Are British Home Buyers Any Good? Comprehensive Review 2024
Updated: February 2024
We returned a year later to review British Homebuyers house buying service.
Having claimed to have sold “thousands of properties” over the last decade, British Home Buyers also note that 99% of past customers recommend them based on customer service and final sales price
But do these claims hold any water? How Good are British Home Buyers?
In the review below, we score British Homebuyers in multiple areas, including days taken to complete a sale & reliability to give customers the chance to see if they are worth using to sell their homes.
Launched in 2012, British Home Buyers was created to provide UK homeowners with an efficient, straightforward, and simple way to help people sell their house quick.
Run by a team of property professionals, British Home Buyers knows the ins and outs of the industry, allowing them to offer one of the best alternatives for selling a home, no matter where it's located in the United Kingdom.
What you'll find in this article
In this article, we've compiled the most comprehensive online review of British Home Buyers.
Below is a listing of all the information you'll find in our review so you can easily navigate the page quickly and pick which section you want to read.
British Home Buyers - Main Details
British Home Buyers is a UK-based company that buys property specialising in helping individuals and families sell residential properties located in England and Wales.
The company offers a range of services related to the UK property market, including property valuations, cash offers, and confidential home sales, all with no fees to the seller.
British Home Buyers understands that many homeowners are out of their element when it comes to selling on the open market & work actively to try and make this a seamless process
They also understand that many homeowners have heard bad things about cash home buyers industry, which is why they do not try to hook customers with unfair sales agreements.
Let's take a look at some of the other facts surrounding the business.
British Home Buyers Factsheet
*Data updated and correct as of 22/02/2024
Fact Check
- Number of employees?
- What is their aim to buy time-frame?
- How many sales have they agreed?
- Number TrustPilot reviews?
- Number of Review.io reviews?
- When were they incorporated?
- What are their Opening times?
- Which Locations do they buy in?
- Is a house inspection needed?
- What is their website?
British Home Buyers
- 12
- 7-30 Days
- 1,000+
- 404
- 280
- 2012
- Mon-Sat 9am to 4-6pm, Closed Sun
- UK
- Not required
- Britishhomebuyers Website
What Services British Home Buyers Offer?
The main services offered by British Home Buyers are free home valuations, formal cash offers, and sales transactions. But there are a number of additional services that can be lumped together into their service offering, including:
- No obligation property valuations - Even if you're not interested in following through with the sale of your home, you can speak to British Home Buyers to get a better idea of what your property is worth.
- No fee sales - When selling a property, homeowners are often surprised by the hidden fees and extra costs that go along with it. British Home Buyers, fortunately, does not charge any valuation fees, survey fees, legal fees, or estate agent fees. In other words, their services are offered with no hidden costs!
- Chain-free sales - Because the company is a cash buyer, there are no complicated chains that can allow for the deal to fall through. Once an offer is accepted by the homeowner, it's guaranteed to go through.
- Free information - Through their website, you can also find a variety of home selling guides to help you understand the best tips and tricks for getting the best possible price for your home. There are also a number of free cash buyer comparison guides, just like this one, that can help you choose the best partner for selling your home.
Are British Home Buyers Legit?
Yes, British Home Buyers is a legit company with a team of employees based in the United Kingdom.
Having been launched in 2012, the company buys properties in England and Wales, and has thousands of satisfied customers, which can be seen through the many positive customer reviews found on prominent review sites like Google and Trustpilot.
How British Home Buyers Works
To ensure that their service is as straightforward as possible, British Home Buyers has a quick and easy 3 step process.
- Free Valuation - As with any type of cash buying service, the very first step is to register your and your property's details with the company. During this step, the company will collect a few important details about your home, allowing them to value your property in its current state. This step also ensures that British Home Buyers can understand your goals and needs, so they can provide you with the best advice for moving forward with the sale of your home.
- Formal Offer - Once they've gathered the necessary details about your home, British Home Buyers will offer your property a formal cash offer. At this point, there is no obligation to follow through with the sale of your home if you're not satisfied with the offer. However, if you decide the accept the offer, the next step will be to choose a completion date and time, which can be in as little as a matter of days.
- Complete The Sale - After the offer is accepted, the legal process will begin. But once the details are worked out between solicitors, the funds for the sale will be transferred directly into your bank account, and you won't pay a penny in terms of legal fees. Afterward, all you'll need to do is move on with your life and put the sale of your home in the past.
The Pros And Cons Of Working With British Home Buyers
As with all companies that buy houses, there are both benefits and disadvantages to working with British Home Buyers.
So on that note, let's review some of the pros and cons of working with this company:
The Pros
- UK-based company - British Home Buyers is based and operates in the UK, primarily in England and Wales. Therefore, they know the ins and outs of the property market in these regions much better than international property buying companies.
- Regulatory oversight - To ensure a high standard of service, British Home Buyers is registered with The Property Ombudsman, the Competition & Markets Authority, the Information Commissioner's Office, Reference Line, and Approved Code, which are all listed at the bottom of the company's website.
- Purchase any house, any condition - When selling to British Home Buyers, there's no need for costly renovations or home inspections. The company claims they'll buy any house in any condition, ensuring the process is as simple and as fast as possible.
- No fees - British Home Buyers does not charge any hidden fees, which means no valuations fees, no legal fees, no survey fees, and no fees paid to an estate agent. In other words, more of the proceeds from the sale go directly into the seller's pocket.
- Custom timescales - The company offers custom timescales to suit the needs of its customers. This means that whether you need to sell your property as soon as possible, or you need time to find yourself a future residence, British Home Buyers will accommodate your request.
- No chains - Because they're a cash buyer, there's no complicated sales chains that can fall through. Once an offer is accepted by the homeowner and documents are signed, the sale guaranteed to move forward.
- Confidentiality - Selling your home is already stressful enough. That's why British Home Buyers places an emphasis on confidentiality, which means no public advertising, no sale boards, and no viewings from nosy neighbors.
- Friendly team - The team behind British Home Buyers understands that every homeowner is different. That's why they take a friendly and personable approach to each sale, ensuring they get to know the needs of their customers before providing any advice or guidance on placing a property for sale.
- Lots of reviews - British Home Buyers has reviews on a variety of prominent review websites, including Google, Trustpilot, Feefo, and Reviews.io, which we'll explore a bit further on below in this article.
- Free and helpful content - In addition to their quick sales services, British Home Buyers also provides a range of helpful content on their website for free.
The Cons
- Not an international company - British Home Buyers operates in England and Wales, which means that if you're a homeowner in Northern Ireland, you'll need to look for a different cash buyer to help you sell your home fast.
- Limited team information - Although they do list a number of employees on their website, there's limited information about who these people are and what they do for the company.
- They aren’t members of the National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB): The company is not a member of the NAPB, which was established by members of the quick house sale industry to improve the sector’s standards, ensuring that all house sellers are protected, and reducing the risk that unethical house buying companies could exploit sellers.
British Home Buyers Vs. Other UK House Buying Companies
British Home Buyers competes well among companies who buy houses for cash, offering no hidden fees, custom timescales, and guaranteed offers for any property. These features suit homeowners needing a quick, hassle-free sale. However, as with similar firms, their offers may be slightly below market value, reflecting the trade-off for speed and convenience.
Below, we’ve highlighted some of British Home Buyers' ratings, reviews, and customer testimonials compared to other UK house buyers, such as National Homebuyers, Ready Steady Sell, Springbok Properties, Ask Susan or We Buy Now.
Quick Sale Firms
- Takes 6-9 months to find a buyer
- Some firms charge hidden fees
- Won't always buy any type of home
- Can take months if not true cash buyers
- Some firms do not offer complete confidentiality
- Not all quick sale firms offer a cash advance service
British Home Buyers
- Custom timescales
- No fees at all
- Any home, any condition
- Guaranteed cash sale
- Claims to provide confidential service
- N/A
British Home Buyers Customer Reviews And Testimonials
| TrustPilot Reviews | Google Reviews | Review.io |
|---|---|---|
| 404 reviews | 280 reviews | 425 reviews |
| 4.9 score | 4.9 | 4.9 score |
*Reviews are updated and correct as of 22/02/2024
One of the most notable things we've noticed about this company is that they don't only have a handful of reviews. They actually hundreds of reviews on multiple review websites.
On Trustpilot, likely one of the most prominent review websites, the company is ever noted to be a verified company. And on Reviews.io, the company currently boasts of 98% rating for customers who would recommend their service.
Additionally, on the Trustpilot website, a whopping 90% of the company's reviews are 5-stars, with less than 2% of all reviews being 2-stars or less.
And on another note, even just at first glance, many of the reviews for the company appear to be a bit lengthier, which may speak to their authenticity since it's not as if people are just writing short 5-10 word reviews, which are a lot easier to falsify.
So all these signs point to British Home Buyers being a truly reliable and exceptional company to work with.
But as we all know, it's impossible to keep all customers happy all the time.
How is the customer service at British Home Buyers? And how is their communication through the house selling process?
When we took a look at Trustpilot, the first three reviews we found showed that these customers were indeed satisfied with the customer service at British Home Buyers.
Let's see what they had to say.
The team at British home sellers are all incredibly professional and proactive throughout the whole sale. We decided to sell through BH after having 3 failed attempts with local estate agents.We dealt with Alex and Charles who bounce off each other wonderfully. We had a lengthy time between accepting an offer to completion, which was extremely stressful Alex and Charles endeavoured to keep us in the loop and liased between all parties exceptionally well which helped to minimised the level of stress. We received prompt replies to any queries whether it be by phone or email. Our account was easily accessed by other staff so if for any reason we could not speak with Alex one of the team would be able to deal with us with ease. We felt the fees were also competitive and truly worth it for the service we received. Great company to deal with and we will definitely be using them again in the future..
Elsewhere, according to Terry praised the easy and professional process, noting the peace of mind it gave him.
I have recently sold my house using British Homebuyers. It all started with a professional photographer who came to my house, and spent a fair bit of time getting the best possible photographs with Excellent results. The process for selling was easy and I was given a sales representative called Alex who overseen everything from start to finish. Although selling and buying houses can be very taxing on a person, the process was made easier by having the ability to phone your sales representative to see how everything is progressing. I had peace of mind throughout the sale of my house and can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed. I am very happy that we made the choice to sell through British Homebuyers.
Additionally, Bhavin and Neha Shah wrote that they had a fantastic experience with British Home Buyers, highlighting the company’s excellent communication skills in particular
I had fantastic experience with British Homebuyers estate agent. Their communication far surpassed that of local agents I've used in the past. They were incredibly flexible and maintained just the right amount of contact throughout the process. Highly recommended for a smooth and stress-free experience! Thank you to my contact Robert Love for the excellent service
Even on the other review sites, most of the reviews we've found in regards to the company's customer service were very positive.
Did anyone have anything negative to say about the company's customer service?
While most reviews are genuinely positive about the company's customer service, we did find a few reviews from people who did not have anything positive to say about working with the company or the offer presented.
Matthew Benson also did not enjoy his experience working with British Home Buyers, leaving them a 2-star review on Trustpilot
The initial set up seemed fantastic and the guidance I got was great but once I was set up and you love to another team it went really poor. Communication was really disappointing as it was very difficult get hold of anyone[...]
Matthew goes on to explain what happened throughout his experience with the company and ends by stating that he's tried multiple times to have the company's page removed from Trustpilot.
I have had 3 attempts of Authentication (which I have done) by this company to remove it from this review site, I'm glad I have kept hold of all my proof of communication because this would like be removed if I hadn't.
I hope this shows you what type of company this is.
Does British Home Buyers help homeowners find and negotiate the best price for their homes?
While it's expected that cash offers will generally be slightly below market value, it's expected that cash home buyers do their best to find the best possible price for the sake of its customers.
So how does British Home Buyers stack up when it comes to helping customers obtain the best price?
In one less-than-thrilling 2-star review, Justin (Trustpilot) claims that British Home Buyers uses a "dubious marketing approach."
Received a letter from this company after putting my home up for sale for £450k (a price based on 3 valuations) offering to buy my house directly for 89% of market value (Option 1 - £400k), or find a buyer for between 95 & 100% (Option 2 - 450k). After discussion, turned out the offer to buy directly was actually less than 79% of market value (£355k), although they continued to claim they could find a buyer for its full value. Given the dubious offer under their 'Option 1' there was no chance of wasting time on their 'Option 2'. It seems the figures they throw out to begin with are simply to draw you in.
Unfortunately, that's not the only review we've found stating that the customer was not happy with the firm's cash offer.
In another 1-star review on Google, Davie Langley claims that British Home Buyers started with a fair and competitive price, but then changed their offer by the end of the same week,
Started off offering a competitive price, days later suggested that it may be approximately 20-30thousand pound less than initial offer. By the end of the week they called back and confirmed an offer would be made but would be over 50000 off initial estimate to then pull out on the offer entirely. This has meant we have had to pull out of purchasing our dream home. Absolute joke of a company. Would not recommend.
And to make matters worse, we've found another review from Colin Harrod that states the company is preying on people who need a quick sale.
This company targets people who need a quick sale and offer a paltry 85% of list price. For me, a shameful practice.
Are there any positive reviews that talk about the company helping sellers find a good price for their homes?
Yes, actually!
While we did find a few reviews with unsatisfied sellers, there were a number of reviews stating that British Home Buyers did actually help the seller find a buyer who offered full asking price for the property in question.
Tired of delays that had occurred with my existing sell and worried that my new purchase would fall I contacted British Homebuyers with my predicament and received a responsive customer focused experience. With a couple of days of marketing my property they found me a buyer who offered full asking price! The team are great in particular Charles who went above and beyond to support my sale completing as soon as possible. I would highly recommend this service.
And in another 5-star review, Jamie Brunt states that the company followed through on their word, finding him a cash buyer within 4 weeks, who also offered full asking price.
I needed a quick sale and ideally a cash buyer, as I was selling a flat which had cladding on it and a lot of banks were refusing mortgages for potential buyers on properties with cladding. British Home Buyers promised they'd find a buyer for my property within 4 weeks and also said they had a good chance of finding a cash buyer. I was skeptical but thought there's no harm in trying as they wouldn't take a fee if they didn't sell the property. True to their word they found a buyer within 2 weeks who offered the asking price and the sale went through with no issues. Their fee is significantly more than other companies I looked into but they were clearly stated from the onset, and they delivered on their promises so I got what I paid for. Would definitely use again if I was in similar circumstances.
So clearly, some people are happy with the prices found by the company, while others aren't.
And while it might be easy to look past the good towards the bad, we should note that the vast majority of reviews on Trustpilot, Google, Reviews.io, and Feefo were positive.
Does British Home Buyers have any awards, or have they been featured on prominent websites?
Unfortunately, we cannot find any prominent websites that have featured the company in blog posts, new stories, or other types of publications.
That being said, we recommend checking out their reviews on Trustpilot, Google, Reviews.io, and Feefo to explore what other customers have had to say about the company.
Additionally, British Home Buyers does appear to be active on social media. They have links to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube pages posted at the bottom of their website but many have not bene updated for over a year.
British Home Buyers - Our Final Verdict
Overall, British Home Buyers appears to be a very good company to work with if you're looking to sell your home for cash in England or Wales.
From what we can gather, the company appears to stand by their claims of offering a fair, reliable, and transparent service.
And despite the fact that we covered a few negative reviews above, we've found numerous positive reviews on a number of trusted review sites, including Google, Trustpilot, and Reviews.io.
Many of the company reviews we've seen confirm that the company offers solid customer service and genuinely seems to care about their customers.
On the other hand, many of the negative reviews were regarding the cash offer or the final sales price.
Therefore, it's possible that homeowners may have better luck selling their home for a higher price with other UK cash buyers.
But for anyone who isn't focused on obtaining the best price, British Home Buyers does appear to hold some merit in terms of what they offer to their customers.
In the end, we still recommend that you check out their customer reviews for yourself. Browse the company's website and read about what they are offering.
And ultimately, whenever you're dealing with a cash house buyer, it's important to proceed with caution and always keep your expectations in check.
*This article is a comparative analysis review based on publicly available data, customer reviews, and personal research. We are not affiliated with British Home Buyers or any other house buying company mentioned. The information provided is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as financial or professional advice. We encourage readers to do their own research before making any decisions.
British Home Buyers Factsheet - (Free Download)
You can now access all the key information about British Home Buyers in the Factsheet infographic we have created below.
Simply click on the image or the link that appears after the factsheet, and it will automatically download it to your device!
| House buying company | Trustpilot score | Google score | Feefo score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housebuyers4u | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| HouseBuyFast | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
| Quickmovenow | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
| Goodmove | 4.9 | 4.8 | No reviews |
| Property Buying Company | 4.6 | 4.2 | No reviews |
| Property Solvers | 4.7 | 4.8 | No reviews |
| National Homebuyers | 4.5 | 4.1 | No reviews |
| Open Property Group | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.9 |
| We Buy Any House | 4.4 | No reviews | No reviews |
| Springbok Properties | 4.3 | 4.1 | No reviews |
| Ready Steady Sell | 3.7 | No reviews | No reviews |
| We Buy Now | 4.4 | 4.1 | No reviews |
| SpringMove | 4.5 | No reviews | No reviews |
| TheAdvisory | No reviews | 5.0 | No reviews |
| Ask Susan | No reviews | 2.3 | No reviews |
| Property Cash Buyers | 1.3 | No reviews | No reviews |
| We Buy any Home | 4.0 | 3.9 | No reviews |
| Home House Buyers | 4.9 | 4.9 | No reviews |
| Smooth Sale | 4.9 | 4.9 | No reviews |
| Express Offers | 4.1 | No reviews | No reviews |
| Upstix | 4.0 | 4.2 | No reviews |
Browse our comprehensive reviews and expert insights to find the best company for your situation.
*Note: Review data is usually less than 12 months old, please click and read the individual reviews above for up to date details on each website.
