Excerpt from; Stamp Duty Land Tax Guide For Property Investors.
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) Introduction

| Chapter Summary: This chapter provides an overview of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), a tax for anyone involved in property transactions in the UK. Key Points
Main Principles
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What people say
Most of these Google reviews are from people who emailed me a question and got a helpful written answer. That is step 1 below, and it is genuinely free.

It is not often that you come across someone who is so willing to share their expertise and genuinely help others. His advice gave me much greater confidence in dealing with the matter.
I would highly recommend Nick to anyone looking for someone knowledgeable, professional and genuinely helpful. Thank you again for your time and kindness!
Nick was incredibly helpful in advising me on a complicated and time-sensitive SDLT issue. His responses were exceptionally prompt, clear and thorough, and he took the time to understand my individual circumstances before giving me a clear answer.
I particularly appreciated that he looked at all the possible options while being completely upfront about what was and wasn’t sensible in my situation. He even advised me not to incur the cost of formal advice unless my solicitor actually required it.
Professional, knowledgeable, generous with his time and genuinely helpful. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Nick.
Our circumstances were quite specific and involved a previous main residence overseas and a separate rental property, so we wanted to make sure the SDLT treatment was correct. Nick took the time to carefully review the facts, explain the relevant points clearly, and provide a thorough and professional assessment.
His advice gave us much more confidence about our property purchase and our SDLT position. He was also very responsive, helpful and reassuring throughout the process.
I would highly recommend Nick to anyone who needs professional SDLT advice. Excellent service and very much appreciated!
I contacted more than 10 tax advisers that I found on Google, and Nick was the first to respond. His reply was prompt, highly professional, and answered exactly what I was looking for.
They submitted our SDLT refund claim on 4 June 2026, and we received the repayment on 10 July 2026. The whole process was smooth, efficient, and completely hassle-free.
I would highly recommend Nick and his team to anyone looking for tax advice or help with an SDLT refund. Excellent service from start to finish. Well done!
The response I received was exceptionally detailed, clear and practical. The advice carefully explained the relevant SDLT principles, including connected-party transfers, market-value requirements, valuation evidence, the potential corporate rate and the importance of timing between transactions.
What I particularly appreciated was the balanced and careful way the information was presented. It helped me understand the key risks and the practical next steps to discuss with my solicitor. The guidance was extremely useful, clearly written and provided with real care and professionalism.
I am especially grateful that such a thorough initial assessment was provided free of charge. I would highly recommend their services to anyone needing specialist SDLT advice.
His commitment, attention to detail, and genuine willingness to help really stood out. It's rare to come across someone so dedicated to providing excellent service.
We truly appreciate all of his support and would not hesitate to recommend Mr. Garner to anyone looking for knowledgeable, trustworthy, and professional assistance.
What I appreciated most was the level of care and nuance in the analysis rather than giving a simplistic answer, he carefully explained both the opportunities and the risks, as well as the practical evidential considerations involved. The response was comprehensive, commercially aware and easy to understand despite the complexity of the legislation.
I would highly recommend Nick to anyone dealing with complex SDLT matters or property tax issues.
Unlike many other professionals I approached, who either ignored my enquiry or refused to provide any meaningful guidance because of the international aspects involved, Nick took the time to reply in detail and explain the position very clearly and professionally.
His response was thorough, balanced and extremely helpful in understanding the relevant legal and practical issues before proceeding with a property purchase in London.
What really stood out was that several solicitors we approached were either unwilling to give proper advice or would only provide rough figures for how much Stamp Duty we might have to pay, without fully exploring the legislation or our circumstances. Nick took the time to carefully look into the details and explain everything clearly and confidently.
We are extremely grateful for his help and would highly recommend him to anyone needing reliable and knowledgeable Stamp Duty advice. 5 out of 5 stars from us both.
Despite being based in the UK while we are in Sweden, the entire process was impressively smooth. Within just a few emails, everything was clearly explained and efficiently resolved.
Nick is highly professional, reliable, and truly dedicated to achieving the best outcome for his clients. We couldn’t recommend him more highly.
SHADI J
It is so refreshing to see that there are still people out there providing a highly professional pro-bono service! I cannot recommend this enough!
Thanks you Nick.
Once again, thank you, Nick.
We couldn't believe how quickly he responded to us and it explained the matter with such clarity and detail which helped us understand our position and greatly reduced our stressed! We can't thank Nick enough!
With such a specific case, I couldn't find any advice online and Nick's response gave me the confidence to proceed with our plans AND the practicalities of what documents I would need to show HMRC that my situation actually makes me a first-time buyer. Super clear and professional.
Highly recommend and when we buy, I'll definitely use Nick's services for an indemnified letter. His free advice is genuinely valuable and NOT a way to get you to pay money for answers or to milk fees from you.
Thanks Nick!
Professional, knowledgeable and considerate - highly recommended!
Their professionalism, knowledge of the process, and ability to act efficiently made what could have been a stressful experience feel completely manageable. It’s rare to find someone so responsive and effective — I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend their services to anyone dealing with property-related matters.
Nicks professional knowledge and expertise outlined clauses of stamp duty where I was not required to pay stamp duty for stair-casing and based upon remaining percentage being purchased.
This evidence was used to relay back to my solicitor who acknowledged there would be no further action required to pay stamp duty.
This saved me a few thousand pounds.
Nick is highly professional, reliable, takes interest into each clients needs. Would highly recommend and will use in the future.
I have been trying to make sense of the legislation for some weeks now and Nick unravelled the knots that i've mentally made of our complicated situation.
He patiently listened whilst I described the multiple aspects and then explained the related schedule to each element in such an easily understandable way, happily clarifying any aspect that I was unsure of.
Nick then invited me to e mail him so that he could explain in writing and refer to the relevant legislation schedule.
I recieved his reply so quickly and the information was presented stage by stage with such clarity that I now feel completely confident that I know which tax is due (and which isn't !!)
I can't thank or recommend Nick enough for his remarkable service.
It's a huge weight lifted !! and i'm ever so grateful.
I struggled to find the answer myself from reading the legislation and tax advisors quoted 100s of pounds in order to research and tell me if the correct answer was yes or no.
Nick responded quickly, same day and provided the answer with a detailed explanation. Exactly what I needed to comply with the legislation. Thank you so much for your help.
Nick thoroughly went through my case in detail, provided with a clear answer and also attached the legislation supporting the answer he provided.
I would definitely recommend their service. Thanks.
Take Julie
He explained everything in an easy-to-understand way, also providing with reference to the guidance, ensuring we felt confident about the process. His professionalism, knowledge, and approachable manner made the experience seamless and stress-free.
We left feeling much more confident thanks to his help!
Highly recommend!

Conveyancer holding things up until they have written SDLT advice? I'll provide a formal, insured opinion from an HMRC-registered tax agent so they can proceed.
How it works
Email me the details of your situation. I'll reply in writing — free of charge — with a clear explanation of your legal position.
You decide whether that's enough. Often the free email is all you need — you can forward it to your solicitor for their own assessment.
If a formal letter is needed, we go from there. I'll quote you a fixed fee before any paid work begins.
Start with step 1. No commitment, no cost — just email me your situation and I'll clarify the legal position.
✉️ Email: [email protected]Replies usually the same working day. Nick Garner, HMRC-registered tax agent.



