Relocating to DC from the UK

This page covers the relocation decisions. For the purchase itself — title companies instead of solicitors, transfer taxes instead of stamp duty, and why there is no gazumping — read Kelly's UK buyer's guide.

First decision: DC, Maryland or Virginia

"Washington" to most British arrivals means the whole region: the District itself, the Maryland suburbs to the north and east, and Northern Virginia across the Potomac. One commute can cross two of them, and the choice changes more than the view.

• Income tax on wages generally follows where you live. DC does not tax the wages of people who live outside the District, and Maryland and Virginia have reciprocity agreements with DC and with each other covering wages and salary for commuters. So a commuter's pay is generally taxed only where they live — confirm your own case with a tax adviser.
• Maryland adds a county layer. Maryland counties charge a local income tax on top of the state rate, so the same salary nets differently across the line.
• Property tax differs in all three. Rates, homestead credits and assessment rules vary by jurisdiction; Kelly's property-tax comparison sets them side by side.
• Buying costs differ too. Transfer and recordation taxes are charged by each jurisdiction at settlement — the closing-cost calculator shows all three.

Kelly is licensed in DC, Maryland and Virginia, so a search can start with "which side of the line?" instead of committing to one before you have seen the options.

Schools: the address decides

This is the biggest structural difference for families. In England you apply for state school places and rank your preferences; here, most public school places are assigned by the home address.

• DC. Every address has in-boundary DC Public Schools, with a right to attend from kindergarten through 12th grade. Public charter schools, citywide schools and pre-K places go through the My School DC lottery.
• Maryland and Virginia. Local school systems also assign schools by address, and assignments can shift when a school moves or boundaries are redrawn — Kelly's Wootton High School guide covers one current example.
• Check the address, not the town. Two homes a few streets apart can sit in different school boundaries. Confirm the assigned schools for any specific home with the school district's own boundary tool before you make an offer.

Year groups and grades. US grades run one number behind the Year groups used in England and Wales: Year 1 is kindergarten, Year 7 is 6th grade and Year 13 is 12th grade. Birthday cut-off dates are set by each state and by DC, so confirm placement with the school or district.

Staying on the English curriculum. The British International School of Washington, an independent, fee-paying school on Wisconsin Avenue in Northwest DC and part of Nord Anglia Education, teaches ages 2 to 18. It follows the English National Curriculum through IGCSEs in Years 10 and 11, with the IB Diploma in Years 12 and 13.

Rent first, or buy on arrival?

Both work, and the right answer depends on what you already know.

• Renting first makes sense when the commute, the school plan or the length of the posting is still open. A year's lease usually settles all three.
• Buying on arrival — or before you land — makes sense when those are settled and you want to stop paying rent. Remote purchases are routine: video tours, electronic paperwork and remote signing arranged through the title company.
• Rental applications check credit too. Landlords usually run a US credit check, and a new arrival has no US file yet. An employment offer letter and proof of funds help bridge the gap.

Credit and financing from zero

Your UK credit file does not follow you. US lenders, landlords and card issuers look at US credit bureaus, where a new arrival has no history at all. The fix is to start early:

• Get your identifiers. A Social Security Number is what US credit files are usually tied to. If you are not eligible for one, the IRS issues an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number only when you have a US federal tax purpose, so ask your tax adviser.
• Open a US bank account and a first card. If you already hold an American Express card in the UK, ask about its Global Transfer option, which can consider your UK account history when you apply for a US card. A secured card paid in full each month is another starting point.
• Know which loans fit your visa. For FHA loans with a case number assigned on or after 25 May 2025, government-backed FHA financing is limited to US citizens and lawful permanent residents. Buyers on work visas usually look at conventional loans, which remain open to lawfully present non-permanent residents, or at a lender's own programmes.
• Talk to a lender months before you tour. Lenders who regularly work with newly arrived buyers know which documents to ask for, and Kelly can introduce lenders experienced with them.

The home you leave in the UK

Most relocating owners either let their UK home or sell it. Either way, take cross-border tax advice from someone who knows both HMRC and the IRS before you act — once you are a US tax resident, the US may tax the same income or gain.

• Letting it. Under HMRC's Non-Resident Landlord Scheme, your letting agent — or, with no agent, in some cases your tenant — deducts basic-rate tax from the rent unless HMRC approves you to receive it without deduction. You still file a UK Self Assessment return.
• Selling it. If you sell after becoming non-UK resident, you must report the sale to HMRC within 60 days of completion, even when no tax is due.

If you move back: selling your US home

Postings end, and it pays to know the exit before you buy. When a foreign person for US tax purposes — a nonresident alien — sells US property, the buyer must generally withhold 15% of the sale price for the IRS under FIRPTA. There is no withholding when the price is $300,000 or less and the buyer will live in the home, and a reduced 10% rate applies up to $1 million on the same condition. The withholding is a prepayment against the tax actually owed, settled on a US return.

A resident alien is not a foreign person under these rules, so whether you sell before or after you give up US tax residency can change whether withholding applies. Plan the timing with your tax adviser before you list.

A relocation timeline

• Three to six months out. Lender conversation about your visa and income; cross-border tax advice; decide whether to let or sell in the UK; plan how money will move from the UK.
• One to two months out. Narrow DC, Maryland or Virginia by commute and school plan; start video tours with Kelly.
• First weeks here. Identifiers, US bank account, first credit card — the clock on your US credit history starts now.
• Buying. Follow the step-by-step in the UK buyer's guide and Kelly's buyer's guide.

One rule for every transfer. Never wire money on instructions that arrive by email, however genuine they look. Call the title company on a number you found yourself and confirm the details by voice first.

Why a British agent helps

Kelly Balmer is English and made the move from the UK to the Washington region herself before building a 13+ year career here. Today she is a Vice President at Compass and a partner in the Mollaan Babbington Group, with $130M+ sold. She is licensed in DC, Maryland and Virginia and handles every client personally, including searches run by video while you are still in the UK.

What she adds for clients relocating from the UK is translation and sequencing: which decisions come first, which questions belong to a lender or a tax adviser, and how the American process will feel from the other side of it.

Kelly Balmer
Vice President & Partner, Mollaan Babbington Group at Compass · Licensed in DC · MD · VA