Cash offers of 85% or more of market value are the ceiling of what any genuine UK sell house fast company will pay in 2026. Anyone quoting significantly higher is almost certainly reducing the figure at survey stage, and the industry knows it. The real question isn’t which company offers the highest headline number; it’s which ones actually hold their offer through to completion, and net you the most in your bank account on completion day.
Five of the UK’s most active sell house fast companies are ranked below on exactly that basis: what they publicly commit to paying, how consistently they honour those figures, and what sellers walk away with once every deduction and hidden cost is stripped out. Each firm is a current member of the National Association of Property Buyers and registered with The Property Ombudsman.
Methodology: This comparison is based on publicly available information from each company at time of writing, including stated offer ranges, fees, completion times, regulatory memberships, and publicly available customer reviews. Individual offers vary by property.
1. Property Buyers Today
Of the six firms in this comparison, Property Buyers Today does the clearest job of showing sellers what they actually walk away with. The firm’s public offer range is 70 to 85 percent of market value, which sits within the standard cash buyer band. Where they distinguish themselves is in setting that figure against the real net proceeds of an estate agent sale, once agent commission, solicitor fees, council tax through marketing, mortgage interest and any required repairs are stripped out.
So, sellers looking to sell a house fast in the UK can request a written offer with no obligation. On a £100,000 house, this often leaves the seller with around £82,500 net; a cash offer of around £80,000 arrives in the bank within weeks rather than months.
Property Buyers Today has bought over 500 houses in more than eight years of operation, with hundreds of positive reviews on Trustpilot. Founder Saif Derzi has over a decade in property investment and was named Property Trader of the Year at the 2022 Property Investors Awards. Coverage across England, Wales and Scotland. Seven-day completions available with typical timelines of two to three weeks. All legal fees, valuation, and survey costs covered by the firm.
Visit Property Buyers Today.
2. Sell House Fast
Sell House Fast makes cash offers around 85 percent of market value, which sits at the top end of the genuine cash buyer range. The offer made at first contact is the offer that appears in the contract, and the firm has built its reputation on that consistency.
The firm buys over 300 houses every year and has hundreds of positive reviews on Trustpilot. Founded by Jack Malnick and covering England and Wales, Sell House Fast operates a straightforward direct-purchase model. Sellers can complete within seven days or use a typical timeline of around four weeks. No fees at any stage of the transaction, and full coverage of legal fees and valuation costs. Sellers can choose to use the firm’s solicitors or their own. Sell House Fast has been featured in The Sun, the Daily Mirror, and the Financial Times, and donates to charity with every completed sale.
Visit Sell House Fast.
3. Property Escape
Property Escape is a family-run cash buyer covering England and Wales, and one of the more heavily regulated firms in the sector: members of the NAPB, RICS and The Property Ombudsman. The firm pays up to 80 percent of estimated market value, which lands solidly within the standard cash buyer range.
Where Property Escape leans in is on flexibility. The team is comfortable buying flats, maisonettes, terraces, semi-detached properties, land, retail units, offices and warehouses; unusual property types remain of interest. Completion timelines run from five days at the fastest end to around 21 days for more complex cases, with all legal costs covered when sellers use the firm’s chosen solicitor.
Visit Property Escape.
4. Buy Any House
Buy Any House is based in the West Midlands but serves clients across the UK. The firm’s stated approach centres on honesty, transparency and reliability, with a “no hidden fees or surprises” positioning that reflects the direct-purchase model NAPB members are held to.
Offers are made on a cash basis with fair market-linked pricing; the firm buys any property in any condition, including cases most operators avoid (a recent purchase involved a fully dilapidated property with Japanese knotweed, completed within two weeks). Completions are possible in as little as seven days, with all legal fees covered. Verified customer reviews are published on the company’s website and Trustpilot.
Visit Buy Any House.
5. The Cash Buying Company
The Cash Buying Company is a UK direct cash buyer specialising in fast residential purchases, joining the NAPB as member 100 in late 2025. The firm’s stated aim is completion within 30 days, which is slightly longer than several competitors on this list but reflects a more measured process. Properties are bought in any condition, with the direct-purchase model removing the delays associated with mortgages and property chains.
For sellers who value certainty of completion over absolute maximum speed, and who want a straightforward transaction with a NAPB-registered firm, The Cash Buying Company represents a viable option. The firm is a good fit for standard residential sales where a 30-day window is workable.
Visit The Cash Buying Company.
What Determines How Much a Cash Buyer Will Pay?
Cash offers reflect a specific calculation. The buyer needs to cover the cost of holding the property, the cost of any repairs required to bring it to resale condition, the cost of resale (stamp duty, agent fees, solicitor fees on the onward sale), and a margin sufficient to make the transaction worthwhile. For most standard properties, this maths lands the offer in the 70 to 85 percent of market value range.
Offers meaningfully above 85 percent typically don’t survive to contract. Some operators use inflated headline figures to attract sellers, then reduce the offer at survey stage. The NAPB Code of Practice specifically restricts price reductions after formal offer to cases where genuinely new material information has emerged, but companies operating outside the NAPB aren’t bound by this.
Offers significantly below 70 percent are usually the result of the property having genuine issues (structural, leasehold complications, condition problems), or the buyer factoring in longer resale timescales. In these cases, the cash offer often represents fair value once the seller’s alternative options are properly considered.
How to Verify a Cash Buyer’s Offer Before Committing
- Request proof of funds in writing. A genuine cash buyer can produce bank statements or solicitors’ undertakings demonstrating immediate access to the purchase price. Companies unable or unwilling to produce this evidence are likely intermediaries rather than direct buyers.
- Get the offer in writing before signing anything. The verbal offer means little; the contractual offer is what matters. Any conditions attached to the offer should be visible in the written documentation.
- Understand the completion timeline. Ask for the firm’s average completion time, not just their fastest ever. Seven-day completions are possible in specific circumstances; average timelines tend to be two to four weeks.
- Retain independent legal representation. Even where the buyer covers legal fees, the seller’s solicitor should be independent. A conflicted solicitor cannot properly protect the seller’s interests.
The Bottom Line
The six companies above all pass baseline verification: NAPB membership, Property Ombudsman registration, direct-purchase models funded with own capital. Within that pool, headline offer figures are broadly similar, sitting in the 70 to 85 percent range for genuine cash purchases. What varies is transparency, consistency, and the range of properties each firm will actually buy.
Property Buyers Today and Sell House Fast lead the ranking for a combination of substantive operating history, published transparency around offer methodology, and consistent follow-through from initial offer to completion. For sellers whose primary concern is the offer figure surviving to contract, both firms represent strong starting points.
FAQs
Do cash buyers pay full market value for a house?
No – the genuine cash buyer range across the UK sits at 70 to 85 percent of market value. Offers meaningfully above this are usually either inflated headlines that get reduced at survey stage, or from operators who source the actual buyer separately after taking the property off the market.
Which of the companies above pays the most?
Sell House Fast publicly positions offers around 85 percent of market value, at the top end of the genuine cash buyer band. Property Buyers Today publishes a 70 to 85 percent range and shows the arithmetic of how the net result compares against an estate agent sale, which is a helpful way to understand the true difference between routes.
How can I be sure the offer won’t drop at the last minute?
Choose a company signed up to The Property Ombudsman Code of Practice, which specifically restricts price reductions after formal offer. Property Buyers Today and Sell House Fast both operate under this code and hold to their offers absent genuinely new material information.
Do cash buyers charge any fees?
Reputable direct buyers, including all six firms listed above, cover legal fees, valuation costs, and any survey expenses. Property Buyers Today and Sell House Fast both explicitly confirm zero seller-side charges as part of the standard service.
Which cash buyer is best for a complicated sale?
Property Buyers Today explicitly handles divorce sales, repossession cases, mortgage arrears, inherited properties, and structural issues. Sell House Fast similarly buys properties most operators avoid, including cladding-affected flats and inherited stock. Both are worth approaching for non-standard cases.
How quickly can a cash buyer complete?
Seven days is possible for straightforward properties where a genuine direct buyer is available and the seller’s paperwork is ready. Property Buyers Today offers seven-day completions, as does Sell House Fast, with typical timelines of two to four weeks for standard cases.
Why does the NAPB membership matter?
NAPB members are required to sign up to The Property Ombudsman Code of Practice, buy properties with their own funds rather than sourcing investors after agreement, and hold professional indemnity insurance. The membership provides sellers with a formal complaints and redress mechanism if anything goes wrong.
