Before you speak to us, or anyone else who wants to buy your home, speak to someone with no financial interest in what you decide:
- StepChange — free debt advice charity
- Citizens Advice — free, independent, local
- Shelter — free housing advice, including a court duty scheme that can represent you on the day of a hearing
- National Debtline — free telephone advice
They may find a route that keeps you in your home. Selling is not always the answer and we would rather you exhausted the alternatives first. Talk to your lender too — repossession is expensive for them.
If a sale is genuinely right, doing it yourself rather than letting the lender repossess usually leaves you better off:
- A repossessed property is marketed as such, and it is not the lender's money at stake beyond the debt
- Their legal and court costs are added to what you owe
- Any equity left after the debt is settled is yours — the cleaner the sale, the more of it survives
- A completed sale before a possession order can matter to your credit file
We are cash buyers, so there is no mortgage and no chain — the two things that make a normal sale too slow to beat a court date. We can complete on a date you choose, and will speak to your lender or solicitor directly if that helps.
Our offer is typically 15–20% below market value and we cover legal fees up to £1,500. We will tell you plainly whether a sale clears what you owe. If it does not, we will say so rather than start something that cannot finish.
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.
Often, yes. There is no mortgage to arrange and no chain, which is what makes a normal sale too slow. Tell us the date as early as you can — the earlier we know, the more we can do.
We will tell you straight away, before you commit to anything. Starting a sale that cannot settle the debt helps nobody, and we will not do it just to have a deal in progress.
Yes, if you would like us to. We can speak to your lender or your solicitor to confirm the sale is genuine and progressing, which sometimes buys time on its own.
No. We never offer cash advances before completion, and we would be wary of anyone who does — it is how a seller ends up committed to a buyer before the price is settled. You get the full amount on completion, and nothing before it.
Yes, and we mean that. StepChange, Citizens Advice, Shelter and National Debtline are all free and independent, and none of them has anything to gain from what you decide. They may find a route that keeps you in your home.
A completed sale is not itself a black mark, whereas a possession order is. We are not financial advisers, so ask one of the free services above about your particular circumstances — but generally, a sale before a possession order is the better outcome.
Almost always the solicitors. Everything else on our side is within our control — there is no mortgage to arrange, no chain, no buyer who might change their mind. Where a sale drags, it is normally waiting on paperwork, which is why we suggest firms that are used to working quickly.
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.
Need to move quickly? Let us know your situation.
Tell us about it and we will come back to you with a cash offer. No obligation, and nobody will pressure you.