The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) is a made up of four countries of immense diversity, tradition and culture. Beautiful countryside, islands, moors, craggy mountains and cliffs, rolling hills, shorelines and beaches, it has scenery as varied as its people. The UK investment property may include any one of the four individual countries that make up the United Kingdom: England; Scotland; Wales and Northern Ireland. There are also a number of islands, in particular the Scottish island groups of the Shetlands and the Orkneys, the English Scilly Isles and Isle of Wight and the Welsh island of Anglesey. The British Isles are to be found off the western extremity of continental Europe, separated from it by the English Channel and the North Sea. The climate is temperate in nature, and in the words of William Blake, you see “England’s green and pleasant land”. All of these complicated factors make UK investment property very lucrative.

Throughout the four countries there are many cultural sights with stately homes, castles, palaces and accompanying grounds in abundance. Many of these are run by different organizations such as the National Trust, Scottish Trust and the National Park Trust. Wherever you are in the UK you are never far from something of significance or of historical value.

United Kingdom, and particularly London, property has for many years been a popular mode of investment for foreign investors and indeed, at one recent time, it was estimated that some 60% of London residential property was owned by offshore companies. London real estate has also performed well in investment terms.

If the property is purchased in the name of the individual there can be no doubt that its value will be assessed for inheritance tax purposes on his death. If however it is purchased in the name of an offshore company, the investor does not own an asset in the U.K, but the shares in a foreign company, which, in his circumstances are not chargeable with inheritance tax. If the company is incorporated in a tax-free jurisdiction, such as the British Virgin Islands, the final result will be that the property passes tax free to the heirs.