From 1 April, the threshold at which buyers start paying the tax will drop from £250,000 to £125,000 for home movers and from £425,000 to £300,000 for first-time buyers – meaning many will end up paying a higher sum on their purchase.
But Bellway has launched a new campaign to help buyers in Buckinghamshire with the rise in stamp duty costs.
The housebuilder is offering to pay up to £25,000 towards customers’ stamp duty bills on selected homes at developments in the county.
The contribution can be used to cover stamp duty costs or to top up a customer’s deposit. The offer runs until the end of April.
Luke Southgate, Sales Director for Bellway Northern Home Counties, said: “The changes to stamp duty which are due to take effect on 1 April will add to the costs faced by people looking to get on or move up the property ladder. In some cases, it could prove the difference between homebuyers going ahead with their planned purchase or deciding to put their home-moving dreams on hold.
“This is why we have decided to launch our new campaign to support those facing higher stamp duty bills as a result of the changes. The incentive will help many people to avoid paying stamp duty altogether while significantly reducing costs for others. We also appreciate that some buyers may need support in other ways, which is why we have introduced a level of flexibility to the offer by allowing buyers to put the money towards their deposit if they wish.
“We hope this offer will enable more people to realise their dream of homeownership and I would encourage any potential buyers to get in touch with our sales teams to find out how they could benefit from the scheme.”
Software engineers Vivek Bhardwaj and Shagun Garg purchased their dream house at Tattenhoe Park in Milton Keynes after taking advantage of a £20,500 contribution offered by the housebuilder.
“Some friends and colleagues had recommended Bellway, so we looked to see if they were building in Milton Keynes. Luckily for us, they were and we went along to look inside a three-bedroom Thornton house at Tattenhoe Park, which was ready to move into.
“We had been to a party at a friend’s who was living in a Bellway home, so we knew the houses were well-built and finished to a high standard. When we walked into the Thornton home we were impressed by the size of the rooms and the layout.
“When we started to discuss the possibility of buying the house, the sales advisor told us that they were prepared to offer us a £20,500 incentive which we could use as a five per cent deposit on the £420,000 property. We put down the other five per cent and we were delighted to be able to afford to buy our own home.”
Bellway’s stamp duty incentive is available on selected homes at the following developments:
- Bellway at Whitehouse Park, Milton Keynes
- Greenleys Gardens, Milton Keynes
- Moreton Fields, Buckingham
- Tattenhoe Park, Milton Keynes
- Whitehouse Gardens, Milton Keynes
Ashberry Homes, which is also part of the Bellway Group, is running a similar offer worth up to £20,000 at Ashberry at Whitehouse Park, Milton Keynes.
In order to qualify for the stamp duty incentive, customers must reserve their new home before 30 April 2025.
As well as making savings through the stamp duty incentive, Bellway buyers can benefit from the energy savings which come from living in a new-build house. This could save them £979 a year on their utility bills when compared with an existing home.*
In addition to this, all new homes now being built by Bellway have smart heating thermostats installed as standard**, which have been shown to reduce energy bills by up to 16 per cent.
For more information on developments in the county taking part in Bellway’s stamp duty campaign, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/buying-with-bellway/our-locations/new-homes-in-south-east-england/new-homes-in-buckinghamshire. Details of the participating Ashberry Homes development can be found at https://www.ashberryhomes.co.uk/new-homes/northern-home-counties/ashberry-at-whitehouse-park.
*Statistic taken from the 2025 ‘Watt a Save’ report published by the Home Builders’ Federation.
**Bellway is installing smart heating thermostats as standard in every home with a build start date from 5 June 2023 onwards.