At Samuel Estates, we offer overseas landlords a comprehensive range of lettings and management services. Whether you’re seeking to let out your home or investment property, trust is essential, and you’re in safe hands with us. 

If you’re moving abroad and have decided to let a property in England and Wales, there’s a lot to consider before you leave the country:  

Letting your property  

It takes skill and expertise to negotiate a tenancy successfully to completion and still achieve the best possible price. Backed by over 15 years of experience, in-house and extensive industry training, our staff can offer expert advice on both the letting process and your legal obligations as a landlord.

Helping you grow your investment 

We have a hands-on approach, and our Directors and Heads of Lettings & Property Management enjoy meeting portfolio clients to discuss specific requirements and advise where we can add value.

Management of your property 

If you choose to manage the property yourself while living abroad, you will need to consider practicalities and logistics. Simple things such as communication with the tenant can be difficult, especially if there is a time difference between countries.  

Our experienced property management team looks after many properties on behalf of overseas clients. We carry out regular property inspections and report back to our clients directly on the condition of their properties. We are the sole point of contact for tenants, so you don’t have to worry about routine repairs and maintenance, or experience the unpleasantness of late-night phone calls.  

We’ll keep you updated every step of the way through regular communication, whether that’s email, phone calls or video chats. We’ll also update your property information regularly on Landlords Online, an online cloud that enables efficient property management and communication between you and us.  

Address to serve notice  

If you’re living abroad, you should be aware that your tenant must have an address in England or Wales for where they can serve notice. This is required under Section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987.  

As you can see, letting a property while living abroad has its complexities, so an agent you can trust is a necessity. At Samuel Estates, we make the process easy and hassle-free.  

Living abroad and looking to change the agent currently managing your property?  

If you would like to move your property from another agent to Samuel Estates, we can help to ensure the transfer process is as smooth as possible. We’ll keep you and your incumbent tenants fully updated at all times. 

Safeguarding against property fraud  

We aim to keep all landlord clients updated on important property issues. Land and buildings are frequently the most valuable assets people own and can be sold and mortgaged to raise money. They can, therefore, be attractive targets for fraudsters. HM Land Registry, professional conveyancers and mortgage lenders all have safeguards in place to minimise the risk of fraud. However, landlords themselves must do what they can to help prevent fraud and protect this valuable asset.  

If you own a property registered with the Land Registry, you have to provide an ‘address for service’. This is an address to which the Land Registry will send letters and notices if they need to contact you, such as where they have received an application concerning your property. Many Landlords don’t do this, resulting in their rental property being the ‘address for service’ rather than their private home address. A Landlord may then not be alerted that someone is inquiring about their property. You can have up to three ‘addresses for service’ on the register. One of these must be a postal address, but this does not have to be in the UK. The other two addresses can include:  

• A UK or overseas postal address  
• An email address  

If you would like any advice or guidance, please feel free to contact our one of our offices or call 020 8090 9000, and a member of the team will be more than willing to help. 

“Since moving overseas in 2006, having Samuel Estates managing our UK investment property has given us peace of mind that an expert team is acting on our behalf with our best interests in mind. Timely communication is important and Samuel Estates modern sophisticated tools, ensure our interactions are always seamless.”

David & Karen Nye, Newcastle, Australia

I have been using Samuel Estates since 2004 on a fully managed basis; this made sense for me as I moved abroad soon after buying my property. In my first week away from the UK I had an e-mail from Samuel Estates to inform me that there had been a major leak from the boiler and the flat was uninhabitable as a result of this; the tenants had already been re-housed and the insurance company informed and there was nothing for me to worry about; they just wanted to keep me informed! Perfect service.

Since then the flat has seen around 5 sets of tenants and not been vacant for more than 14 days in between tenants; Samuel Estates have managed this very well. I would certainly recommend Samuel Estates to anyone wanting a truly professional service with a personal touch and no headaches.

Robert Whitwam, Uganda

“Samuel Estates is an extremely efficient and helpful estate agent who strive to give us the most smooth service with friendly staff and a beautiful welcoming office. Top class! The best agent ever we’ve ever used. I would strongly recommend them to anyone who is considering moving house and selling their property.”

Albert Teo, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

“I have been a client of Samuel Estates for the last 15 years, utilising both the rental and sales operations of the business. I have seen Samuel Estates grow from one small outlet to multiple shops, even though the business has grown significantly I am pleased to say that the service is still as personal and tailored to the client’s requirements as it was when the business was in its infancy.

My job dictates that I travel for a large proportion of the year, hence I require an estate agency that I can trust and use initiative to resolve issues in my absence. Nick and the team are very customer-oriented, its prevalent that the customer is at the heart of everything they do, and that satisfaction and repeat business is more important than making a quick buck.

Samuel Estates always delivers and on many occasions, they have gone above and beyond service expectations. I have no hesitation recommending Samuel Estates to friends and family.”

Paul Nelson, Executive Director, International Brand Marketing, Fairmont Raffles Hotels
(Based in Dubai UAE)