Spending Review 2015 – 3% increase on Stamp Duty for BTL and second homes

Spending Review 2015 – 3% increase on Stamp Duty for BTL and second homes

14:30 PM, 25th November 2015, About 9 years ago 224

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GeorgeThe Chancellor George Osborne in his spending review today announced that he will increase Stamp duty for Buy to Let properties and second homes with a surcharge of 3% from April 2016.

The Chancellor said he wanted to change from generation rent to generation buy. He was concerned that Cash Purchasers and foreign investors, who were not affected by the relief cap of 20% on  mortgage interest, along with Buy to Let investors were squeezing out home buyers. Therefore there will be an increase of 3% in stamp duty for non-main residence purchasers, which would also raise an additional £1bn in tax.

The Housing budget will now be doubled to £2bn per annum and a project to build 400,000 new affordable homes to buy will be started. Osborne said “this government chooses to build.”

These affordable homes will be offered to First Time Buyers at a discount of 20%, and 135,000 new homes will be offered under Help to Buy shared ownership.

A London Help to Buy scheme will offer interest-free loans up to a maximum of 40% of the value of a newly built home.

Restrictions on shared ownership will be removed and the planning system reformed to deliver more homes.

Councils will also receive an additional £10m to help homeless people.

It is the Chancellors clear policy to help solve the housing crises by building more homes and squeezing the competitiveness of the Private Rental Sector thus shifting the balance from renting to home ownership.

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Commercial property investors, with more than 15 properties, are expected to be exempt from the new charges.


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Richard York

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10:39 AM, 26th November 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "James dengel" at "26/11/2015 - 09:16":

"Also note they are expanding buy to let to 5% deposit and up to 40% provided by the government. So not only will the Goverment be spending Billions on house building they will be fuelling the house market by lending the buyers money to buy the house from the housebuild who they subsidised to buy the house in the first place."

The 40% loan is for new build properties only.

Luke P

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10:57 AM, 26th November 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "David Price" at "26/11/2015 - 02:08":

The thing is though, David...he won't! By the time the effects of all of this really start to kick in, he'll have retired from Government with a comfortable life ahead of him.

It should be illegal (with forfeiture of any pension) to break any manifesto details...that'd focus their minds!

Vanessa Barlow

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11:16 AM, 26th November 2015, About 9 years ago

I own a Ltd company, which in turn owns 1 property (property was purchased at the outset in cash and in the name of the ltd company). If the company sells that 1 property, and then post April, buys another 1 property, does some improvement work on it, sells it, then buys another 1 property etc. Will that mean there is no additional SDLT to pay, because the ltd company only ever owns 1 property at a time? If so, is 1-at-a-time property development rather than BTL the way to go? I personally own a house (mortgaged) but I assume because the ltd company owns the investment/development property and never at any time owned by me personally, that it is not considered a 2nd home? As they are owned by different personal/legal entities?

money manager

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11:29 AM, 26th November 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Richard York" at "26/11/2015 - 10:39":

If the same were done by an equity broker it might be calld "pump and dump" and worthy of an FCA investigation.

money manager

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11:42 AM, 26th November 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Puzzler " at "26/11/2015 - 08:27":

Certainly avoidance, but evasion? The proposed legislation, at least as announced in the House, is clear that SDLT on a specific category of purchase will carry the additional rate SDLT. General anti-avoidance rules might apply on a second or subsequent event but for a one off I think it might for the Revenue to prove intent, not easy. I certainly have seen nothing on the flip side of that action, namely a let-to buy, there's an interesting idea.

James dengel

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12:18 PM, 26th November 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Richard York" at "26/11/2015 - 10:39":

Ah thanks for pointing that out.

However it still stands that the house builders will just raise the price of the house by a percentage because the goverment is now footing the bill.

money manager

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12:56 PM, 26th November 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Vanessa Barlow" at "26/11/2015 - 11:16":

It won't be considered a second home but it won't be considered a first home either and so corporation tax on indexed gains and elevated SDLT unless you meet the adopted threshold, that's my understanding.

Claire Oswald

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13:09 PM, 26th November 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "James dengel" at "26/11/2015 - 09:16":

Thanks for your response. I still don't see the extra kick in the teeth for those landlords that could potentially pay tax at 40/50% - especially following the other kick in the teeth in the way of allowable finance costs. NOT a tax relief as they so like to call it.

If a house is purchased cash with the intention of letting it, where is the check on what the purchase is for - there is no lender so they won't be asking the question - will the sales contract need to change?

James dengel

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13:20 PM, 26th November 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Claire Oswald" at "26/11/2015 - 13:09":

Claire, it's also for second homes, so the SDC would be payable.

money manager

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13:21 PM, 26th November 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Claire Oswald" at "26/11/2015 - 13:09":

As somebody eloquenly said elsewhere "You do't know what you're doing George", "No Zippy". As ever the devil will be in the raft of implementation rules to make the square peg fit the round hole. Although our rents are moving upward quite well in preparation for 2020 and beyond we are still contemplating incorporation, part of that decision wil be what lenders decide to do.

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