Buying a home is an expensive business and likely to be the biggest financial outlay that most will experience in your lifetime.
It's not only the basic amount that needs to be found to put down a deposit to satisfy the mortgage lender that you are a viable financial risk, but it's also all the sundry costs that need to be paid for throughout the process, whether that's the building survey, removal costs or the legal fees to get you over that final line.
What is stamp duty land tax?
One of the biggest expenses for many buyers is the stamp duty land tax (SDLT) which is payable by the buyer if the sale price is over a certain amount. SDLT is set at a percentage of the cost of buying the property, and increases in the portion required as the higher value thresholds are triggered.
One of the good things, as far the buyer is concerned, is that they don't have to worry about paying the SDLT bill themselves since it is all catered for as part of the conveyancing solicitors' tasks post-completion. The tax bill is required to be paid within two weeks of the completion date and, along with the registration of your ownership of the property with HM Land Registry, is one of the final steps in the homebuying process by your solicitor.
What changes in May 2026?
In May 2026, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will require all those who submit SDLT returns on behalf of their clients to register with themselves as tax advisors, including conveyancing solicitors. This is a mandatory registration and is part of a wider push to raise standards across the homebuying process.
Specifically, the plan is for anyone submitting SDLT returns for their clients to improve their standards and processes. Anyone submitting SDLT for payment will have three months from the middle of May to register with HMRC.
The process of filing SDLT returns will be reclassified as "tax advice" from 18 May 2026, even if this is a subsidiary task, which is the case for all conveyancing solicitors. Therefore, to show that they are in the position to offer the tax advice for stamp duty, the registration shows compliance.
This, the Government edict stipulates, will ensure greater accountability, it will protect the data of those paying the SDLT (the property's buyer), and raise professional standards across the board. In so doing, it brings increased compliance and the potential for indemnity exposure and increased protection for the homebuyer.
What does this mean for you as a buyer?
For the buyer, they will be bombarded with requests for information, forms, timelines and deadlines, and applied pressure to get things done quickly before they can think about moving in. As far as the new SDLT requirements are concerned, the buyer should be largely blind to the process, except in the case where something goes wrong like perhaps misfiling, late declaration or incorrect tax value assessment.
In such cases, because ultimately it is the buyer's responsibility to pay the tax amount, you will want to know that you are protected by indemnity cover. In the normal run of things, you'll want to know that the tax you are required to pay as part of the property purchase is being handled correctly on your behalf and that the advice you have received from your conveyancing solicitor is clear and correct.
Choosing a conveyancer who is HMRC-registered
As part of your research for the best conveyancing solicitor to manage all legal aspects of the transaction which includes the payment of any due SDLT. You'll want to check and confirm that the chosen solicitor has registered with HMRC and that they are completely prepared for the upcoming registration requirements.
With Homeward Legal, all of our conveyancing solicitors are always completely current with all the latest legal requirements and process changes. They will be registering as tax advisors with HMRC and organising their processes to give you the best advice and support when managing the purchase of your next home.
Our conveyancers will start work on your plans as soon as you agree to the quotation and appoint them to represent you. We also provide a fixed quote meaning what you are quoted is what you pay for standard conveyancing, so you can budget with confidence.
Should anything unforeseen arise during the process, such as a specialist flood assessment report, your solicitor will discuss this and any associated costs as they come up. And with our 'no completion, no fee' promise, if your purchase or sale doesn't reach completion, no payment is required.
Call us on to get your conveyancing quote started, or use our easy-to-use quote generator to get a quick quote online.