UK PROPERTY COMPLIANCE
ROE registration services for overseas entities
Clear, practical support for Register of Overseas Entities registrations, annual updates and complex ownership structures linked to UK property.
Register of Overseas Entities (ROE)
ROE registration for non-UK entities holding or acquiring UK property
If your overseas entity owns, leases or intends to acquire UK land or property, registration on the Register of Overseas Entities (ROE) may be required before a transaction can complete or ongoing compliance can be maintained.
We advise overseas entities, investors, family offices and corporate groups on ROE registration and update filings, from straightforward single-owner structures through to layered, nominee, trust-linked and more complex beneficial ownership arrangements.
Our service is designed to be practical, commercially aware and efficient. We help identify the relevant beneficial owners, trustees or managing officers, coordinate the required information, and guide the filing through to completion with the UK verification process in mind.
Fees for ROE registrations start from £750 + VAT for simpler structures. More complex ownership arrangements, trust involvement, multi-jurisdiction chains or incomplete records will usually require a higher fee quoted on review.
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This service is suitable for:
- Overseas companies holding UK property or land
- Non-UK entities acquiring UK residential or commercial property
- Corporate groups with UK property held through overseas vehicles
- Family investment and asset-holding structures
- Entities with nominee, trust or layered ownership features
- Clients needing help with initial registration or annual updating duties
If you are unsure whether your structure falls within the regime, we can assess that first before any substantive filing work begins.
Our ROE service typically includes:
- Initial review of the overseas entity and property position
- Assessment of whether ROE registration or updating is required
- Identification of registrable beneficial owners, trustees or managing officers
- Review of ownership chains and control rights
- Practical guidance on information required for filing
- Liaison around verification requirements and next steps
- Support with drafting and completing the ROE submission process
- Advice on ongoing annual update obligations
Where the structure is more complex, we also help organise the ownership narrative so the filing position is clear and defensible.
Not every ROE filing is straightforward. Some structures are relatively simple, for example a single overseas company owned directly by one or two individuals. Others are much more involved.
We regularly assist where the ownership position includes:
- Multiple shareholders across jurisdictions
- Intermediate holding companies
- Trustees, settlors, beneficiaries or protectors
- Nominee shareholders or nominee arrangements
- Family office or asset protection structures
- Historic gaps in records or incomplete constitutional information
- Uncertainty over who has registrable control
In these cases, the real value is not just filing a form, but properly understanding the structure first so the entity can proceed with confidence.
ROE issues often arise during:
- Purchases of UK investment property
- Sales and disposals
- Refinancing and lender due diligence
- Title registration problems
- Portfolio reorganisations
- Bringing historic structures into compliance
Timing matters. If the ROE position is not dealt with early enough, transactions can be delayed or fail to proceed as intended. We help clients address this as early as possible and coordinate with legal and property advisers where needed.
ROE compliance does not end with the initial registration. Overseas entities generally need to keep the register up to date through annual updating duties.
We can assist with:
- Annual update reviews
- Changes in beneficial ownership
- Changes in trustees, control rights or officers
- Reconfirmation where no material changes have occurred
- Bringing missed update obligations back into order
This is particularly important where a structure has evolved over time or where the entity is holding UK property for the longer term.
Fees start from £750 + VAT for a relatively simple ROE registration with clear ownership and complete information.
Fees increase where the position involves, for example:
- Multi-layer ownership chains
- Trust involvement
- Nominee or indirect arrangements
- Cross-border information gaps
- Urgent turnaround requirements
- Historic compliance issues or remedial work
Where appropriate, we can begin with a short scoping review first and confirm the likely fee range before the main work starts.
ROE work often sits at the point where property, tax, ownership structuring and compliance meet. That is why it is important to use advisers who can look beyond the form itself and understand the wider structure.
Clients instruct us because we combine:
- Strong tax and ownership-structure understanding
- Practical experience with UK property matters
- Clear communication on complex facts
- Commercial, solution-focused advice
- Careful handling of trust and beneficial ownership issues
We aim to make the process clearer, reduce delays and help clients deal with the regime in a calm and organised way.
Need help with an ROE filing?
Speak to us about initial registrations, annual updates, or more complex overseas ownership structures involving UK property.
