Stamp Duty rebate?

BinkyBee76

Hello
We purchased a house in the UK from abroad (EU country) and moved in straightaway after completion (August 2025). We already own a flat and a house in the UK that we rent out. We are now thinking possibly to re-sell this new house and move back into the house that we rent out and make it our main residence again. Am I right in thinking that we could reclaim a percentage of the stamp duty that we paid when we purchased this house? Thank you for any help you can offer.

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6653604/stamp-duty-rebate

No. You are not correct.

On what basis do you think the SDLT can be reclaimed?

saajan_12

Hello

We purchased a house in the UK from abroad (EU country) and moved in straightaway after completion (August 2025). We already own a flat and a house in the UK that we rent out. We are now thinking possibly to re-sell this new house and move back into the house that we rent out and make it our main residence again. Am I right in thinking that we could reclaim a percentage of the stamp duty that we paid when we purchased this house? Thank you for any help you can offer.

Where did you live in the EU before - in rented or an owned property? And when did you sell that?

BinkyBee76

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81868406#Comment_81868406

Hello. Thank you for your reply. We moved back to the UK from France. We did not sell our French home.

UncleTomCobley

You may want to look here https://www.gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax too.

It is also worth noting that the "stamp duty" rules are different for different parts of the UK (the above link gives links to the other areas that it itself doesn't cover).

saajan_12

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81868430#Comment_81868430

So then the answer is no, refunds are only applicable when you're selling another property that was your main residence.

• You're not selling the French home which was your main residence
• Selling the same UK home wouldnt be 'another' property to the one where you paid the higher rate SDLT.

SDLT_Geek

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6653604/stamp-duty-rebate

I am going to assume you bought in England, so the relevant stamp duty is stamp duty land tax. There are two surcharges to think about:

(a) The 5% surcharge for additional properties.

In no circumstances will the sale of the property on which the 5% was paid entitle the buyer to the recovery of the 5% SDLT on that property.

(b) The 2% surcharge for non-UK residents.

If you paid this, having been living in France before you bought, then you will be able to recover that element when you clock up the 183 days in the UK.