Selling an Unmortgageable House Fast
Selling an unmortgageable house couldn’t be any easier with Property Saviour.
Whether your property has structural issues, complex title problems or needs updating. We are ready to make you a cash offer now.
Selling an unmortgageable house feels like trying to sell a car with no engine – frustrating, stressful, and seemingly impossible. We’ve helped hundreds of homeowners who’ve faced that sinking feeling when a surveyor delivers bad news or a potential buyer’s mortgage application gets rejected. If you’re stuck with a property that lenders won’t touch, you’re not alone – and more importantly, you’ve got options.
Recent property market data shows that roughly 30% of UK property sales in 2023 were to cash buyers – a significant jump from the 20% average between 2017 and 2022. This growing trend offers a genuine lifeline if you’re struggling to sell a property that traditional mortgage lenders have blacklisted.
Table of Contents
What Makes Your House Unmortgageable?
Lenders are a cautious bunch, and various issues can cause them to run a mile from your property. Understanding why your home might be deemed unmortgageable is the first step to finding a solution:
Structural problems – Subsidence, bulging walls, roof issues or foundation movement
Japanese knotweed – This invasive plant sends mortgage lenders into a panic
Short lease – Leasehold properties with fewer than 70-80 years remaining
Non-standard construction – Concrete, timber frame or other non-traditional builds
Severe damp and rot – Extensive moisture problems that threaten the structure
Fire or flood damage – Properties with significant restoration needs
Legal complications – Flying freeholds, title issues, or planning breaches
Very poor condition – Properties requiring comprehensive renovation
Missing facilities – Homes lacking a kitchen, bathroom, or functioning utilities
High-rise issues – Especially post-Grenfell cladding concerns
Commercial proximity – Located above shops or commercial premises
Restrictive covenants – Legal restrictions on how the property can be used
Many of these issues overlap, and sometimes fixing one problem reveals others – creating a property that feels impossible to shift through conventional routes.
What Are Your Options for Selling an Unmortgageable Property?
When traditional selling methods hit a brick wall, you’ve got several alternative routes to consider. Each has its advantages and drawbacks depending on your circumstances:
1. Selling to a Cash Buyer Like Property Saviour
Cash buyers don’t rely on mortgage lenders’ approval, removing the biggest hurdle to your sale. Companies like ours specialise in purchasing problematic properties outright, with our own funds.
The process is refreshingly straightforward – we assess your property (warts and all), make you a fair cash offer based on its condition, and can complete in as little as 7-14 days if needed. You won’t face estate agent fees, and there’s no chain to worry about.
The trade-off is a lower sale price compared to what you might achieve on the open market with a mortgageable property – but this reflects the risk and renovation costs we take on.
2. Property Auction
Auctions attract investors and developers specifically looking for project properties. The competitive bidding environment sometimes drives prices higher than expected, and once the hammer falls, buyers are legally committed.
The downside? You’ll face upfront fees (typically £500+ for entry fees and around £1,000 for legal packs), and there’s no guarantee your property will sell. You’ll also need to set a realistic reserve price, which means potentially accepting a significant discount.
3. Fix the Issues First
If you have the time, money and patience, addressing the underlying problems can make your property mortgageable again. This approach potentially maximises your sale price but requires significant upfront investment with no guaranteed return.
The renovation route works best when:
The issues are relatively straightforward to fix
You have the necessary funds without borrowing
You’re not in a rush to sell
The cost of repairs won’t exceed the added value
Sell with certainty & speed
How the Selling Process Compares: Your Options at a Glance
When weighing up your options, it helps to see everything side by side. This table outlines what you can expect with each approach to selling your unmortgageable property:
Selling Method | Typical Timeframe | Upfront Costs | Price Expectation | Certainty of Sale |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cash Buyer | 7-28 days | £0 | 70-75% of potential market value | Very High |
Auction | 4-8 weeks | £1,500+ | Unpredictable (65-85% of value) | Moderate |
Fix & Sell | 3-12+ months | Cost of repairs (often £10,000+) | 90-100% of market value | Low-Moderate |
As you can see, each option involves a trade-off between speed, cost and potential return. When homeowners come to us, they’re often balancing these factors against the stress and uncertainty of holding onto a problem property.

How Much Less Should You Expect for an Unmortgageable Property?
This is the million-pound question (or perhaps more accurately, the “25-30% less than a million pounds” question). Based on our experience buying unmortgageable properties across the UK, most unmortgageable homes sell for 25-30% below their potential market value if they were in mortgageable condition.
The exact discount depends on:
The severity of the issues
The cost to remedy the problems
The property’s location and demand
How quickly you need to sell
A structurally sound property with a short lease might see a smaller discount than one with significant subsidence issues or requiring complete renovation.
What deems a property uninhabitable?
Properties without a kitchen or bathroom, those with any structural defects, damp, dry or wet rot, and those close to mining works, areas of landfill, areas of recent flooding or subsidence are all deemed as uninhabitable.
Leasehold properties with a short lease, typically less than 70 years, or a defective lease, and those with boundary disputes or where planning applications have not been applied for correctly, cannot be mortgaged.
Any derelict property or one with part of the building in severe disrepair and needing demolishing, and all properties of non-standard construction are typically not mortgageable. And finally, some properties with sitting tenants or regulated tenancies, and all those with a value below a threshold, usually £40,000, are usually not mortgageable.
This is a list of issues that can make a house unmortgageable:
- Structural problems
- No kitchen, bathroom or boiler
- Damp or mould
- Flat above a commercial property
- Mineshaft
- Wet rot
- Asbestos
- Rural property with a shared septic tank
- History of flooding
- House near a mobile phone mast
- Close proximity to power lines
- Solar panels
- Flying freehold
- Studio flat
- House that's been underpinned
- Tree root damaged
- Mice, rat, pests or insect infestation
- Roof damage
- Electrical problems
- Subsidence or ground heave
- A hoarder's house
- Japanese knotweed
- Wood worms
- Vandalised home
- Hoarder's house
- Unregistered property
- Radon gas
- Smoker's home
- Near railway tracks
- Airport flight path
- Foundation problems
- Concrete houses
- No party wall agreement

Check if property is mortgageable
These are some of the common legal issues that make a house unmortgageable:
- Short lease
- Unregistered property with Land Registry
- Social housing area
- Low value homes
- High rise blocks of flats
What do I do if my house is unlivable and i have no money?
Finding yourself in an unlivable home with no financial resources is truly one of life’s most distressing situations. Whether your property has been damaged by fire, flood, severe structural issues or hazardous conditions, the immediate concern isn’t just about the building—it’s about your safety and wellbeing. As someone who’s helped countless homeowners through similar crises, I want you to know that despite how overwhelming this feels, there are several practical options available to you right now.
Your first port of call should be your local council. They have a legal duty to help if your home is uninhabitable. You can be classified as legally homeless even if you still own your property, especially if staying there risks your health or safety. The council can provide emergency accommodation and may offer grants or loans through their household support fund or local welfare scheme. Many people don’t realise councils can sometimes help with repairs through discretionary housing payments or empty home grants.
If you’re insured, contact your provider immediately—even if you think your policy might not cover the specific issue. Some insurance policies include alternative accommodation costs while repairs are undertaken. Don’t make assumptions about what’s covered; let the experts assess your claim properly.
Several charities offer emergency assistance for people in housing crisis. Shelter can provide advice and potentially financial support, while organisations like the St Vincent de Paul Society sometimes offer grants for essential home repairs. The Turn2Us website can help you identify grants you might be eligible for based on your specific circumstances.
For homeowners who’ve exhausted these options, selling your property might seem impossible—but specialist companies like Property Saviour can help. We regularly purchase properties in virtually any condition, including those deemed uninhabitable or unmortgageable. While you won’t receive full market value, you can sell quickly without making any repairs, giving you the financial means to start afresh.
Remember that you’re not alone in this situation. Many people have faced similar circumstances and found their way through. The key is to act quickly, reach out for support, and know that even in the most challenging property situations, there are people and organisations ready to help you move forward to safer, more stable housing.
My house was ridden with woodworms, and I had two sales fall through before I managed to sell it to PS. As a joiner, I made a start but couldn't finish it. I took less money than I ‘sold’ it for before but it was so worth it to get it done and dusted.
Sam Johnson
How much less will I get for an unmortgageable property?
Expect to receive about 25-30% less than market value when selling an unmortgageable property, but this varies widely depending on the specific issues involved. The discount reflects both the risk the buyer takes on and the costs they’ll incur fixing the problems.
For example, a house valued at £200,000 in good condition might sell for £140,000-£150,000 if it has significant issues making it unmortgageable. However, if the problems are relatively minor or easily fixed, you might secure a better price.
Cash buyers calculate their offers based on the property’s potential value after renovation, minus the cost of works and a profit margin. The more severe the issues, the larger the discount required to make the purchase viable.

Should I fix my house before selling if it’s unmortgageable?
Whether to fix issues before selling depends on your financial situation, timeline, and the nature of the problems. Major structural repairs can cost tens of thousands and take months to complete, with no guarantee you’ll recoup the full investment when selling.
If you have the cash available, time to spare, and the issues are relatively straightforward, fixing problems might make financial sense. However, many homeowners find the stress, uncertainty and upfront costs outweigh the potential benefits, particularly when cash buyers offer a certain sale without the hassle of managing renovations.
One Bristol couple we helped had received a quote of £45,000 to fix their subsidence issues. After calculating the lost time, stress, and risk of further problems being discovered, they opted to sell to us as-is – a decision they described as “a weight lifted from our shoulders.”
Ready to Sell Your Unmortgageable Property?
Dealing with an unmortgageable house can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be a dead end. We’ve helped hundreds of homeowners turn problem properties into cash, allowing them to move forward without the financial and emotional burden of a house they can’t sell through traditional means.
Whether your property has structural issues, legal complications, or simply needs more work than you can handle, we’re ready to make you a fair, no-obligation cash offer.
Give us a call today or fill out our simple online form – we could have an offer for you within 24 hours and cash in your bank within weeks. No stress, no chain, no uncertainty – just a straightforward solution to your unmortgageable property problem.
Sell with certainty & speed

Property Saviour Price Promise
- The price we’ll offer is the price that you will receive with no hidden deductions.
- Be careful with ‘cash buyers’ who require a valuation needed for a mortgage or bridging loan.
- These valuations or surveys result in delays and price reductions later on.
- We are cash buyers. There are no surveys.
- We always provide proof of funds with every formal offer issued.

We'll Pay £1,500 Towards Your Legal Fees
- No long exclusivity agreement to sign because we are the buyers.
- You are welcome to use your own solicitor.
- If you don’t have one, we can ask our solicitors for recommendations.
- We share our solicitor’s details and issue a Memorandum of Sale.

Sell With Certainty & Speed
- Our approach is transparent and ethical, which is why sellers trust us.
- 100% Discretion guaranteed.
- If you have another buyer, you can put us in a contracts race to see who completes first.
- Complete in 10 days or at a timescale that works for you. You are in control.