Documents and evidence needed for making a Stamp Duty reclaim
Evidence needed:
- Pictures and videos of the property at time of purchase
- Survey report
- Failed gas certificate (if the client has one)
- Failed electric certificate (if the client has one)
- Renovation invoices
Documents needed:
- TR1 (dated and signed)
- Sale contract (dated and signed)
- SDLT5
- Completion statement
*If the property is purchased via Gatehouse Bank, we would need
- Additional SDLT5 document
- Letter from Gatehouse authorising the client to receive the payment on their account
Additional information needed:
- Passport copy of the lead purchaser
*If the property is purchased via limited company:
- Company Name
- Company Number
Bank account details:
*if purchased via limited company, the company’s bank account details are needed, if purchased individually, the lead purchaser’s details
- Bank name
- Bank account holder name
- Account number
- Sort code
- IBAN
- SWIFT code
Other details for authorisations:
- Full name of the client (as shown on verified ID)
- Full residential address of the client
- UTRN (we can pull it up from the SDLT5)
- Full address of the purchased property
Solicitor authorisation:
- Name of the solicitor
- Contact details
Very important to remember! Once we have confirmed the validity of your claim and we agree to work together, we will give you free access to our secure client portal. This platform will allow you to easily answer all relevant questions and upload any necessary documents.
Documents needed for making a claim for a stamp duty reclaim.
Purchaser details
Lead purchaser details.
These details would include:
- Full name as used in the property transaction
- Home address as shown on utility bills you may have
- Contact telephone number
- Contact email
- Image/scan of your passport.
Corporate purchaser
If you purchased a property through a limited company, which is common for buy-to-let properties, HMRC will require information about the company. below are details we will need.
Company name and registration number (Issued by Companies House).
A company registration number is a unique number issued by Companies House to identify a company registered in the United Kingdom. It is also known as a CRN or company number. The company registration number is used in official documents and correspondence related to the company, including tax returns, annual reports, and legal contracts. You can find your company number here.
Your UK bank account details
Bank account details in the UK typically consist of an account number and a sort code. The account number is usually 8 digits long, and the sort code is a six-digit number that identifies the bank and branch where the account is held. For example, a bank account in the UK may have the following format:
Account number: 12345678 Sort code: 12-34-56
You may have made the stamp duty payment through an international bank account; however, HMRC requires that payments be made to a UK bank account, such as wise.com or another UK bank.
Company bank details if you purchased the property through a limited company:
We need the bank details for the limited company bank account which purchased the property. The limited company bank account will generally be in the same name as the limited company.
Transaction Documents
The SDLT5
We need a copy of the SDLT5 receipt for the property transaction.
An SDLT5 form is a certificate from HM Revenue & Customs, confirming that Stamp Duty Land Tax has been paid for a property transaction. It’s essential for finalising property purchases or transfers, containing details of the property, transaction, and tax paid. This document is crucial for legal record-keeping in property dealings.
The Sale Contract
We need a copy of the sale/purchase agreement made for your property transaction. This must be signed as per the example shown.
A sale contract (also known as a purchase agreement) is a legally binding agreement between the buyer and seller of a property. It sets out the terms and conditions of the sale, including the purchase price, completion date, and any other conditions of the sale. The contract is typically prepared by the seller’s solicitor and is signed by both parties before the completion of the sale. Once signed, the contract is a legally binding agreement, and both the buyer and seller are obligated to follow the terms outlined in the contract.
TR1
We need a copy of your TR1.
This will have been sent to you by your conveyancing solicitor via email. This document must be signed by the solicitor and the vendor ( seller ) of the property.
A TR1 is a form used in the United Kingdom for the transfer of a property’s ownership from one person or entity to another. The form is commonly used in conveyancing and is submitted to the Land Registry to update the property register with the new ownership information. The TR1 form is typically completed by a solicitor or conveyancer and contains information such as the names and addresses of the parties involved, the property description, and the purchase price or consideration.
Completion Statement
We need a copy of the completion statement issued to you by your solicitor for your property transaction.
We need a copy of the completion statement issued to you by your solicitor for your property transaction.
A completion statement in property transactions is a document prepared by the conveyancer or solicitor that sets out all the financial details related to the purchase or sale of a property. It includes details of all the costs and fees associated with the transaction, such as the purchase price, stamp duty, legal fees, search fees, and any other expenses. The statement provides a breakdown of the amounts paid and received, and shows how any remaining funds will be dealt with. The completion statement is usually prepared in advance of the completion date and is used as a reference by the parties involved to ensure that all payments and costs are accounted for on the day of completion.
Authorisation letter
This is an authorisation for us to act on your behalf when dealing with HMRC to obtain a stamp duty reclaim. There is a copy of the authorisation form in our secure client portal which can be signed digitally by you.
The authorisation
More: Proof of condition
To have your property classified as “non-residential” for stamp duty assessment, HMRC requires evidence demonstrating that the property was not liveable at the time of purchase due to specific condition issues.
It’s worth noting that HMRC does not provide a specific reason for issuing stamp duty refunds, but the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 provides a general framework that we can use when putting forward our case to HMRC.
Please note that by the time we request documents from you, you will have already gone through a process to identify which issues need to be highlighted in order to make a valid case for the reassessment of your stamp duty from residential to non-residential.
Photographs
To support your claim for reassessment, we require photographs that clearly show the issues related to the property’s condition. Additionally, we need more pictures of the property itself, so the assessor can easily determine that the condition issue is linked to the property you’ve purchased. The examples below give you an idea of the kind of images we need.
It’s common for clients not to have photos of the property when they bought it. We can sometimes find old property listings that show its condition at the time of purchase.
If you had renovation work done, you might have pictures of it. These can be used as evidence of the condition issues that needed fixing.
Or review our case studies here. (Link opens a new tab)
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- Damaged plasterwork
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- Polystyrene tiled ceiling
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- Mould due to water ingress as a consequence of poorly fitted windows.
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- Serious water ingress, leading to bad toxic mould growth.
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- Rear garden in very poor condition.
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- Carpets in need of replacement.
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- Rising damp at rear of property.
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- Cracks in the ceiling. Old light fittings with fire risk.
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- Large hole in bedroom wall.
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- Double glazed rear kitchen window with external pane of glass broken
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- Damage to wall inside small under stairs room.
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- Storage heater with damage to wall.
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- Rising damp in living room.
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- Out of date alarm system.
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- Light fitting badly installed and a fire risk.
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- Excessive damp with some mould inside cupboard on first floor exterior.
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- Rising damp on chimney breast.
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- Uneven flooring
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- Rising damp causing mould growth in rear wall.
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- Back garden in very poor condition.
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- Dangerous staircase balustrade with missing spindles
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- Boarded-up rear door. Some rising damp. Wood rot on floor. Vegetation growth and rear garden overgrowth.
Video
If you have video footage of the property showing condition issues, we need a copy of that video. This footage would be uploaded to our servers via our secure client portal. A private link to the video is given to HMRC for review. We may also extract still images from the photograph showing the relevant condition issues.
Examples of video footage here:
Home buyer survey
If you have a homebuyer survey, please give us the PDF copy you were sent.
It is likely you will have a homebuyer survey. Many surveys do not have photographs of relevant condition issues, but they will provide commentary. Surveyors usually focus on the condition and value of the property, as well as any defects or issues that may affect the property’s safety or habitability. They may also provide recommendations for repairs or improvements that could be made to the property.
Here is an example of survey: Link to PDF of survey here.
Failed gas safety certificate
If you conducted a gas safety test soon after buying your property and it failed, please send us the report.
It’s crucial to send us the original PDF provided by the gas safety tester. These PDFs are secure and uneditable, making them reliable. If you don’t have the PDF, please send a clear photograph.
A property might fail a gas safety check for several reasons, including:
– Unsafe gas installations, such as leaks or faulty connections.
– Damaged or old gas appliances like boilers, heaters, and cookers.
– Incorrect installation of gas equipment or appliances.
– Missing safety labels, warnings, or instructions on gas equipment.
– Inadequate or outdated gas systems that don’t meet current safety standards.
– Non-compliance with building regulations and other gas safety laws.
Failed electric safety certificate
If you had an electrical safety check done right after buying the property and it didn’t pass, please send us the results.
It’s very important you send us the original PDF given to you by the electrical safety tester. These PDFs are secure and cannot be edited. So they are trustworthy.
A property may fail an electrical safety certification test for a variety of reasons, including:
- Unsafe electrical installations, such as faulty wiring, loose connections or inadequate earthing
- Damaged or worn-out electrical fixtures, such as sockets, switches, and light fittings
- Incorrectly installed electrical equipment or appliances
- Lack of proper labelling, warnings, or instructions on electrical equipment or appliances
- Inadequate or outdated electrical systems that do not meet current safety standards
- Failure to comply with building regulations and other electrical safety requirements
Example of an electric safety certification test result: Full document here as a PDF.
Contractor invoices or receipts
If you did renovation work after buying the property, you might have quotes, receipts, and invoices from your building contractor that detail the work done. Please send them to us if you have them.
