What is the stamp duty surcharge?
The stamp duty surcharge is an extra 5% added to each band of the standard stamp duty rates when you buy an additional residential property. It bites when, at the point the purchase completes, you own two or more residential properties and have not yet sold your previous main home.
It started at 3% in April 2016 and rose to 5% in October 2024. The charge runs across the whole purchase price, worked out band by band through the standard stamp duty rates with 5% added at each level.
How much does it add to your costs?
The surcharge adds up quickly. On a £300,000 second home you pay the standard stamp duty plus the 5% surcharge, and the surcharge alone comes to £15,000. On a £500,000 property the surcharge element is £25,000.
That is a large upfront cost, and it sits alongside your deposit, legal fees, and moving costs in the budget. Our stamp duty calculator gives you an exact figure for the property you have in mind.
When does the surcharge apply?
You pay the surcharge whenever you buy a residential property and already own one or more others. It still applies if the new property is low in value, if it is held through a company, or if it sits overseas. And on a joint purchase, it applies when either buyer already owns another residential property.
Companies, trusts, and other non-natural persons buying residential property worth £40,000 or more pay the surcharge too, and on some corporate purchases the 17% flat rate can apply on top.
Are there any exemptions?
You can often reclaim the surcharge if you sell your previous main home within 36 months of buying the new one. That covers the common situation where you complete on a new main residence before your old one has sold, which people usually call being in a chain.
Caravans, mobile homes, and houseboats fall outside the surcharge, and so does any property worth less than £40,000. If you are replacing your main residence and the sale and purchase complete on the same day, the surcharge should not apply, though the conveyancing has to be handled with care.
Planning around the surcharge
The surcharge is a real cost that belongs in your plans from the outset. At Clearview Mortgage Solutions, we sit down with clients so they understand the full cost of a second home, surcharge included, and we can talk through timing where an exemption might come into play.
Contact us for a free consultation and we will help you work out the true cost of your second home purchase.