This month, Chancellor Rachel Reeves faced the challenge of raising £20 billion through tax increases in budget 2025, with property owners potentially bearing much of the burden. Weeks of speculation have suggested multiple housing market interventions could have fundamentally altered Britain’s property landscape.
At least now, after months of uncertainty, homeowners, buyers, and landlords across the UK have a little clarity. While potential property taxes faced significant speculation, the actual changes affect far fewer people than many feared.
The tax that didn’t happen
The most significant budget 2025 non-event was the absence of a widely rumored annual levy on properties valued above £500,000. This decision removes a major cloud of uncertainty hanging over approximately 210,000 homes currently listed for sale above this threshold.
For homeowners in this bracket—particularly across London and southern England—this brings welcome relief. There’s no need to factor in ongoing annual charges, and sellers won’t need to reduce asking prices to compensate for new costs. Market activity, which had stalled over the last few months, should now pick up momentum heading toward 2026.
The existing stamp duty framework remains unchanged. Buyers will continue to pay the tax on homes above £125,000, while first-time purchasers maintain their £300,000 threshold on properties costing £500,000 or less.
A new levy on ultra-luxury homes
While most homeowners escaped any additional taxation, owners of properties worth over £2 million are not so fortunate. Starting in 2028, a new council tax surcharge—quickly dubbed a “mansion tax”—will apply to homes in this ultra-premium category.
The annual cost will be £2,500 for properties between £2-5 million, rising to £7,500 for homes exceeding £5 million. For context, this represents less than double the current average council tax bill for a £2 million property.
This policy affects just 0.5% of UK homes—roughly 100,000 properties—with 85% concentrated in London and the South East. While some short-term market disruption is possible as wealthy homeowners adjust their plans, the impact on the broader housing market will be minimal.
Landlords to face fresh financial pressure
The rental sector faces the most significant changes. From April 2027, landlords will see the income tax rate on rental earnings increase by 2%. Basic rate taxpayers will pay 22%, higher rate payers 42%, and additional rate payers 47% on property income.
This marks another financial blow to landlords following last year’s stamp duty increase on additional properties, which jumped from 3% to 5%. Combined with the upcoming Renters’ Rights Act and new energy efficiency requirements, the regulatory and tax burden on rental property owners continues to mount.
These changes risk further reducing the already-shrinking rental supply, potentially pushing up rents even higher. While rental income has grown 25% over the past five years—helping to offset rising costs—the latest tax hike squeezes landlord margins further.
The bigger picture
One notable omission from the Budget was any adjustment to stamp duty bands, which haven’t changed in a decade. As property values have risen, the average buyer now pays proportionally more in stamp duty than they did ten years ago, though those in lower-value markets still face relatively modest charges. There had been a widespread expectation of major changes to stamp duty, although nothing has changed.
Market activity and house prices have not been helped during this period of speculation. The Council Tax Surcharge may well distort property valuations across the country, and disproportionately affect properties in London and the South East, while further financial pressure on landlords will have the effect of raised rents. There has also been no commitment to supporting people new to the housing market, despite the average deposit now being almost £60,000.
There has been a perceived “missed opportunity” to support renters, home buyers or sellers, which would have provided greater economic security across the housing market. Overall, however, the budget promises some stability for the majority of the property market, while targeting additional revenue from the wealthiest homeowners and rental property investors. The removal of uncertainty around potential sweeping changes should go towards helping to restore confidence and activity across the housing sector.