Buying a home in the UK should be an exciting milestone, but for buyers with international connections, the process is becoming increasingly difficult. Recent findings from RSL LAW have revealed a growing trend of discrimination affecting British homebuyers whose finances have overseas links.
The issue has already attracted attention from leading property media, including Estate Agent Today, and RSL LAW is now campaigning to raise awareness and promote fairer treatment for all buyers.
The Hidden Hurdle in the Property Market
While compliance checks and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations are vital for ensuring transparency and trust in the property sector, RSL LAW has observed a troubling pattern. Legitimate, UK-based clients are being turned away by lenders simply because their funds originate from overseas accounts or because of their nationality.
Many of these individuals are long-term UK residents. Professionals, families, and working taxpayers are finding themselves rejected at the final stage of their purchase through no fault of their own.
As RSL LAW founder and CEO Tatiana Sharposhnikova explains:
“We are working with rising numbers of buyers who are ready to purchase homes in the UK, only to be rejected at the last minute.
“They are facing critical compliance issues not because they are doing anything wrong, but because they don’t meet arbitrary criteria about so-called ‘risk’.”
When Caution Turns into Discrimination
Standard banking and compliance procedures are designed to flag suspicious financial activity. However, for many buyers with dual citizenship, family abroad, or legitimate overseas savings, these systems can wrongly label them as ‘high-risk’ clients.
Such misclassifications not only delay property transactions but can lead to deals collapsing altogether, or to buyers abandoning the UK housing market entirely.
“It’s bad news for the property market,” Tatiana notes. “Skilled workers are taking their experience, their money and their tax contributions elsewhere because the system doesn’t trust them. The real risk is that we lose their economic contribution altogether.”
The Impact on the UK Market
According to recent data, the number of overseas-linked buyers purchasing property in the UK fell to a record low in 2025. This is not good news for the economy – Britain’s housing market is reflective of the country, and is shaped by people from all over the globe.
But there is a solution.
As a firm specialising in complex property transactions, RSL LAW has helped many clients whose purchases were initially blocked by other firms, ensuring their funds were verified and transactions completed in full compliance with UK regulations.
Campaigning for Fairness and Understanding
RSL LAW is calling for greater understanding and proportionality in how compliance rules are applied. The firm argues that robust regulation should not come at the expense of fairness, or result in discrimination based on nationality or the source of legitimate income.
RSL LAW continues to represent clients from a wide range of nationalities, ensuring that every case is handled transparently, accurately, and with respect for the client’s background.
What Does It Mean for Me?
Discrimination against buyers with overseas links is an emerging issue that affects not just individuals, but the wider economy. By raising awareness and campaigning for reform, RSL LAW is helping to ensure that the UK property market remains open, fair, and accessible, for everyone who calls this country home.
If you’ve been affected by these issues, we want to hear your story. Our team specialises in solutions to even the most complex real estate issues.