Sourced comparison

HouseBought4Cash vs House Buyer Bureau

Offer level, legal fees, the Price Promise, how long each takes, what each will not buy, memberships and company age, with a source for every fact about House Buyer Bureau.

Cash offer within 24 hours. No fees when we buy directly. No obligation.

By Simon Dunn, HouseBought4CashPublished 22 October 2026Updated 22 October 2026

Disclosure: HouseBought4Cash is one of the two companies compared here. We have tried to be fair and every fact about House Buyer Bureau is sourced below. We also have commercial relationships with some other cash buyers, which may include companies compared on this site. Facts were checked on 22 October 2026; terms change, so confirm them with each company before you sign.

HouseBought4Cash or House Buyer Bureau: which should you choose?

House Buyer Bureau has one of the most clearly written processes in the sector. It publishes an 80–85% offer range and pays for a RICS survey. Its Price Promise pays you £1,000 if it changes the formal offer. It is NAPB member 04 and registered with The Property Ombudsman. Its main conditions are that legal fees are only fully covered if you use its recommended solicitor (otherwise £600), and that it avoids park homes and parts of rural Scotland and Northern Ireland. Where the numbers work, HouseBought4Cash buys directly: we give a decision within 24 hours, charge no fees, pay the legal fees of the solicitor we appoint on completion, and complete in as little as 7 days, including inherited homes before or after probate. If membership and a written price guarantee matter most, House Buyer Bureau is strong. If you want to use your own solicitor, its £600 contribution is more than we offer, as your own solicitor is at your cost with us. Either way, compare our written offer.

Key facts

House Buyer Bureau typically offers 80–85% of market value (source).
Legal fees are covered with its recommended solicitor; £600 if you use your own (source).
It is NAPB member 04 (NAPB) and TPO-registered (TPO). HouseBought4Cash does not claim either membership.
HBB Relocation Services Limited was incorporated on 23 November 2011 (Companies House); HouseBought4Cash’s operator on 18 June 2007 (Companies House).

Side-by-side comparison

Every entry for House Buyer Bureau comes from its own website, Companies House, the NAPB, TPO or Trustpilot, as listed in the sources at the end of this page. Where a company does not publish something, we say so.

	HouseBought4Cash	House Buyer Bureau
Offer level	Not published as a fixed percentage. The written offer shows the figure.	Typically 80–85% of market value; up to 90% with a 120-day guaranteed sale.
Fees to the seller	No fees when we buy directly.	No fee for its service; RICS survey paid by House Buyer Bureau.
Legal fees	Paid by us on completion if you use our appointed solicitor; your own solicitor, or a sale that doesn't complete, is at your cost. Management pack, EPC and indemnity insurance are the seller's.	Covered if you use its recommended solicitor; £600 contribution if you use your own.
Time to offer	Cash offer within 24 hours.	Initial offer usually within 24 hours; formal offer within 48 hours. Offer valid 14 days.
Time to complete	As little as 7 days.	As little as 7 days; timescale set around the seller.
What they will not buy	Nothing when we buy directly: any property, in any condition.	Avoids park homes and parts of rural Scotland and Northern Ireland; may not offer on some flats.
Coverage	Buys itself where the numbers work, most often in and around Greater Manchester; otherwise, with consent, introduces you to a cash buyer or auction house covering your area (their terms apply). Decision within 24 hours either way.	Most of the UK, excluding parts of rural Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Memberships	We do not claim NAPB or TPO membership.	NAPB member 04 (founding member); registered with The Property Ombudsman.
Company and age	Belgrave Industrial Limited, 06282789, incorporated 18 June 2007.	HBB Relocation Services Limited, 07857990, incorporated 23 November 2011. NAPB says it has bought with its own cash since 2010.
Trustpilot (checked 22 Oct 2026)	We do not quote review figures here.	TrustScore 4.5 from roughly 445 reviews.

Where we buy: We buy properties ourselves where the numbers work, most often in and around Greater Manchester. Where we can't, and with your consent, we introduce you to a cash buyer or auction house that covers your area (see who we work with) and tell you who. Either way you get a decision within 24 hours. The HouseBought4Cash entries above describe properties we buy ourselves; where we introduce you to another firm, that firm’s own offer, fees and timescales apply, and we pay none of your costs.

Offer price: how much of market value will you get?

House Buyer Bureau says it will typically offer 80–85% of a property’s market value and can complete within a week (source). The same page describes a 120-day guaranteed sale that can reach up to 90% of market value. That is a slower route for sellers who can wait four months for a better figure.

The offer comes in two stages. An initial offer follows your basic details, then a formal offer, which its FAQ says is valid for 14 days (source). After you accept, it instructs a RICS chartered surveyor at its own cost (source). Its terms of business say the offer can change if the survey finds the property is not “marketable” or “mortgageable” (source).

HouseBought4Cash does not publish a fixed percentage. We make a cash offer within 24 hours, in writing. Compare the two written figures after legal costs. See how far below market value house buying companies offer.

The Price Promise

House Buyer Bureau’s Price Promise is one of the more concrete commitments in the sector. It says its formal offer will not change unless something significant comes up in the independent RICS survey or there are legal issues with the sale. If the offer does change, it will give you £1,000 to keep, even if you walk away (source, source).

Read the exception carefully. A survey finding or a legal issue can still reduce the price; the promise is that you are compensated if it does. You can walk away at any time before exchange, and its pages say the no-cost promise for not selling applies when you use its recommended lawyers (source).

HouseBought4Cash does not run an equivalent compensation scheme. Whoever you sell to, get the final figure in writing and ask what could change it before exchange.

Fees and legal costs

House Buyer Bureau says there is no fee for its service and no estate agent fees, and it pays for the RICS survey. Legal fees are covered if you use one of its recommended solicitors. If you use your own, it contributes £600 towards your costs (source, source).

For many sellers the recommended solicitor will be fine. But executors often already have a probate solicitor, and some sellers prefer a solicitor who has never worked with the buyer. In either case, compare £600 with your solicitor’s estimate.

When HouseBought4Cash buys directly there are no fees, and we pay the legal fees of the solicitor we appoint, on completion. If you choose your own solicitor, or the sale does not complete, you pay your own legal costs, and a leasehold management pack, EPC or indemnity insurance stays with the seller. If you plan to use your own solicitor, take your full legal bill off our figure, and any shortfall above House Buyer Bureau’s £600 off its figure, before you compare.

Speed: time to offer and time to complete

House Buyer Bureau’s FAQ says an initial offer usually comes within 24 hours of basic property details. Other pages promise a formal offer within 48 hours of the first call (source). It says it can complete in as little as 7 days and sets the timescale around the seller (source).

HouseBought4Cash makes a cash offer within 24 hours and can complete in as little as 7 days. On paper the speeds are the same. House Buyer Bureau’s RICS survey adds a step after acceptance, which is worth allowing for if your deadline is tight. See how long a cash sale takes.

What each will not buy

House Buyer Bureau is one of the few buyers that publishes its limits. Its FAQ says it avoids park homes and parts of rural Scotland and Northern Ireland, and otherwise buys almost all property types in any condition (source). Another page says it might not make an offer on a flat because of the extra costs and risk (source). Its terms also allow the offer to change if the survey finds the property is not marketable or mortgageable (source). That matters for non-standard construction or serious defects.

HouseBought4Cash has no exclusion list. When we buy directly, we buy any property in any condition, including flats and inherited homes before or after probate; the offer reflects the cost of the work needed. We buy where the numbers work, most often in and around Greater Manchester. Where we can't, and with your consent, we introduce you to a cash buyer or auction house that covers your area (see who we work with) and tell you who; its own terms apply. If you have a flat, a property in rural Scotland, or something unusual, ask House Buyer Bureau for a written yes or no.

Regulation, memberships and company history

House Buyer Bureau has strong credentials here. The NAPB lists it as member 04 and says it has been buying houses with its own cash since 2010 (source). Its own site describes it as a founding member of the NAPB and a member of The Property Ombudsman (source). TPO’s register lists House Buyer Bureau, registered name HBB Relocation Services Limited, under residential property buying companies (source).

Its privacy policy says HBB Relocation Services Ltd trades as House Buyer Bureau, Harry Rose Homes, Move any House and James Harper Homes (source). Its contact page gives a registered office in Kegworth, Derbyshire (source). Companies House shows HBB Relocation Services Limited, company number 07857990, was incorporated on 23 November 2011, is active and lists buying and selling own real estate as its activity (source). A separate company called House Buyer Bureau Limited (09144387) is registered as dormant (source). If you deal with them, the buyer on your contract is likely to be HBB Relocation Services Limited, so check the name.

HouseBought4Cash is operated by Belgrave Industrial Limited, company number 06282789, incorporated on 18 June 2007 (Companies House). We do not claim NAPB or TPO membership. On memberships, House Buyer Bureau is ahead.

What customers say on Trustpilot

When we checked on 22 October 2026, House Buyer Bureau’s Trustpilot page showed a TrustScore of 4.5 from roughly 445 reviews (source). Reviewers mostly praise helpful staff who keep them informed. The most common complaint is an offer lower than the seller expected, and a few mention slow replies. Trustpilot shows the company replying to its negative reviews.

Our guide to reading cash-buyer reviews covers what to look for beyond the score.

Where House Buyer Bureau is the better choice

You want NAPB and TPO membership and an independent complaints route.
You want a published offer range (80–85%) and a RICS survey paid for by the buyer.
You value a written Price Promise with £1,000 compensation if the offer changes.
You can wait about four months and want to try its 120-day route for up to 90%.

Where HouseBought4Cash is the better choice

You want no fees when we buy directly, with the legal fees of the solicitor we appoint paid by us on completion.
You are selling a flat (we buy flats as well as houses where the numbers work).
You are an executor and want a buyer who works with inherited homes before or after the grant of probate. See probate house sales.
The property needs work or still holds the contents, and you want to sell it as it stands.

Who should choose which

Standard house, happy to use the buyer’s solicitor: House Buyer Bureau’s process is clear and well protected. Get its formal offer and compare it with ours.

You already have a solicitor, for example for probate: the £600 contribution is the key number. Compare it with your solicitor’s estimate.

Flat, park home, rural Scotland or Northern Ireland: check with House Buyer Bureau first, because its own pages flag these.

You can wait months for more money: its 120-day route, or an estate agent, will usually get more than any quick cash sale.

Five questions to ask either buyer before you sign

Is this the formal offer, and what could change it after a survey?
Do you cover my legal fees if I use my own solicitor, and how much?
Which company is the buyer on the contract, and can you show proof of funds?
Do you buy my property type and location (flat, park home, rural area)?
Is there any fee, exclusivity period or exit charge if I decide not to sell?

For a fuller checklist, see how to tell whether a cash house buyer is legitimate.

Compare other buyers

For the wider market, read our best house buying companies guide, or compare HouseBought4Cash with We Buy Any Home, Property Solvers, National Homebuyers and Property Saviour.

Frequently Asked Questions

HouseBought4Cash vs House Buyer Bureau: your questions

Yes, on the evidence we could check. Its site names the operator as HBB Relocation Services Limited (company number 07857990), which Companies House shows was incorporated on 23 November 2011 and lists buying and selling own real estate as its activity. The NAPB lists it as member 04, and The Property Ombudsman's register lists it under residential property buying companies.

Its own pages say it typically offers 80 to 85 percent of a property's market value and can complete within a week. One page says a 120-day guaranteed sale can reach up to 90 percent of market value. After you accept the formal offer, it instructs a RICS surveyor at its own cost.

House Buyer Bureau says its formal offer will not change unless something significant comes up in the independent RICS survey or there are legal issues with the sale. If the offer does change on those grounds, it says it will give you £1,000 to keep, even if you then walk away.

It says legal fees are covered if you use one of its recommended solicitors. If you use your own solicitor, it contributes £600 towards your costs. Its no-cost promise for walking away also applies when you use its recommended lawyers. When HouseBought4Cash buys directly there are no fees, and we pay the legal fees of the solicitor we appoint, on completion; your own solicitor, or a sale that doesn't complete, is at your cost.

Its FAQ says it avoids park homes and parts of rural Scotland and Northern Ireland, and another page says it might not make an offer on a flat because of the extra costs and risk. Otherwise it says it buys almost all types of property in any condition.

It says it can complete in as little as 7 days and sets the timescale around the seller. Its FAQ says an initial offer usually comes within 24 hours of basic details, with a formal offer within 48 hours and valid for 14 days. HouseBought4Cash makes a cash offer within 24 hours and can complete in as little as 7 days.

Both buy homes in any condition. House Buyer Bureau's Price Promise and paid RICS survey give a clear process. HouseBought4Cash works with executors before or after the grant of probate and, when it buys directly, pays the legal fees of the solicitor it appoints, on completion; if you use your own solicitor, that is at your cost. Many executors already have a probate solicitor, so House Buyer Bureau's £600 own-solicitor contribution is worth checking against their estimate.

No. We buy properties ourselves where the numbers work, most often in and around Greater Manchester. Where we can't, and with your consent, we introduce you to a cash buyer or auction house that covers your area, of the kinds listed on our who-we-work-with page, and tell you who; that firm's own offer, fees and timescales then apply, and we pay none of your costs on an introduction. Either way you get a decision within 24 hours.

Sources and date checked

All sources were checked on 22 October 2026. Company websites and review scores change, so follow the links for the current position.

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