Hey everyone,
I've been reading up online recently that Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced the stamp duty holiday will be extended for a further three months until the end of June.
The extension, which will apply to all buyers, means people in England and Northern Ireland will not have to pay stamp duty on the first £500,000 of property if they complete – in other words, legally transfer ownership – before June 30.
To avoid a ‘cliff edge’ at the end of this period, stamp duty will not be charged on the first £250,000 of a property purchase between 1 July and 30 September.
The threshold for the nil rate band will then fall back to £125,000 on 1 October.
The extension of the holiday means nine out of 10 people buying a property will not have to pay stamp duty, saving them an average of £4,500 each and a maximum of £15,000 for those purchasing a home costing £500,000.
This is really helpful for buyers and I know people are keen to buy places that they can 'do up' this year, look to renovate, extend and decorate.
I found some interesting and helpful questions and answers on the Zoopla website the below:
Why has the stamp duty holiday been extended?
The Chancellor announced the stamp duty holiday in July 2020 to help kickstart the housing market in England and Northern Ireland following the first national lockdown.
The tax break, combined with many people carrying out a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ re-assessment of their housing needs in the face of the pandemic, triggered a mini home buying boom.
But the steep spike in housing transactions led to a congested sales pipeline and the home buying process taking longer than usual.
We estimated that around 70,000 people who agreed sales in 2020 were in danger of missing the 31 March deadline.
And a petition calling for the stamp duty holiday to be extended received more than 100,000 signatures, triggering a debate to be held in Parliament in February.
What other government support is available?
During the second lockdown, the government extended its offer of mortgage payment holidays. Borrowers who need help paying their mortgages can still request a holiday of up to six months until 31 March 2021.
Meanwhile, the government's Help to Buy scheme offers an equity loan to buyers with a 5% deposit. The initiative will close on 31 March and be replaced with a new version, which will only be available to first-time buyers.
Find out some of the other initiatives and allowances you could benefit from before the end of the tax year in our article.
The Chancellor also announced a new scheme in the Budget under which home buyers will be able to take out a 95% mortgage, with the government acting as guarantor.
The scheme comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to “turn generation rent into generation buy” at the Conservative party conference in October last year. A number of lenders have already signed up to the scheme, which will launch next month.
When do you pay stamp duty?
You must pay stamp duty within 14 days of completing your property purchase. Your solicitor or conveyancer will usually file this return and transfer the money on your behalf.
What happens when the stamp duty holiday ends?
Once the stamp duty holiday ends on 30 June, there will be an interim period until 30 September when the tax-free threshold will fall to £250,000.
The tapering move means that nearly half of housing sales in England will be free of stamp duty. Last year, some 46% of all home sales were for properties of up to £250,000.
Have you had a chance to check out our 2020 HomePride index yet? We researched and surveys 2,000 consumers what are their attitudes towards their home, spending habits, interior design inspiration and trends. See full post here>>
Are you or do you know anyone making the move to buy a property?
Does anyone have an ideal dream home idea or are you already living in your dream home?
Please comment below 😊
