That has made cash buyers more relevant to flat owners, but many companies say they buy "any house or flat" without explaining which flats they will and will not take. A buyer that happily purchases a short-lease flat may walk away from one with cladding.
This guide compares six UK cash buyers on what they actually say about flats and leasehold properties. Company details were checked against each company's website, the National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB) members list, Companies House and Trustpilot in November 2026.
Why Flats Are Harder to Sell in 2026
The data points the same way across several sources:- Prices: the UK House Price Index for August 2026 shows the average flat or maisonette at £194,148, down 1.6% on a year earlier. It was the only property type to fall.
- The gap with houses: Zoopla reported in July 2026 that houses now cost 1.7 times as much as flats on average, the widest gap in 30 years. Since 2016, flat prices have risen by just over 10%, compared with 43% for houses.
- Time to find a buyer: in the same Zoopla research, flats took an average of 40 days to find a buyer in spring 2026, against 32 days for houses.
Selling at a loss: e.surv data reported in October 2026 found that almost four in 10 London flats resold in the year to August were sold for less than their owners paid.
What Mortgage Lenders Look For
Most of the difficulty comes from lending criteria. Each lender sets its own rules, but the following examples from lender criteria pages checked in November 2026 show the kinds of issues that can rule a flat out:- Lease length: TSB requires at least 70 years remaining at the start of the mortgage and 30 years remaining at the end. Accord Mortgages requires at least 85 years at the start.
- Ground rent: Accord will not accept an initial ground rent above £1,000 a year.
- Ex-local authority blocks: TSB accepts them only up to six storeys, and Virgin Money up to seven.
- High-rise: Virgin Money limits lending to 80% of value in buildings over 10 storeys.
- Flats above commercial premises: Virgin Money says flats directly above or next to food, drink or dry cleaning businesses will usually be unacceptable. TSB will not lend on a flat above a shop with the same owner.
If your flat falls into one of these categories, the pool of buyers who can get a mortgage shrinks, and that is where a cash buyer may make sense.
Building Safety and Cladding: What Transfers to the Buyer
If your flat is in a building over 11 metres or five storeys, the Building Safety Act 2022 may protect you from remediation costs. Under government guidance:- Qualifying leaseholders can no longer be charged for removing unsafe cladding.
- Other building safety costs are capped at £10,000 (£15,000 in London), and at nothing for flats worth under £175,000 (£325,000 in London).
- The protections transfer automatically to future buyers.
To keep those protections, you must complete a Leaseholder Deed of Certificate if your landlord asks for one, which commonly happens when you sell. Government guidance says that if you do not complete it, you will not benefit from the protections.
Progress on repairs is still slow. Government data to the end of September 2026 shows 4,732 residential buildings of 11 metres or more with unsafe cladding being monitored, of which 40% had completed works and 45% had not started.
Leasehold Reform: Where Things Stand
- In force: since 31 January 2025, you no longer need to have owned a flat for two years before claiming a statutory lease extension.
- Not yet in force: the abolition of marriage value and the new valuation method. A consultation on the valuation rates closed in October 2026.
- Proposed: a draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill published in January 2026 includes a £250 a year cap on ground rents, but it had not been introduced to Parliament at the time of writing.
- Changed: since 27 December 2025, long leases are no longer treated as assured tenancies because of high ground rent, which removes one long-standing lender concern.
Quick Comparison
None of the six explicitly names ex-local authority flats, high-rise blocks or service charge arrears as categories it buys. If your flat falls into one of these, ask directly.
1. Property Rescue
Property Rescue Limited was incorporated in 2005, has been an NAPB member since January 2014, is registered with The Property Ombudsman and buys across England and Wales.Flats it says it buys: its articles state that it buys flats in any condition and with any lease length, that "short leases and steep service charges" are welcome, and that around 20% of the flats it makes offers on have a short lease. It also says a ground rent clause that concerns lenders does not stop it buying.
Cladding: it is more specific than most. Its cladding article says it typically buys flats with EWS1 ratings of A1 to A3, and buildings where remediation is funded and underway, but is unlikely to buy B2-rated flats without funded remediation or buildings with no EWS1 and no remediation plan. Another article on its site says it cannot buy properties with dangerous cladding, so confirm the position for your building.
Offer and timing: two of its articles quote around 75% of market value for flats, compared with around 80% for houses, and it aims to complete flats in four to six weeks, naming the management pack as the main cause of delay. It also says that in around 10% of cladding cases it advises sellers they would be better off listing on the open market.
- Trustpilot: 4.8 from 409 reviews
- Coverage: England and Wales
- Website: propertyrescue.co.uk
2. Sell House Fast
Sell House Fast is a trading name of Jolack Ltd, incorporated in 2024. It has been an NAPB member since May 2025 and covers England and Wales.Flats it says it buys: its flats page lists the widest range of any company checked: flats with high service charges, leasehold and share of freehold flats, short leases, cladding or fire safety issues, and flats above commercial premises. It says it buys regardless of lease length and factors service charges into the offer. It also has a dedicated page stating that it buys retirement flats regardless of restrictions.
Offer and timing: it quotes offers of often around 85% of market value and completion in as little as seven days, although its FAQ says sales typically complete in around four weeks.
Worth checking: most of its site says legal fees are covered, but one FAQ says the only cost to the seller is a solicitor's fee. For retirement flats, its page notes that exit or transfer fees may apply but does not say whether it pays them. Its Trustpilot profile was created years before the company was formed, so some reviews may relate to an earlier business.
- Trustpilot: 4.7 from 76 reviews
- Coverage: England and Wales
- Website: sellhousefast.uk
3. House Buy Fast
House Buy Fast is a trading name of Future Planned Relocation Services Ltd, incorporated in 2008. It holds the earliest membership date on the NAPB list (December 2013).Flats it says it buys: it states that it buys flats with short leases for cash, noting that problems tend to arise once a lease has less than 80 years left, and that it can buy any house or flat with cladding.
Offer and timing: it quotes up to 85% of current market value and says it covers all fees and costs, including solicitor fees. Its site describes a typical sale as taking two to four weeks.
Worth checking: its short-lease page still says a buyer must own a flat for two years before extending the lease. That rule was abolished in January 2025, which matters if you are weighing up whether to extend before selling. It does not address flats above shops, ex-local authority blocks or retirement flats.
- Trustpilot: 4.7 from 235 reviews
- Coverage: UK-wide (stated)
- Website: housebuyfast.co.uk
4. Open Property Group
Open Property Group is operated by Open Property Finance Limited, incorporated in 2014 and based in Buckinghamshire. It has been an NAPB member since October 2016 and buys throughout England and Wales.Flats it says it buys: its short-lease page focuses on leases with less than 80 years to run and says it can make an offer regardless of lease length. Its homepage refers to leasehold flats with under 70 years remaining.
Offer and timing: for short-lease flats, it aims to complete within 28 days of receiving the legal documents. It states that it pays sellers' legal fees.
Worth checking: it does not say whether it buys flats affected by cladding. Some of its Trustpilot reviews describe offers being revised because of ground rent and lease issues found during the legal work, so share your lease and ground rent terms at the start. Only seven of its reviews were posted in the past 12 months.
- Trustpilot: 4.1 from 150 reviews
- Coverage: England and Wales
- Website: openpropertygroup.com
5. Gaffsy
Gaffsy Limited was incorporated in 2020 and has been an NAPB member since October 2020.Flats it says it buys: its flats page offers a guaranteed cash offer regardless of lease length and regardless of cladding issues, and describes flats with lending problems as part of what it buys. One of its published case studies describes buying a flat as it was, without an EWS1 form.
Offer and timing: it does not publish an offer percentage. A final cash offer follows an in-person valuation. It advertises funds in as little as three days and says it covers legal costs.
Worth checking: its Trustpilot base is very small, at eight reviews, and fell from 13 reviews and a 4.0 score in October 2026. Recent reviewers describe sales taking around two months, which is a more realistic guide than the headline figure. One review concerns a high-rise flat with high service charges linked to cladding works.
- Trustpilot: 3.6 from 8 reviews
- Coverage: UK (stated)
- Website: gaffsy.com
6. We Buy Any Home
We Buy Any Home is operated by Webuyanyhome Limited, part of Castle Property Group, and has been an NAPB member since February 2014. It buys in England, Scotland and Wales.Flats it says it buys: it states that it can buy flats with cladding, and that offers on flats without an EWS1 form will be lower. Its flats page notes that leases under 99 years are likely to need extending and lists service charges among the issues it considers. It also offers a profit share arrangement on some flats where a higher resale price is achieved.
Offer and timing: it quotes offers of up to 85% of market value, but its flats page says flat offers may be much lower. It advertises completion in as little as seven days.
Worth checking: unlike most buyers, it expects sellers to pay their own conveyancing, quoted at £800 plus VAT with its recommended solicitors. If a profit share is offered, ask how resale price and costs will be calculated, and for the terms in writing.
- Trustpilot: 3.9 from 1,357 reviews
- Coverage: England, Scotland and Wales
- Website: webuyanyhome.com
Documents That Speed Up a Flat Sale
Leasehold information is the most common cause of delay, so gather as much as you can before you accept any offer:- a copy of your lease
- the last two or three years of service charge accounts and ground rent demands
- any notices about major works, and details of the reserve fund
- the managing agent's and freeholder's contact details
- your EWS1 form, Landlord's Certificate and any completed Leaseholder Deed of Certificate, where relevant
- confirmation that service charges are up to date, as arrears must normally be cleared or held back from the sale proceeds before completion
Final Thoughts
For flat owners, the most important question to put to any cash buyer is not whether it buys flats but whether it buys your flat. Lease length, cladding status, the height and history of the block and the commercial units beneath it can all change the answer.Ask every buyer to confirm in writing that it will purchase a flat with your specific issues, how those issues affect the offer, and what information it needs from you. Comparing those answers side by side will tell you far more than any website claim.
Company information, NAPB membership and Trustpilot figures were checked in November 2026 and may have changed since. Details of the flats each company buys are as stated on its own website. Lender criteria vary and change frequently.
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