Hong Kong buyers sitting on £10.7bn worth of properties – here’s the other nations within the top 1

Leading mortgage broker, Henry Dannell, has revealed what the makeup of the property market looks like across England and Wales when it comes to the nationality of foreign homeowners, as well as which nation owns the highest estimated value of bricks and mortar.

Henry Dannell analysed HMLR data on homes in England and Wales with a title registered to an individual(s) with an overseas address. Based on the location of their property and the current average house price in that area, Henry Dannell then estimated the total value of domestic bricks owned by each foreign nation. 

When it comes to the most active overseas homeowners, Hong Kong leads the charge. There are some 23,524 homes owned by Hong Kong nationals in the UK and, based on the current local market values of these homes, the nation is sitting on almost £10.7bn worth of property across England and Wales. 

While Jersey nationals own the second largest total of homes (18,493), they sit second in the rankings where total market value is concerned at just over £8.3bn. 

Singapore nationals account for the third largest property market share with 18,165 homes owned and sit second in the table for total value at just over £8.4bn. 

13,076 homes with an estimated market value of £5.5bn are owned by homeowners from the United States of America, placing them fourth both in terms of volume and value. 

Home ownership registered in Ireland (12,056), Guernsey (11,594), the UAE (10,914), Malaysia (10,177), the Isle of Man (9,338) and Australia (8,619) complete the top 10 where the highest number of foreign-owned homes is concerned. 

When it comes to total market value, ownership registered from Guernsey (£5.1bn), the UAE (£4.7bn), the British Virgin Islands (£4.7bn), Malaysia (£4.3bn), Ireland (£3.9bn) and Kuwait (3.6bn) complete the top 10. 

Director of Henry Dannell, Geoff Garrett, commented:

“Not only is the property market incredibly diverse when it comes to stock availability and the value of this stock from one area to the next, but there’s also a host of nationalities residing within it. 

Some have a significantly larger presence than others, none more so than Hong Kong nationals, many of whom have flocked to the UK with the aid of the British Nationals Overseas visa. 

This foreign interest has helped boost the housing market economy to the tune of billions of pounds and we remain one of the most desirable destinations for aspirational foreign homeowners. 

Of course, this level of market activity equates to a mere drop in the ocean when you consider it alongside domestic market activity and this really puts the might of the overall market into perspective.”

Data Tables

View the full data tables online here.