timetable. That is the frustrating part.
We are cash buyers, so there is no mortgage application to fail. A short lease does not stop us — we factor the extension cost into the offer and tell you what we have assumed. A pending works bill is priced the same way.
We still need the management pack, so a flat is rarely as fast as a freehold house. We would rather say that than promise you seven days and then spend a month chasing a managing agent.
- A cash offer, typically 15–20% below open-market value
- Legal fees covered up to £1,500
- No agent fees, no viewings, no chain
- A completion date you choose
- An independent valuation at our expense
If your lease is short, read selling a flat with a short lease — it explains what an extension costs and whether to do it before selling.
A few details online or over the phone — where it is, roughly what you think it is worth, and anything we should know. No forms to sign and nothing to pay.
From sold comparable evidence, not asking prices. Then, at our expense, an independent agent or surveyor validates that valuation. You are not charged for either, whether or not you go ahead.
We view every property in person before we commit. It is also your chance to meet us and ask whatever you want — we would rather you sold your house to someone you have actually met.
Typically 15–20% below market value, with £1,500 towards your legal fees and no fees of any kind deducted. We never offer money up front, and we would be wary of anyone who does.
Yours or one we recommend — the £1,500 applies either way. This is the stage where sales slow down, which is why we suggest firms used to working at this pace.
Exchanging locks the sale in at the agreed price. Completion is on your timetable — the same day if you need the money now, or months later if you need time to find somewhere, fit around a school term, or wait on a probate grant.
Yes. Most of what we buy in London is leasehold, and we are used to the problems that come with it — short leases, high service charges, slow freeholders and pending major works.
No. We work out what an extension would cost, factor it into the offer, and tell you what we have assumed so you can judge it for yourself. A short lease stops mortgage buyers, not cash buyers.
A Section 20 notice does not stop us. We price the likely bill into the offer rather than discovering it during conveyancing and pulling out, which is what usually happens on the open market.
They do not affect a cash purchase the way they affect a mortgaged one. A lender assesses your buyer's affordability including the service charge; we are not borrowing, so it is simply part of the arithmetic.
Not automatically. It depends on the building and what is known about it. Tell us early and we will be straight with you about whether we can proceed.
Usually, yes — the management pack has to come from the freeholder or managing agent and that is outside anyone's control. We would rather tell you that than promise a week and then spend a month chasing.
Whenever suits you. Once we exchange, the completion date is yours to choose: the same day if you need the money immediately, or months later if you need time to find somewhere or to fit around a school term or a probate grant. Exchanging locks the sale in at the agreed price; completing is on your timetable, not ours.
You can use your own solicitor or one we recommend — it makes no difference to us, and either way we put £1,500 towards your legal fees. We do suggest ours, for one practical reason: the most common cause of a slow sale is a slow solicitor, and the firms we work with are used to moving at this pace.
Yes. We view every property in person before we commit. It is also your chance to meet us and ask whatever you want — we would rather you sold your house to someone you have actually met.
We are not members of a trade body and we do not claim to be. What we have is a 35-year record in property across several companies, and many millions of pounds of property bought. We are 5JE London Limited, company number 15891621 — you can look us up at Companies House before you speak to us.
Three things you can check with any buyer, including us: do they publish what they actually pay? Will they come and meet you in person? Do they ever ask you for money up front? Our answers are 15–20% below market value, yes, and never.
Want a cash offer on your flat?
Tell us about it and we will come back to you with a cash offer. No obligation, and nobody will pressure you.