Last updated September 26, 2026
Key takeaways
- Owning a Florida home gives you no right to stay in it beyond your visa: 90 days per visit on an ESTA, up to six months on a B-2 visa at the officer's discretion, and days count toward U.S. tax residency tests.
- Cash is common; foreign-national mortgages exist and need more paperwork and a larger down payment. Decide how you will hold the property before you offer, because U.S. estate exposure and UK tax both turn on it.
- The running costs that surprise British owners are insurance and association dues; the exit cost that surprises them is FIRPTA. Plan both on day one.
How Do I Buy a Second Home in South Florida From the UK?
A British family can buy a South Florida holiday home in a few weeks; owning it well takes planning that most people do after closing and should do before. The purchase mechanics are simpler than in England: one contract, an inspection period, a title company, a closing you can attend from London. The decisions that matter, how you hold title, how long you can actually be here, what the home costs to insure and to leave empty, and what happens to the proceeds when you sell as a foreign person, are all cheaper to make before the offer than after.
Buyers from the United Kingdom accounted for about 3,100 U.S. home purchases and $2.0 billion in the year to March 2025, and Florida remained the top destination for foreign buyers with 21% (National Association of Realtors, July 2025; data as of March 2025). Close to half of UK buyers in Florida plan to use the home for holidays rather than as an investment (Florida Realtors, 2025). This page is written for that buyer, and it assumes you have read the UK to Florida glossary or will.
Send this question to Gia Gia Freer, Broker of Record, answers within one business day, or call 561-395-8418.
How long can I actually use the home?
Ownership confers no right to stay. On the Visa Waiver Program with an ESTA, a British citizen can stay up to 90 days per visit. A B-2 visitor visa can allow a stay of up to six months, granted at the discretion of the officer at the port of entry. Days spent in the United States also count toward the substantial presence test, which can make you a U.S. tax resident without your intending it. Families who plan to spend winters here should take immigration and tax advice before buying, because the answer shapes what property makes sense.
Cash or mortgage?
Cash is common and simpler; a foreign-national mortgage is possible and slower. Overseas buyers in Florida pay cash more often than domestic buyers do, and a cash purchase removes the appraisal and financing contingencies from the contract. U.S. lenders with foreign-national programs will lend to a UK borrower, with a larger down payment, documentation of income and funds from UK sources, and a longer underwriting period; build that into the contract's financing period rather than hoping. Currency is your risk: agree with your bank or a specialist how and when pounds become dollars, and move the deposit early enough that a wire delay does not breach a deadline. Wire only to instructions confirmed by phone on a number you already have.
How should I hold the property?
Decide before you offer, because the name on the contract is hard to change. A non-resident who owns U.S. real property directly has U.S. estate tax exposure on that property above a low threshold; the United States and the United Kingdom have an estate and gift tax treaty that affects the answer, and UK tax applies to the property and any rental income from it. Buying through an LLC, a trust or a company each solves some problems and creates others. This is precisely the question a cross-border tax adviser is for, and the fee is small against the cost of restructuring after closing.
What does the home cost to run and to leave empty?
Insurance and association dues, and they are not small. Coastal South Florida property carries homeowners or unit-owner cover, windstorm cover where it is written separately, and flood insurance where the property is in a flood zone or a lender requires it. Obtain quotes during the inspection period; for houses, the wind-mitigation and four-point reports move the quote materially. Property tax is reassessed to market value on sale and is higher for a second-home owner than for a Florida-resident neighbor with homestead. Condominium and HOA dues fund the building and its reserves; read the budget, the reserve study and any pending special assessment before the inspection period ends. An empty home in a humid climate needs air-conditioning left running, someone checking it, and a policy that does not lapse when the home is vacant for more than a set number of days.
Can I let it out when I am not here?
Only if the city and the association allow it, and many do not. Short-term rental rules vary by municipality, and a large share of South Florida condominium buildings and HOA communities restrict rentals to minimum terms or prohibit them in the first year of ownership. If letting is part of your plan, it decides which buildings you can consider, so it belongs at the start of the search. Rental income on U.S. property is taxable in the U.S. whatever your residence and must be handled correctly from the first tenant.
What should I know about the exit before I enter?
FIRPTA. When a foreign person sells U.S. real property, the buyer must withhold a percentage of the gross sale price and remit it to the IRS at closing, unless an exemption applies or a withholding certificate has been obtained in advance. Records of purchase price, improvements and expenses reduce what is ultimately owed. Knowing this on the day you buy changes how you hold the property and how you keep receipts. The full sequence is in selling a Florida home as a British owner.
How the purchase actually runs
Search and video tours. Written offer on the Florida contract, with an inspection period sized for a buyer who may be abroad. Deposit wired to escrow. Inspection, wind-mitigation and four-point reports, insurance quotes, association documents. Title search and title insurance through a title company. Closing by remote online notarization or mail-away from the UK, or in person if the dates work. Keys, and a plan for who checks the home while you are in London.
Gia Freer, Broker of Record at PBP Real Estate, LLC, licensed in Florida since 2000, and Grant Freer, Owner and Broker Associate, a British citizen who grew up in London, have represented buyers and sellers from the United Kingdom in South Florida for two decades. PBP acts as a transaction broker, a defined Florida role we explain in writing before you make an offer.
Related guides
Already own here and thinking about selling first? Price my home correctly and we will come back within one business day with a hand-prepared opinion of value. To start a purchase, call 561-395-8418.
This page explains the real estate side of buying a Florida second home from the UK and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa and stay rules, ownership structure, U.S. and UK taxation, and FIRPTA should be reviewed with a qualified attorney or cross-border adviser.
Questions and answers
How long can I stay in my Florida home each year as a British citizen?
On the Visa Waiver Program with an ESTA, up to 90 days per visit. A B-2 visitor visa can allow stays of up to six months at the officer's discretion. Owning property confers no residence right, and days spent in the U.S. also count toward the substantial presence test for tax purposes. Both are questions for an immigration and tax adviser before you buy.
Can a British buyer get a U.S. mortgage?
Yes, through lenders that offer foreign-national programs. Expect a larger down payment, more documentation of UK income and funds, and a longer timeline than a domestic borrower. Many British buyers in South Florida pay cash and refinance later, or not at all.
Should I buy in my own name or through a company?
That is a tax and estate-planning question, not a brokerage question. U.S. estate tax exposure for non-resident owners, UK tax on the property and any rental income, and the U.S.-UK treaties all bear on it. Take advice from a cross-border tax adviser before you make an offer, because changing the structure after closing is expensive.
Can I rent the home out when I am not using it?
Sometimes. Short-term rental rules vary by city and by association, and many condominium buildings and HOA communities restrict or prohibit rentals under a minimum term. Check the association documents and the municipal rules before you buy, not after.
What insurance will I need?
A homeowners or condo unit-owner policy, windstorm cover where it is separate, and flood insurance where the property is in a flood zone or where a lender requires it. Coastal South Florida premiums are a real part of the running cost; obtain quotes during the inspection period.
What should I plan for on the way out?
When you sell as a foreign person, FIRPTA withholding applies at closing unless an exemption or a withholding certificate is arranged in advance. Knowing that on day one shapes how you hold the property and how you keep records.