Inheriting a property in the UK can be as much a responsibility as a windfall. Most people who inherit a house they will not live in choose to sell it, but the process trips families up in three places: probate, the tax position, and the practical question of how to sell a property you may live nowhere near. This guide walks through all of it, with the current 2026 rules.
First, you usually need probate
You generally cannot complete a sale until you have the grant of probate (or letters of administration) - the legal authority to deal with the estate. You can instruct an agent, market the property and even agree a sale beforehand, but completion waits for the grant. Grants are currently issued in around 12 weeks of applying, and often faster for straightforward online applications. The full process is in our guide to selling a house in probate.
Your options: sell, keep or let
Most people who inherit a second property sell it, especially where several beneficiaries need to be paid out. Keeping it to live in or letting it are alternatives, but both carry tax and management consequences - and a let property brings you into the landlord rules. For an empty house you do not want, selling is usually the cleanest resolution.
The tax position in 2026
Inheriting itself triggers no capital gains tax. Inheritance tax, if any is due, is paid by the estate before you receive anything: the nil-rate band is £325,000 and the residence nil-rate band a further £175,000, so an estate can pass up to £500,000 - or £1 million for a married couple or civil partners - free of inheritance tax, with the bands frozen to 2027/28.
The capital gains question arises later. If the property rises in value between the date of death and the day you sell, that gain may be taxable. The detail, including the rates and the 60-day reporting deadline, is in our guide to capital gains tax on inherited property.
How to sell an inherited property
There are three main routes. An estate agent usually achieves the best price but is slower and carries chain risk. An auction is fast and certain and suits empty, dated or problem probate homes - see our guide to property auctions. A direct cash or quick sale is fastest of all, at a discount - covered in probate property buyers.
Remember that an empty inherited home has running costs: council tax (often exempt for a limited period, then potentially a long-term empty-homes premium), specialist empty-property insurance, security and maintenance. Time on the market has a real price, which is why speed often matters more for inherited homes than for an ordinary sale.
When speed is worth a discount
Several beneficiaries waiting to be paid, an empty house steadily costing money, or an estate that needs liquidity to settle inheritance tax can all make a faster sale worth a modest discount. Weigh that against the open-market price - and, as an executor, against your duty to obtain a reasonable price for the estate.
Frequently asked questions
Do I pay tax when I inherit a property in the UK?
Not capital gains tax simply for inheriting. Any inheritance tax is paid by the estate before assets are distributed, using the £325,000 nil-rate band and £175,000 residence nil-rate band (2026). You may face CGT later if you sell for more than the probate value.
Can I sell an inherited house before probate?
You can market it and agree a sale, but you cannot complete until the grant of probate or letters of administration is issued - currently usually within about 12 weeks of applying.
How long does it take to sell an inherited property?
Add the probate wait (around 12 weeks) to a normal sale (often 8 to 12 weeks via an estate agent), so several months is typical. An auction or cash sale can compress the post-probate stage to weeks.
What does it cost to keep an empty inherited home?
Council tax after any initial exemption (with a possible long-term empty premium), buildings insurance on a specialist empty-property policy, plus security and maintenance. These mount up, which is why many families sell.