First Time Buyers and Stamp Duty Land Tax

Posted on 2 February 2012

My husband and I have separated and I want to buy my own home. Will I qualify for not having to pay stamp duty if we had a joint mortgage on our marital home?

Cherry

You should check with your solicitor to see if you were named on the registered title for your former marital home. As you had a joint mortgage I suspect you were, but this is not always the case.

The following passage is taken from http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/Taxes/TaxOnPropertyAndRentalIncome/DG_4015918:

"First-time buyers

If you are a first-time buyer the threshold for when you start to pay SDLT is £250,000. This is only if you have never owned a house or flat in the UK or anywhere else in the world. If you are buying with someone else they must never have owned property before either. This higher threshold applies to purchases made on or after 25 March 2010 and before 25 March 2012".

If you were named then I regret you will not qualify for the higher threshold.

Peter

Categories: First-time buyers, Home mover, Separation or Divorce

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