Stamp Duty Land Tax

At Cannon Chambers, we offer a wealth of expertise in the complex legalities, exemptions and mitigating circumstances of Stamp Duty Land Tax.

Cannon Chambers services include SDLT guidance on liability in complex property transactions and the availability of SDLT exemptions and reliefs, legitimately reducing SDLT liability where possible, managing HMRC enquiries and investigations and representing clients in SDLT appeals before tribunals and in court.

SDLT Exemptions – Multiple Dwellings Relief

Additional residential properties usually incur an increased rate of SDLT. However, Multiple Dwellings Relief may be available if an annexe or outbuildings are involved.

At Cannon Chambers we will advise on eligibility for Multiple Dwellings Relief, enabling a conveyancer to complete the SDLT return with the claim to the reduced amount of SDLT at the time of the purchase.

Claiming an SDLT refund after a purchase is also possible. For any property purchases that turn out to have been eligible for Multiple Dwelling Relief, we can make a refund claim to HMRC on a client’s behalf.

Find out more about multiple dwelling relief with this guide to multiple dwelling relief.

Mixed-Use and Non-Residential Properties

If a property is deemed ‘mixed-use residential and non-residential’ or ‘non-residential’, it qualifies for lower rates of SDLT – potentially representing huge savings, although not always.

HMRC is increasingly resisting these claims, so it is very important to get expert and experienced advice from us at Cannon Chambers when you are considering a mixed-use or non-residential purchase or when you are planning to make an SDLT refund claim.

You can read Patrick Cannon’s SDLT Mixed Use Guidance here.

Reclaiming Stamp Duty Land Tax

At Cannon Chambers, we offer legal services in cases of reclaiming stamp duty – whether it’s making a refund claim or pursuing an adviser for negligence.

Unscrupulous claims advice shops often contact clients, claiming that they have missed out on SDLT savings at the time of a property purchase. These firms offer to reclaim the difference from HMRC or make a claim against the conveyancer for negligence – in return for a cut of the savings achieved.

In such cases we at Cannon Chambers can provide an objective review of each SDLT reclaim case, providing clients with confidence that they either have a legitimate case or they do not, managing all correspondence with HMRC, and ensuring that they have proper representation if pursuing conveyancers for negligence.

We normally provide a fixed-fee legal service rather than working for a cut of the savings on a ‘no-win, no-fee’ basis.