For HNW Real Estate Investors

"Property is acquired in days. The structure that holds it lives for thirty years."

ASJ Group designs cross-border real-estate holding structures that are SDLT- and inheritance-efficient, lender-acceptable, and defensible on refinance or resale.

Overview

How we work with hnw real estate investors.

Property is acquired in weeks; the structure that holds it lives for thirty years. ASJ Group designs cross-border real-estate holding structures that are SDLT- and inheritance-efficient, lender-acceptable, and defensible on refinance or resale.

The design is written up as a comparative shortlist: personal versus corporate ownership, SPV jurisdiction, trust or foundation overlay, lender acceptability, transfer-tax exposure, and register visibility. Every trade-off is quantified before the client commits.

We coordinate with lenders, conveyancers and tax counsel in each jurisdiction — but the structuring engagement itself is fixed-fee, director-led and independent of any product provider.

Common failure modes

What we've seen go wrong.

  • Buying UK residential property personally and losing 40% to inheritance tax on death
  • Buying UK residential property through a company and triggering the 15% SDLT surcharge without checking ATED liability
  • Financing offshore-owned property with a lender that does not accept the SPV jurisdiction — and having to restructure mid-transaction
  • Ignoring the difference between SDLT residency surcharge, the non-resident CGT regime and the offshore-envelope-tax regime
Typical engagement

The shape of the work.

Every engagement is fixed-fee, director-led, and quoted in writing before any work begins.

  1. 01Pre-acquisition mapping: ownership, residency, lender profile, succession (1–2 weeks)
  2. 02Structure design memorandum with SDLT, CGT and inheritance analysis
  3. 03SPV formation, banking, lender coordination and completion
  4. 04Annual compliance and refinance-readiness calendar
Frequently asked

Questions we hear from hnw real estate investors.

Should UK residential property be held through a company?
Rarely for personal-use property (ATED and 15% SDLT surcharge apply). Usually yes for buy-to-let portfolios above 4 properties. Always model both routes before committing.
Can offshore-owned property still get UK financing?
Yes, from specialist lenders. ASJ Group pre-qualifies lender acceptance for the specific SPV jurisdiction and ownership before the offer is placed.
How does the 2025 non-dom reform affect UK property?
The end of the remittance basis and the shift to a residence-based regime materially affects the inheritance-tax treatment of foreign-owned UK property. We restructure or preserve depending on the client's expected residency trajectory.