{"id":6100671,"date":"2024-11-04T08:50:32","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T07:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.buyassociationgroup.com\/en-au\/?p=6100671"},"modified":"2024-11-03T14:47:07","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T14:47:07","slug":"stamp-duty-investors-north","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.buyassociationgroup.com\/en-au\/news\/stamp-duty-investors-north\/","title":{"rendered":"Stamp duty change: investors in North of England will be less affected"},"content":{"rendered":"
In the UK, all properties worth \u00a3250,000 or more are subject to stamp duty land tax. How much you pay depends on the price of the property, as the percentage charged goes up in increments:<\/p>\n
\u00a30-\u00a3250,000 = 0%<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\u00a3250,001-\u00a3925,000 = 5%<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\u00a3925,001-\u00a31.5m = 10%<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\u00a31.5m+ = 12%<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For first-time buyers, the threshold is currently \u00a3450,000, with all properties below this being free of stamp duty – but this is set to revert to the previous level of \u00a3300,000 for this buyer group from March 2025. Many in the industry had hoped that the threshold would be extended past March, or even held on a permanent basis to get more people onto the property ladder.<\/p>\n
In last week’s Budget<\/a>, in a somewhat unexpected move, the Chancellor announced that the 3% surcharge for anyone buying an additional property to their main residence would rise to 5% from 31st October. This applies to anyone who already owns a home worth \u00a340,000 or more.<\/p>\n It will also affect buyers that are based overseas if they purchase more than one property in the UK. Overseas property buyers are already subject to a 2% surcharge, so the additional 5% for those buying additional properties will now be added.<\/p>\n In recent years, research has shown that more and more buy-to-let landlords and property investors have been diversifying into the North of England<\/a> and the Midlands. This is due to a combination of benefits, from lower average house prices to growing tenant demand, and stronger rental yields than those that tend to be found in the South.<\/p>\n Levelling up has also seen a huge increase in investment in Northern cities and towns, with vast regeneration projects leading to new property developments springing up to cater for the growing population, providing more opportunities for investors.<\/p>\n The new stamp duty charge is something that will certainly need to be factored into any new investment. For example, a property worth \u00a3300,000 would have previously cost an investor or second home-buyer \u00a311,500 in stamp duty, but this will now cost \u00a317,500. The tax cannot be added to the mortgage, but must be paid outright within 14 days of completion.<\/p>\n For investors wanting to keep their tax costs down, the new rate could make cheaper parts of the country even more appealing.<\/p>\n For example, the average property in the North West costs \u00a3262,989, according to the latest data from Rightmove<\/a>. Stamp duty is only payable on the amount above \u00a3250,000, so the bill would be \u00a313,798 on the average property. By contrast, investing in the average-valued property in the South East of England, costing \u00a3483,789, could mean a stamp duty bill of \u00a335,878.<\/p>\nHouse prices make a difference<\/h3>\n