Of all transactions for the sale of new properties in central London for 12 months (June 2012 - June 2013), the value of which exceeded £1 million, 49% were made by citizens of other states, including 28% by those who do not resident in the UK but prefer to rent out their new houses and apartments, according to ee24.com citing propertywire.com.
And it is no wonder: by the 2011 census, 38 % of the residents of the central area of London were not born in the UK. Foreigners who buy in the center of the British capital are mostly citizens of other European countries, Middle East and Russia.
The research of Knight Frank shows that over the past two years among the buyers of expensive real estate in the most prestigious part of London there were only 51% of residents of the UK, in other parts of Inner London this figure goes up to 80%. In the Outer London, up to 93 % of buyers are inhabitants of Great Britain.
As a whole, in Greater London 85 to 90% buyers of new housing during last two years were residents of the UK.