Stamp Duty Land Tax in 2026: The Current Rates, the 5% Surcharge and Where Valuation Comes In
The temporary thresholds ended in April 2025 and the additional dwellings surcharge is now 5%. The current SDLT rates, with worked examples.
Responding to a Section 42 Notice: A Freeholder Case Study on Counter-Notices, Deadlines and Recoverable Costs
A leaseholder proposed £18,000. We assessed £41,500 and settled at £37,000. What freeholders must do on receiving a section 42 notice.
Right of First Refusal Case Study: How a Missed Section 5 Notice Unwound a Freeholder’s Sale
A freeholder sold a nine-flat block without serving a section 5 notice. Why that is a criminal offence, and how the sale had to be unwound.
Probate Valuation Case Study: Why an Unmodernised New Malden House Was Worth £75,000 Less Than the Agent Said
This case study is based on a real instruction. Names, addresses and identifying details have been changed, and figures rounded, to protect client confidentiality. The instruction We were instructed by the executor of an estate to prepare a Red Book Market Valuation of a three-bedroom 1930s semi-detached house in New Malden for probate and inheritance […]
RICS Level 3 Building Survey Case Study: £38,000 Off an Edwardian Semi in Raynes Park
A Level 3 survey on an Edwardian semi in Raynes Park found £46,000 of defects and saved the buyer £38,000 on the purchase price. Full findings.
Lease Extension Case Study: 68-Year Lease in Wimbledon — Premium Negotiated Down by £13,250
How our RICS registered valuers cut a Wimbledon lease extension premium from £46,500 to £33,250 on a 68-year lease. A full Section 42 case study.
Reinstatement Cost Assessment Case Study: A £1.2 Million Underinsurance Gap on an Eight-Flat Block in South West London
An eight-flat block was insured for £1.45m against a rebuild cost of £2.65m. We show how the average clause would have halved a £180,000 claim.
CPO Compensation Case Study: Owner-Occupier Flat in a Kingston Estate Regeneration — £323,500 Settled Against a £248,000 Opening Offer
A council offered £248,000 for a Kingston flat under a CPO. We settled the full compensation package at £323,500. Here is how each element was built.
Collective Enfranchisement Case Study: Six Flats in a Merton Victorian Conversion Bought for £124,500 Against a £198,000 Claim
Four leaseholders bought their Merton freehold for £124,500 against a £198,000 claim. How an £85,000 roof space hope value came down to £5,000.
Retrospective Valuation for CGT: Valuing a Wimbledon Flat at 5 April 2015 — Eleven Years After the Event
How we valued a Wimbledon flat above a shop at 5 April 2015 for capital gains tax, using period comparables, £/sq ft analysis and index cross-checks.
