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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Comments

Dr Rosalind Beck

15:39 PM, 1st December 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Jon Pipllman" at "01/12/2015 - 15:15":

This is the ironic bit:

'Compared to lending to owner-occupiers, buy-to-let
borrowers may be more sensitive to rising interest rates.'

Yes, well this wasn't half as much a problem before the lunatic tax change. They are very cagey about that. They shall monitor the effect of it...

Tracey Hoad

12:35 PM, 2nd December 2015, About 9 years ago

I've been speaking to an accountant today and she mentioned a draft bill or bill coming out on 9 December - does anyone know what this is about and whether it is a proposal or a decision?

Laura Delow

13:30 PM, 2nd December 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Tracey Hoad" at "02/12/2015 - 12:35":

Hi Tracey. A Finance Bill has to follow a Budget & the various summer Budget announcements will be enacted over three Finance Bills. Those bills will be:
Finance Bill 2015/16: to become Finance (No 2) Act 2015
Finance Bill 2016: draft to be released on 9 December 2015; and
Finance Bill 2017: draft expected in December 2016.

Tracey Hoad

19:01 PM, 2nd December 2015, About 9 years ago

Can someone let me know if it's been decided that 15 properties can be incorporated almost cost free as far as CGT and stamp duty is concerned. Is this something the accountants think will happen or has this been specifically mentioned in the budget?

Big Blue

19:45 PM, 2nd December 2015, About 9 years ago

It is undecided. The treasury met yesterday to explain their thinking to relevant groups but it is yet to be consulted on. Some sources think individuals with more than 15 properties are exempt, some say corporates will be affected with less than 15, some say developers are in the clear. I will know more on Friday.

Big Blue

19:47 PM, 2nd December 2015, About 9 years ago

It is undecided. The treasury met yesterday to explain their thinking to relevant groups but it is yet to be consulted on. Some sources think individuals with more than 15 properties are exempt, some say corporates will be affected with less than 15, some say developers are in the clear. I will know more on Friday.

Tracey Hoad

19:53 PM, 2nd December 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "James Fraser" at "02/12/2015 - 19:45":

So James when you say corporate do you mean limited companies. If so then it's not worth an individual landord with less than 15 properties (or how ever many) to go to the expense of incorporating. Is this the case?

Big Blue

20:09 PM, 2nd December 2015, About 9 years ago

Yes to both. As it is understood so far, 15 is the cut off, even as a company. This buggers me up as my main strategy was to use my dormant limited company to buy property to sell on after refurbishment. Then GO comes along and closes that door in my face! So now I don't know wether to continue developing for sale as an individual - at 40/45% - or using the company and paying the additional stamp. If I have to, I shall end up incorporating the 21 I have and then continuing to expand as normal, but currently we are awaiting detail - rumours around recently were that development for sale might be exempted. We just don't know yet.

Barry Fitzpatrick

9:36 AM, 3rd December 2015, About 8 years ago

Article in Landlord Today; Mike Coady, who heads deVere Group’s deVere Mortgages, said that George Osborne’s clampdown on buy-to-let investors will be “ineffective for its purported aims.”

https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2015/12/btl-tax-clampdown-wont-help-generation-rent

17:48 PM, 4th December 2015, About 8 years ago

Is anyone aware whether competition law has any bearing on this. It appears that for the same business ( investing in residential properties and renting them out ) there appears to be different treatment dependant upon whether held personally , held in a company and now dependant on the number of properties the prospective purchaser owns ( for stamp duty ). Surely this is a distortion of the market and is anti-competitive.
I only own 2 properties and now face the prospect of competing with an owner of 15 properties and paying a 3% premium in tax.
I will email the NLA and see if they have had lawyers look at this.

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