SDLT On £980,000 Home Move With Buy‑To‑Lets

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Do you pay the 5% SDLT surcharge when replacing your main home but still owning buy-to-let properties?
Introduction
People often ask whether they must pay the higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when moving home if they already own other residential properties, such as buy-to-let properties held personally or through a company. The key issue is whether the new purchase is a genuine replacement of the buyer’s only or main residence.
If the old main home is sold at the same time as the new one is bought, the answer is usually straightforward: the higher 5% surcharge does not apply, even if the buyer owns other dwellings.
The Question
A homeowner owns their current main residence and also has several buy-to-let properties, some owned personally and some through a limited company. They plan to buy a new home for their own occupation for £980,000 and sell their existing home at the same time. They want to know whether they will pay SDLT at the normal residential rates or whether the additional 5% surcharge for additional dwellings will also apply.
Nick’s Explanation
Nick’s view was that where a buyer is purchasing a new residential property to live in and is selling their existing main residence on or before completion of the new purchase, the purchase is normally treated as a replacement of the buyer’s only or main residence. In that situation, the higher rates for additional dwellings do not apply.
He explained that this remains the case even if the buyer already owns other buy-to-let properties. The existence of those other properties does not by itself trigger the surcharge if the statutory replacement-of-main-residence conditions are met.
Nick also noted that if the former main residence is not sold by the completion date of the new purchase, the higher rates would usually be payable first. If the old main home is then sold within the permitted time limit, the buyer can claim a refund of the surcharge from HMRC.
The Law
SDLT on residential property is charged under Finance Act 2003. The higher rates for additional dwellings are set out in Schedule 4ZA to Finance Act 2003.
In broad terms, the higher rates apply where, at the end of the day of the transaction, the buyer owns more than one dwelling and is not replacing their only or main residence. However, Schedule 4ZA contains an important exception where the buyer is replacing their only or main residence.
That exception can apply if:
- the buyer buys a new dwelling intended to be their only or main residence; and
- the buyer has disposed of, or disposes of, their previous only or main residence within the permitted period.
Where the former main residence is sold on or before the day the new home is bought, the higher rates should not apply in the first place. Where the sale happens later, the higher rates may be payable initially, with a possible refund if the former main residence is sold within the allowed period.
The refund time limit is commonly referred to as a 36-month period for selling the old main residence after buying the new one, subject to the statutory rules and HMRC’s administrative requirements for making the reclaim.
Analysis
The analysis usually works in the following order.
Is the property being bought a residential dwelling? If yes, the residential SDLT rules apply.
Will the buyer own more than one dwelling at the end of completion? In this scenario, yes, because the buyer has other buy-to-let properties.
Does that automatically mean the 5% surcharge applies? No. The next question is whether the purchase is a replacement of the buyer’s only or main residence.
Is the existing main residence being sold on or before completion of the new home? If yes, the replacement exception should apply.
If the replacement exception applies, the buyer pays SDLT at the normal residential rates, not the higher rates for additional dwellings.
On the facts given, the crucial point is that the buyer is selling their existing home at the same time as buying the new one. If that existing home is in fact their only or main residence for SDLT purposes, the purchase of the £980,000 home should normally be taxed at standard residential rates only.
The fact that the buyer also owns buy-to-let properties personally does not prevent the replacement exception from applying. Likewise, dwellings owned by a separate limited company are not treated as personally owned by the individual buyer, although the buyer’s personal ownership of other dwellings is still relevant to the wider SDLT analysis. The decisive point remains whether the old main residence is being replaced.
If, however, the old main residence is not sold by completion of the new purchase, the buyer would usually have to pay the higher rates first. On a £980,000 purchase, that would produce a higher SDLT figure than the standard rates alone. If the former main residence is then sold within the permitted period, a refund claim can usually be made for the surcharge element.
This question is different from cases about whether a property was uninhabitable or not suitable for use as a dwelling. In those cases, the condition thresholds are now relatively high following Amarjeet and Tajinder Mudan v The Commissioners for HMRC [2025] EWCA Civ 799. That authority is important where a buyer argues that a building was not a dwelling at the effective date of the transaction, but it does not alter the main-residence replacement rules discussed here.
Outcome
If a buyer purchases a new home for £980,000 to live in and sells their existing main residence on or before the same completion date, they should usually pay SDLT at the normal residential rates only. They should not have to pay the additional 5% surcharge merely because they also own buy-to-let properties.
If the old main residence is not sold by completion, the 5% surcharge will usually be payable first, with a possible refund if that former main residence is sold within the permitted period.
Practical Steps
- Confirm which property is the buyer’s actual only or main residence for SDLT purposes.
- Check that the former main residence will be sold on or before completion of the new purchase.
- Ensure the SDLT return is prepared on the correct basis at completion.
- If the former main residence is sold after the new purchase, keep evidence of the sale and consider a refund claim for the surcharge within HMRC’s time limits.
- Where ownership structures are mixed between personal ownership and company ownership, review the facts carefully to avoid mistakes in the SDLT filing.
Conclusion
Owning other buy-to-let properties does not by itself mean the 5% SDLT surcharge is due when moving home. If the new property replaces the buyer’s only or main residence and the old main home is sold at the same time, the standard residential SDLT rates should normally apply.
Legal References Used
- Finance Act 2003
- Finance Act 2003, Schedule 4ZA
- Amarjeet and Tajinder Mudan v The Commissioners for HMRC [2025] EWCA Civ 799
This page was last updated on 22 March 2026.
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