Welsh buyers rush to complete before April 1st Stamp Duty hikes

A predicted rush to sell Welsh properties at the top end of its property market has been taking place in recent weeks as buyers have attempted to beat the April 1st deadline for the principality’s new devolved Stamp Duty regime. The way that the slabs of tax banding are now arranged in Wales mean the duty rises more harshly than in England for those who buy properties over £402,000, although the new system is more generous to those buying under this price threshold than the English system. Although a £402,000 buyer pays only £200 more than their English counterpart, the differences are more stark further up the value chain. For example, a home worth £500,000 in England attracts a Stamp Duty bill of £15,000 while the same purchaser in Wales will pay an LTT charge of £17,500. But a house worth £1.5 million will attract an LTT bill that’s £17,450 higher than a similar English property. Rush to complete Welsh law firm Geldards recently predicted that the changes would lead to a “stampede” in upmarket buyers completing before this Sunday. But removals website CompareMyMove.com, which is based in Wales, says overall the new LTT will benefit most ‘average’ Welsh buyers.…