The Cotswolds region of South West and South Central England has for some time appealed to Americans – even the current Vice President, JD Vance, spent a vacation there last August. A law firm and a platform for advisors have issued a paper, aimed at the US, about the real estate and related opportunities.

London-based law firm Boodle Hatfield and the international group The Luxury Collective Global Advisory have issued a white paper detailing the “significant” rise in interest of US citizens in the Cotswolds property market in England. (The main picture shows the kind of historic properties found in the region.)

The paper explains the legal, tax, and planning considerations when purchasing an historic home or estate in the region.

The law firm – as reported previously here by this news service – says its caseload of US citizens seeking options in the UK has risen considerably. 

The paper is called Understanding the Cotswolds Property Landscape: A Guide for American Buyers. The Cotswolds region, known for its stone villages, protected landscapes, and historic estates, has increasingly become a preferred destination for internationally mobile families seeking second homes or legacy investments.

In August last year, US Vice President JD Vance rented an 18th-century manor house in the picturesque Cotswold hamlet of Dean, near Chipping Norton, for a summer family vacation. 

In 2025, 8,790 US citizens applied for British citizenship, with record-breaking application volumes in the final quarter.

One factor is the residency system that finance minister Rachel Reeves brought in as part of her November 2024 Budget. During the first four years of UK residence, a new foreign income and gains (FIG) regime can give qualifying individuals a four-year reprieve from taxes if they have lived outside the UK for at least 10 years. Four years is not a long period, but for people such as tech entrepreneurs, there is still value to it.

A question that always arises is how much choice US expats have, because they are taxed on a worldwide basis, contrasting with the territorial approach that most citizens enjoy. If Americans want to renounce their citizenship, it carries a cost.

The Luxury Collective Global Advisory is a platform that recently announced its expansion into four markets: London, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and New York.

For all the transatlantic tensions that have arisen in recent years, the phenomenon also demonstrates a level of cross-border wealth management activity, as shown, for example, by the purchase in 2025 by Miami-based Corient of Stonehage Fleming and Stanhope Capital; Nuveen’s acquisition of Schroders this year, and the Creative Planning purchase of MASECO.