Stamp Duty Land Tax Incentive

On 8th of July 2020 the Chancellor announced a Stamp Duty Land Tax Incentive (a Stamp Duty ‘Holiday’ on the first £500k of the purchase price) on all residential property until 31st of March 2021.

Although, at the time of writing the deadline is still 4 months away we recommend anyone hoping take advantage to act soon and to bear in mind some things may delay a speedy completion of your purchase. ibmco will of course do all it can to expedite mortgage applications and avoid delays from lenders but the below are largely outside our control, hence the advice not to leave your purchase to the last minute:

• Valuations may be slower than normal at present
• Solicitors offices are affected by Coronavirus rules and with many solicitors working from home their service may not be as efficient as normal
• Local land registry searches can hold up the process. There is a big variation in turnaround times depending where your property is. To check current times for your area you can use the following website:

https://www.searchflow.co.uk/news-and-events/local-authority-turnaround-time-increases/

Of course there is also likely to be a ‘log-jam’ of purchases jostling for completion as 31st March 2021 approaches.