If you are searching for a Miami flat for sale from London, Madrid or São Paulo, the first thing to know is a vocabulary one: the flat you have in mind is what the US market calls a condominium, or condo. The asset is the same — a private home inside a managed building — but the way it is owned, taxed and financed follows American rules, and that is where a European or Latin American buyer needs an advisor with judgment rather than a brochure.
What a "flat" means in Miami
In British and European usage a flat is a self-contained home within a larger building. Miami has exactly that, by the tens of thousands, but it is listed under a different word: condominium. When you read "condo for sale" you are reading "flat for sale." The brokerage language, the floor plans and the buildings are what you would recognise from any European city — the only thing that changes is the legal wrapper around ownership.
Want to see the flats available right now?
View flats →Freehold vs the US condominium: how ownership really works
This is the part that surprises European buyers most. In the UK most flats are leasehold — you own the home for a term of years over land held by a freeholder. A US condo is closer to commonhold or freehold of the unit: you own your apartment outright, in perpetuity, plus an undivided share of the common areas, with no ground lease and no lease running down. You pay a monthly HOA fee to the condominium association for shared maintenance, much like a UK service charge — but there is no freeholder above you and no lease to extend. For most buyers this is a structurally stronger position than a British leasehold flat.
Can a non-US or non-UK citizen buy?
Yes. Florida places no restriction on foreign ownership — a British, Spanish, Italian, German or Latin American buyer can own a Miami flat outright, in their own name or through a company, with the same title a US citizen receives. You do not need a green card, a visa or US residency to take title. What you do need is a clear plan for how you hold it, because the US estate-tax exposure for a foreigner begins at just US$60,000 of US assets — which is why many overseas buyers purchase through a structure such as a Florida LLC. Decide that with a cross-border accountant before you offer.
Financing a Miami flat from abroad
You can buy in cash or with a foreign national loan — US mortgages written specifically for non-resident buyers, typically 30%–40% down, a slightly higher rate than a citizen pays, and documentation your own bank can supply. Currency matters too: a flat priced in dollars is a way to hold hard assets outside sterling, the euro or a weaker local currency, which is a large part of why European and Latin American buyers come to Miami in the first place.
