Relocating to London from the Asia-Pacific region

When relocating to London from Singapore, Hong Kong, or Australia, start by finding a suitable school and then identify areas that will make the school transition and your daily commute more practical. This will help you narrow down a suitable location to buy or rent, depending on your circumstances. Eccord is a buying agent that makes the process easier by representing you instead of the seller. Our team ensures you navigate London’s fragmented property market from overseas with ease.

Start with the school

Finding a suitable school for children influences the property search for families relocating to London. It narrows down the neighbourhood options because the location needs to be close to where the child will attend school. This makes the search more focused and means clients relocating from Asia-Pacific won’t have to search across the whole of London.

Eccord’s corporate relocation services include school guidance, alongside property search, location advice, negotiations, and move coordination. Our team starts by establishing the executive’s requirements, timeline, and any family or corporate considerations. This helps streamline the entire move with minimal disruption to schoolwork.

Plan around the school year

The school calendar differs between Asia-Pacific countries and the UK. This makes relocation timing an important factor to consider for families in these locations. The academic year in England generally begins in September, although exact term dates vary between schools and local authorities. This makes it essential to confirm dates directly with the chosen school to avoid any delays or inconvenience.

Singapore’s school calendar follows a different cycle, with the school year starting in January. Meanwhile, local schools in Hong Kong follow a similar school year to the UK, running from early September to late June or July, while many international schools start in August. Australia, on the other hand, does not have a standardised national school calendar. State and territory education authorities determine the relevant school term and start dates based on regional factors, instructional requirements, and legislative age rules.

These differences make it helpful to plan early when relocating from Asia-Pacific to London. At Eccord, we work with you to ensure the school admission process, intended arrival date, and availability of a suitable home all work together. This helps you to plan around admissions deadlines and enrolment dates.

Focus on established neighbourhoods

Once families from Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia have established suitable schools and relocation timelines, they can evaluate London neighbourhoods. Areas that families relocating from overseas often consider include Hampstead, St John’s Wood, Notting Hill, Belgravia and Chelsea. These neighbourhoods combine leading schools, green space and established international communities, with good connections to the City and the West End.

However, the right location will vary from one family to the next, depending on their needs. At Eccord, we evaluate school journeys, preferred property type, workplace location, and day-to-day requirements to shortlist suitable options. Instead of reviewing all London neighbourhoods, you only evaluate established residential communities that work best for you and your family.

Rent to understand London

Buying does not have to be the first step after arriving in London. Families relocating from Asia-Pacific to the UK can choose to rent before buying. This helps familiarise them with London life, from their children’s school journey to commuting arrangements and neighbourhood facilities.

At Eccord, we represent tenants on the same independent basis as buyers. Our rental search service involves advising on suitability, property condition, and terms, and managing negotiations. We act as a single point of contact throughout the process, eliminating communication gaps and accelerating the move.

This is particularly helpful for families from Asia-Pacific who are making decisions from overseas. Renting first separates the immediate need for a home from the longer-term decision about where to buy. Our team will also help you during the transition from renting to buying.

Search before arriving

You don’t need to be in London to start your property search, and many Eccord clients complete theirs before they arrive. We view every shortlisted property in person on your behalf and give you an honest assessment rather than a marketing description. Detailed video viewings then let you judge the light, the noise and the condition that photographs often hide. As one client relocating with Cathay Pacific put it, “sitting 10,000 miles away, I could not have done this on my own”.

We also take time zones into consideration when helping you plan your move. Singapore and Hong Kong are seven or eight hours ahead of London, depending on the time of year, and Australia’s east coast is nine to eleven hours ahead. We schedule calls and virtual viewings around your working day, so the search keeps moving without repeated flights to London.

Once you have secured a home, our in-house Home Management team can prepare it for your arrival, from utilities to furnishings.

Understand London’s buying process

Families accustomed to property markets with centralised listings may find the London search process different. It features a fragmented market that forces buyers looking independently to contact multiple agents and property portals to find available homes. Equally, numerous off-market properties are not publicly listed online and are only available through relationships with selling agents, buying agents, and property owners. At Eccord, we have acquired 67% of properties for our clients off market.

The legal stage also works differently. In England and Wales, an accepted offer is not legally binding until contracts are exchanged, usually several weeks later. Until then, a seller can still accept a higher offer from another buyer, a practice known as gazumping. We guard against it by keeping the process moving and staying in direct contact with the selling agent. The sale becomes legally binding when contracts are exchanged and the deposit is paid. Completion follows, typically a few weeks later, when the balance is transferred and you receive your keys. We introduce our clients to solicitors or licensed conveyancers who routinely handle international purchases and know how to keep this process moving.

Learn the stamp duty rules

Buying a London property can involve Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), with additional rules applying to buyers who are not UK residents. For residential property in England and Northern Ireland, the non-UK resident surcharge is generally an additional two percentage points on top of the applicable residential SDLT rates. An individual is considered a non-UK resident if they have not been present in the UK for at least 183 days during the 12 months before the purchase.

Other SDLT rules can also apply, including higher rates where a purchase results in ownership of more than one residential property. At Eccord, we help you obtain current tax advice before completing a purchase, because the liability depends on the transaction and the buyer’s circumstances.