With immediate effect the new Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) threshold of £500,000 will apply and will run until 31 March 2021. This means any buyer purchasing a primary residential property between 8 July 2020 and 31 March 2021, up to the value of £500,000, will be exempt of paying Stamp Duty.
Iain McKenzie, CEO of The Guild of Property Professionals, says according to a release by the Government the exemption will apply to all primary residential property purchases, so regardless of whether the purchaser is a first-time buyer or someone who has owned a property before.
He adds that on purchases over the £500,000 threshold, buyers will pay a 5% SDLT on the portion from £500,001 to £925,000, 10% on the portion from £925,001 to £1.5 million and 12% on any portion over £1.5 million.
When it comes to purchasing a second home, McKenzie says that the Government has introduced higher additional rates with a 3% higher rate on top of the new revised standards. “So, what this means is that people purchasing a holiday home up to the threshold value of £500,000 will pay 3% SDLT. Those buying a second home over the threshold with pay 8% on the portion from £500,001 to £925,000, 13% on the portion from £925,001 to £1.5 million, and 15% on the remaining portion over £1.5 million,” McKenzie explains.
