UNITED KINGDOM TO SOUTH FLORIDA
Moving from the UK
to Miami
British buyers have been a steady presence in Miami for years, and the pace changed after April 2025. This is a different kind of move from an American one: the questions are about visas, US estate tax exposure, and how to buy as a foreign national. Those are the questions I answer most, so this page covers them first and the property second.
Why the timing changed
The UK abolished the non-domiciled tax regime on 6 April 2025, replacing more than two centuries of domicile-based taxation with a residence-based test. The remittance basis is gone. Long-resident non-doms now face UK tax on worldwide income and gains as they arise, and foreign assets came into scope for inheritance tax.
A four-year Foreign Income and Gains exemption exists, but only for new arrivals who have not been UK resident in the previous ten tax years. HMRC’s own figures suggest far fewer people qualify for it than claimed non-dom status previously.
The result has been a visible increase in British interest in low-tax jurisdictions, and Florida is among the beneficiaries. Whether that is right for you depends entirely on your circumstances, and it is a question for a cross-border tax adviser rather than for an estate agent.
I am a real estate agent, not a tax advisor, immigration attorney, or financial adviser. Everything below is general information to help you ask better questions. Take cross-border tax and immigration advice from qualified professionals in both countries before acting.
Three things British buyers usually do not know
You do not need a visa or residency to buy. Florida places no restrictions on foreign ownership of residential property. You can buy freehold in your own name as a British citizen with no US immigration status whatsoever. Buying property does not, however, give you any right to live here. Those are entirely separate questions.
US estate tax exposure is the big one. A non-resident who is not a US citizen generally gets a US estate tax exemption of only $60,000 on US-situated assets, against rates that reach 40%. US citizens and residents get an exemption in the millions. A British buyer holding a Miami property personally can leave their family a substantial US estate tax bill. There are structures that address this and the US-UK estate tax treaty is relevant. Get advice before you buy, not after, because restructuring afterwards is expensive.
FIRPTA applies when you sell. The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act requires withholding of a percentage of the gross sale price when a foreign person sells US real estate. It is withholding rather than the final tax, and it is often reclaimable, but it affects your cash at closing and surprises people who did not plan for it.
Financing and the practical mechanics
Cash is simplest. A large share of British purchases here are cash, and it makes for a cleaner, faster transaction.
Foreign national mortgages exist. Several US lenders write them for buyers with no US credit history. Expect a materially larger deposit than you would need in the UK, higher rates, and more documentation. Start the conversation early because underwriting takes longer than a domestic file.
You will need an ITIN for US tax filing purposes if you are not eligible for a Social Security number.
Conveyancing works differently. There is no exchange and completion in the British sense. Florida uses a contract with defined inspection and financing periods, a title company handling escrow and closing, and title insurance rather than the searches you are used to. Gazumping is not really a feature here, which most British buyers find a relief.
Currency matters more than people plan for. On a multi-million dollar purchase, a few cents on GBP-USD is a serious number. Use a currency specialist rather than your high street bank and consider forward contracts once you are under contract.
Where you live now, and where you would live here
The most useful question I get asked is not about price. It is “what is the Miami version of my neighborhood.” Here is my honest answer for London and the home counties.
Architecturally controlled, mature, walkable to a proper high street, and quietly established. The closest thing Miami has to that register.
Leafy, a little bohemian, strong local identity, and independent from the city around it. British buyers tend to recognise the Grove immediately.
Bal Harbour, Indian Creek, or Star Island
The top of the market, discreet and guard-gated. Bal Harbour is the oceanfront apartment version; Indian Creek and Star Island are the estate version.
Wynwood or Little River
Formerly industrial, gallery-driven, still changing. Wynwood is further along and priced accordingly.
Miami’s financial district and the only genuinely car-free part of the city. Dense, vertical, and full of people who work nearby.
Pinecrest or Ponce-Davis
Large gardens, family-oriented, strong schools, a proper drive from the centre.
Sunset Islands or Venetian Islands
Residential islands minutes from the centre. Quiet, private, and considerably more water than either has.
What your money actually buys
Favourable, particularly on space.
Prime central London is among the most expensive property on earth per square foot. A Chelsea or Notting Hill budget buys substantially more house, garden, and parking in Coral Gables or Coconut Grove, along with a pool and considerably newer construction.
Where Miami is not cheaper is trophy waterfront. Star Island, Indian Creek, and prime Miami Beach compete on price with anything in Mayfair, and the buyer pool is genuinely global.
Two things to price properly. Insurance, which for a waterfront Florida property is a serious annual figure with no British equivalent. And older condominium buildings, where the reserve legislation that followed the 2021 Surfside collapse has left buildings over thirty years old facing large special assessments. The milestone inspection and structural reserve study need reading before you offer.
The parts that are genuinely worse
Summer. July through September is humid in a way British weather does not prepare anyone for. Many residents leave for part of it.
Hurricane season. June through November. Modern construction handles it well, but it is a real feature of life and a real cost.
You will need to drive. Outside Brickell and South of Fifth, Miami requires a car. There is no equivalent to the tube, and the walkability of a London neighbourhood does not exist in most of the city.
Healthcare. There is no NHS. US health insurance is expensive, complicated, and something to arrange before you arrive rather than after.
Distance. London to Miami is a nine-hour flight and five hours of time difference. Manageable, but it changes how often you see people.
Immigration is the real constraint. Buying is easy. Living here legally full-time is not, and it is the thing most likely to determine whether this works. Speak to an immigration attorney early.
The practical details
Flights
London Heathrow to Miami is served daily by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and American, at roughly nine hours. Gatwick and Manchester also have seasonal and year-round options to Miami and Orlando.
Time zone
Five hours behind the UK. A London morning is a Miami dawn, which suits people keeping British business hours better than the reverse.
Visas
Visitors typically use ESTA or a B-2 visa, which does not permit residency or work. Longer-term routes people ask me about include E-2, O-1, L-1, and EB-5. I am not qualified to advise on any of them and will refer you to an immigration attorney rather than guess.
Schools
If you are bringing children, look at the private schools early. Places at the established Miami schools are competitive and the application calendar runs well ahead of the academic year.
Banking
Open a US account early. Building US credit history from zero takes time, and it affects everything from mortgages to mobile phone contracts.
Explore these neighborhoods
Current listings, building detail, and what each area is actually like.
About Jack
Jack Mintz is a real estate agent with Compass, based at 1212 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. He grew up in Park City, Utah, played Division I lacrosse at the University of Vermont, and worked in the ski industry before moving to Miami, so the relocation conversation is one he has been through himself.
He works across Miami Beach, Brickell, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Bal Harbour, and Edgewater, with a particular focus on clients arriving from out of state.
If it is not on the market
A lot of relocation buyers arrive with a specific building or a specific block in mind and find nothing listed. That is not the end of the search. I contact owners directly on behalf of buyers to find out whether anything is available quietly. Here is how the off-market search works.
Thinking about the move?
I work with international buyers regularly and most of what I do early on is answer questions and make introductions to the right tax and immigration advisers. Happy to talk before you have decided anything.