The TL;DR
What to do with your UK home depends on how long you're going and whether you plan to come back:
Going for a few weeks or months? You can leave it empty or let a room while it's still your home, but tell your insurer and your mortgage lender first.
Going for a year or more? Most people let it out or sell. Letting means lender permission, landlord duties and UK tax on the rent, and under the new renting rules in England you can only ask tenants to leave so you can move back in or sell (or if they break the tenancy), and not before they've been there a year.
Either way, rent from a UK home is taxed in the UK even after you leave, and selling it later comes with its own UK rules.
This guide walks you through your options, how to choose, what to sort before you leave and what to watch out for. Each section points to the guide that covers it in depth.
Covered in this article
1. What can you do with your UK home when you go abroad? 🏠
You have five main choices:
🏠 Leave it empty
🛏️ Let a room while it's still your home
🔑 Let the whole home out
🧳 Offer it as a short let
💷 Sell
The right one depends mostly on how long you'll be away and whether you want to come back to it.
A few things apply whatever you choose:
Rent from a UK home is taxed in the UK, even once you live abroad. Your new country may tax it too, but the tax agreement between the two countries usually stops you paying twice.
A UK home you can still use can help keep you UK tax resident. If it's available to you for 91 days or more in a tax year and you spend a night there, it counts as a tie to the UK. A home you've let out in full doesn't count, unless you've kept the right to use it.
Some rules are different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, especially for renting and short lets. This guide follows the rules for England.
We checked this guide against GOV.UK and HMRC in October 2026. Rules change, so always check the official source before you act.
2. Your options, and what each one involves 🧭
Here's what each of the five involves.
Option | Best for | What it involves (as of Oct 2026) | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
🏠 Leave it empty | Trips of a few months | Tell your insurer, as standard home cover is often limited once a home is empty for a month or two. Council tax is still due, and councils can charge more on homes empty for a year or more, or on second homes | |
🛏️ Lodger or home exchange | Shorter trips, while it's still your main home | A lodger's rent is tax-free up to £7,500 a year under the government's Rent a Room scheme. Home exchange swaps your home for someone else's | |
🔑 Long-term let | A year or more away | Your lender's permission, landlord safety duties, UK tax on the rent, and new renting rules on getting it back (section 3) | |
🧳 Short lets | Homes in high-demand areas | Your lender's permission, local rules (in London, no more than 90 nights a year without planning permission; licences or registration in Scotland and Wales) and a management company if you're abroad | |
💷 Sell | Moving for good, or when the rent won't cover the costs | Usually no tax on the profit for the years it was your home, but selling from abroad has its own deadline (section 5) |
Rules as of October 2026. We check them every April.
3. Which situation is yours? 🎯
The best option usually comes down to how long you're going and whether you'll live in the home again.
One rule change in England matters here more than anything else: since 1 May 2026, tenants can stay as long as they like, and you can only ask them to leave so you can move back in or sell, and not in their first year.
🧳 Away for under a year, coming back to the same home: don't let it out long term, as you may not get it back in time. Leaving it empty or taking a lodger keeps it free for your return.
🔁 Away for a few years, planning to move back in: a long-term let can work, but plan your return well ahead. You'll give four months' notice, and you can't let it out again for a year after taking it back.
🌍 Leaving for good: decide whether to sell now or keep it as an investment. Keeping it means being a landlord from abroad (section 4); selling comes with a tax deadline (section 5).
🏖️ Retiring abroad and living on the rent: a long-term let, plus checking how the rent is taxed in both countries and whether your visa accepts rental income.
🏡 Already a landlord: once you move, your letting agent has to take tax off the rent unless you apply to be paid in full (section 4).
Retiring on rental income? Our guide to the best European visas for living on passive income covers the visas that accept rent as income, and their minimums.
What's stopping you from living your dream remote life?
Take the two-minute quiz and we'll show you which route out of the UK fits your situation, what's standing in your way, and the guides to read first.
4. What to sort before you go 📋
Build in time: lender permission, safety checks and finding a letting agent can each take weeks, so start a few months before you leave.
Ask your mortgage lender. You need your lender's permission to let your home, even for a short time. Lenders often agree to a set period, sometimes for a fee or a higher rate. Short lets usually need separate permission.
Tell your insurer. Switch to landlord insurance if you're letting, or cover for an empty home if you're not, and say that you'll be living abroad.
Decide who manages it. From abroad, most people use a letting agent who handles repairs, rent and checks. It costs more, but you can't easily deal with a broken boiler from another country.
Sort the tax on your rent. Once you live abroad for six months or more a year, your letting agent (or your tenant, if you have no agent and the rent is over £100 a week) must take basic-rate tax off the rent, unless HMRC approves you under the Non-Resident Landlord Scheme to be paid in full. Either way, you still file a UK Self Assessment tax return each year.
Meet your landlord duties. In England that means a gas safety check every year, an electrical check at least every five years, an energy rating of at least E, protecting the deposit within 30 days, and checking your tenant's right to rent. Our guide to making your UK property pay lists the rest.
Keep your records. Note what you paid for the home, what you've spent improving it and the dates you lived there. You'll need them to work out any tax when you sell.
5. The UK-specific catches ⚠️
These are the property mistakes people most often make when they leave the UK.
Getting your home back can take longer than a year. The rules in section 3 set the minimum. If tenants don't leave when the notice ends, you'll need a court order, which can add months. And once you've taken your home back to sell or move into, you can't let it out again or advertise it for rent for 12 months.
The tax on rent rises in April 2027. From 6 April 2027, rental income in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is taxed at 22%, 42% or 47%, up from 20%, 40% and 45% now. The tax your letting agent takes off rises to 22% too.
Selling from abroad has its own deadline. If you sell a UK home while living abroad, you must report the sale to HMRC within 60 days, even if there's no tax to pay. The profit for the years you lived there, plus the last nine months you owned it, is usually free of Capital Gains Tax.
Moving back and buying again costs more. If you're still living abroad when you buy a home in England or Northern Ireland, you'll pay an extra 2% in stamp duty. If you still own another home anywhere, including abroad, a further 5% usually applies unless you're replacing your main home.
6. Where to go next ➡️
Start here: Make Your UK Property Pay for Your Travels walks through the five routes, from a lodger to selling, with what each one involves.
Finding a letting agent, lodger or storage: Make Your UK Property Pay: The Complete Platform Directory
Working out whether your UK home keeps you UK tax resident: Under 183 Days: How UK Tax Residency Really Works
Telling HMRC you're leaving: Moving Abroad? Here Are the 5 Things HMRC Won't Do for You
Alongside your property: our Tax and HMRC and Banking and Money starter guides.
Frequently asked questions ❓
These are the questions UK movers ask again and again, on MoneySavingExpert and British Expats.
Should I sell or rent out my house when I move abroad?
It depends how long you're going and whether you'll come back. Letting keeps the home for later, but brings landlord duties and UK tax on the rent. Selling is simpler if you're leaving for good.
Do I need my mortgage lender's permission to let my house?
Yes. Ask before you go: lenders often agree for a set period, sometimes for a fee or a higher rate. If they won't, you may need to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage.
Do I still need to file a UK tax return on the rent?
Yes, every year, even if you're approved to receive rent without tax taken off. You can't use HMRC's free online service for this return, so file on paper or use commercial software.
Will I be taxed on the rent in both countries?
The UK taxes it first. Your new country may tax it too, but a tax treaty usually means you get credit there for the UK tax you've paid.
Will I pay tax if I sell my UK home while living abroad?
Often not on the years it was your home, plus the last nine months you owned it. But you must report the sale to HMRC within 60 days, even if no tax is due.
Can I leave the house empty, or let it on Airbnb while I'm away?
You can leave it empty, but tell your insurer, as cover is often limited once a home has been empty for a while, and council tax is still due. Short lets usually need separate permission from your lender and must follow local rules.
If I let my house, can I get it back when I come home?
Yes, but in England it takes time. You give four months' notice, it can't end in the tenancy's first year, and if the tenant stays, you'll need a court order.
Can I remortgage my UK home once I live abroad?
It's possible, but fewer lenders offer mortgages to people living abroad, and rates are usually higher. A broker who specialises in expat mortgages can help.
Official Resources 📎
Always check current rules with the official source, as they change.
Our other starter guides 🧳
Disclaimer
This guide provides general information only and does not constitute legal, tax, mortgage or financial advice. Property and tax rules change frequently and differ across the UK. Always check current rules with official sources and take professional advice specific to your situation.
