How much is stamp duty in 2026 for a home mover?

From April 2025: 0% up to £125,000, 2% on £125,001-£250,000, 5% on £250,001-£925,000, 10% on £925,001-£1.5m, 12% above £1.5m. A £400,000 home-mover purchase costs £10,000 in SDLT — £2,500 more than before April 2025. First-time buyers pay 0% up to £300,000 then 5% to £500,000.

What about second-home stamp duty in 2026?

Second-home and buy-to-let buyers pay a 5% surcharge on top of standard rates (up from 3% as of 31 October 2024). A £400,000 second-home purchase costs £30,000 in SDLT. Combined with Cornwall's 100% second-home council tax premium (from April 2025) and the FHL abolition, second-home economics have shifted materially.

When is stamp duty paid?

Your conveyancer files the SDLT return and pays the tax to HMRC within 14 days of completion. You give your conveyancer the SDLT funds at completion as part of overall purchase costs. The completion date (not exchange) determines which SDLT regime applies. Late filing incurs a £100 penalty plus further penalties and interest.

Can mortgage porting be refused?

Yes. Common reasons: lender's criteria have tightened since the original mortgage, your affordability has weakened (lower income, more dependents, more debt), the new property doesn't fit lender's policy (listed, non-standard construction, holiday-let), or the property doesn't value at the asking price. Apply early so you have time for Plan B.

Should I use a mortgage broker?

Often yes. A whole-of-market broker compares lenders you can't easily access yourself and may find better rates than your existing lender offers on porting. Typical broker fee £400-£600 or commission paid by the lender. For complex Cornwall property types (listed buildings, non-standard construction, holiday-let conversions) a broker familiar with the specialist lender market is particularly valuable.

Moving House Mortgage: Porting, Stamp Duty and the 2026 Lender Rules

Q: What is mortgage porting?

Porting means transferring your existing mortgage product (rate, term, conditions) from your current property to a new one. You apply through the existing lender; they re-underwrite based on the new property and your current circumstances. If approved, your monthly payment continues at the same rate. Porting isn't automatic — it's an application that can be refused.

Moving house with an existing mortgage involves three financial decisions: port your mortgage to the new property, redeem and start a new one, or change lender entirely. Each path has different costs, different stamp duty implications, and (since April 2025) different SDLT outcomes than the figures most homeowners last looked at. This is the 2026 guide for Cornwall movers: how porting actually works, what the new stamp duty thresholds mean for a £400k purchase, and the affordability checks that catch some movers out at exactly the wrong moment.

The three paths through a house move with a mortgage

1. Port your mortgage

Transfer the existing mortgage product (your interest rate, your term, your conditions) onto the new property. You apply through the existing lender; they re-underwrite based on the new property and your current circumstances. If approved, your monthly payment continues at the same rate.

2. Redeem and remortgage

Pay off the existing mortgage with the sale proceeds; take out a new mortgage on the new property. Usual if porting isn't possible (different lender criteria) or if you want different terms (longer/shorter, fixed/tracker, interest-only/repayment).

3. Stay with current lender, new product

Lender offers a new product on the new property — often packaged as "porting" but technically a new mortgage from the same lender. May offer continuity benefits without binding you to the old rate.

How mortgage porting works in 2026

Step 1: Tell your lender early

As soon as you have an offer accepted on a property to buy, contact your lender's mortgage team and say you want to port. They'll send a porting application pack — typically online or PDF.

Step 2: Affordability assessment (the catch)

Even if you have an existing mortgage with the lender, porting requires a fresh affordability check. They re-assess:

Income (current employment and earnings)
Outgoings (other debts, dependents, regular commitments)
Loan-to-value (LTV) on the new property
Stress-test against higher interest rates (typically 1-3% above current product rate)

This is where mortgage porting fails for some movers. If your circumstances have changed since the original mortgage — reduced income, additional dependents, new credit commitments, or a higher target purchase price — you may fail affordability even though you're a current customer in good standing.

Step 3: Valuation on the new property

Lender instructs a valuation. Cornwall properties: standard residential valuation £200-£400, often subsidised or free as part of porting. The valuation must support the loan amount you're seeking.

Step 4: Loan offer or refusal

Lender issues a mortgage offer (typically valid 3-6 months) or refuses. Refusal triggers Plan B (new lender) — which means searching the market with a broker.

Step 5: Tied to completion timings

If you're selling AND buying, your existing mortgage redemption happens at the moment of completion on the old property. The new mortgage drawdown happens at completion on the new property. Same day if you complete simultaneously; with a gap (e.g. 7-day gap between sale and purchase), you may need bridging finance or to coordinate carefully.

What porting costs

Most lenders don't charge a porting fee, but you pay:

Arrangement fee on any additional borrowing (if the new mortgage is larger than the old)
Valuation fee (often included or refunded)
Solicitor's fees for the porting documentation (£200-£500)
No early repayment charge on the existing mortgage IF porting completes within 1-3 months of the redemption

If you're borrowing MORE on the new property than you had outstanding on the old, the additional borrowing typically goes onto the lender's current product range — at today's rates, not your old rate. Two parts to the same mortgage at potentially different rates.

When porting fails

Lender's criteria changed. They might no longer lend on the property type (e.g. tightened LTV on flats, ex-local-authority, non-standard construction)
Cornwall properties with quirks: Listed buildings, properties without standard construction, properties with sitting tenants (after the FHL exit), holiday-let properties
Your affordability has weakened compared to the original application
The new property doesn't value at the price you're paying
Lender's policy on second properties if you're buying additionally rather than replacing

Stamp Duty Land Tax 2026 — the April 2025 changes still apply

From 1 April 2025, SDLT thresholds dropped. As of 2026, the current rates are:

Property price band	Standard rate (home movers)	First-time buyer rate
Up to £125,000	0%	0%
£125,001 - £250,000	2%	0% (up to £300k)
£250,001 - £300,000	5%	0%
£300,001 - £500,000	5%	5%
£500,001 - £925,000	5%	5% (FTB relief lost above £500k)
£925,001 - £1.5m	10%	10%
Over £1.5m	12%	12%

Second-home and buy-to-let buyers pay a 5% surcharge on top of the standard rates from 31 October 2024 (up from 3%).

The £2,500 hit on a Cornwall home-mover purchase

A £400,000 Cornwall home-mover purchase in 2026:

0% on first £125,000 = £0
2% on £125,001 to £250,000 = £2,500
5% on £250,001 to £400,000 = £7,500
Total SDLT: £10,000

Before April 2025, the same purchase cost £7,500. The threshold drop adds £2,500 to home-mover SDLT bills on properties between £250k and £625k.

First-time buyer in Cornwall

If you're a first-time buyer purchasing a £300,000 Cornwall property:

0% up to £300,000 = £0
Total: £0

If the Cornwall FTB purchase is £400,000:

0% on first £300,000 = £0
5% on £300,001 to £400,000 = £5,000
Total: £5,000

Second-home buyer in Cornwall

The 5% surcharge bites hard on Cornwall second-home purchases. A £400,000 second home:

5% on £0-£125,000 = £6,250 (surcharge + 0% standard)
7% on £125,001-£250,000 = £8,750 (surcharge + 2%)
10% on £250,001-£400,000 = £15,000 (surcharge + 5%)
Total: £30,000

Add the 100% Cornwall Council second-home council tax premium (from April 2025) and the FHL abolition (6 April 2025), and the economics of Cornwall second-home purchase have shifted materially. See our FHL exit guide for the seller side of this story.

When SDLT is paid

Your conveyancer files the SDLT return and pays the tax within 14 days of completion
You give your conveyancer the funds at completion as part of the overall purchase costs
Failure to file/pay within 14 days incurs late filing penalty (£100 + further penalties) and interest on unpaid tax
The completion date — not exchange — determines which SDLT regime applies

The Cornwall mortgage market in 2026

Loan-to-value (LTV) considerations

Cornwall property prices remain below national averages. ONS data shows Cornwall average property prices around £274,000 in late 2025, down 2.6% year-on-year. For home movers buying in Cornwall, this means:

Deposits stretch further
LTV ratios may be lower than London or South East equivalents
Lenders may be cautious on some Cornish property types (listed buildings, properties without standard construction, holiday-let conversions, properties with non-standard drainage)

Specialist Cornwall property types

Some Cornwall properties need specialist mortgages:

Listed buildings (Grade I and II): Some lenders restrict; specialist lenders (Halifax Specialist, Kensington) accept
Cob and granite cottages: Most mainstream lenders accept; some require a structural engineer's report
Holiday-let properties converting to residential: May need bridging finance during conversion
Properties on private water/drainage: Lenders may require a water/drainage report; some restrict
Smallholdings and properties with agricultural ties: Specialist agricultural mortgage market

The 2026 affordability checks

The Bank of England relaxed some affordability checks in 2022, and lender stress-testing rules have shifted again in 2024-25. As of 2026, typical lender practice:

Stress test at 1-3% above the current product rate
Debt-to-income ratio caps (typically 4.5x for most lenders, up to 5.5x for some specialists)
Affordability based on net income after tax and existing debts
Some flexibility on professional borrowers and high-earners

Common porting mistakes

1. Assuming porting is automatic

It's an application, not a right. Lenders can refuse for the same reasons they'd refuse a new application. Apply early.

2. Not budgeting for additional borrowing rates

If your new property is £100k more than the old, that £100k of additional borrowing is at today's rates — which may be materially higher than your existing rate.

3. Misjudging the 1-3 month porting window

Most lenders allow 1-3 months between redemption and new drawdown without triggering Early Repayment Charges (ERCs). Outside that window, you pay ERCs on the old mortgage. Coordinate carefully if there's a gap between sale and purchase.

4. Forgetting solicitor's mortgage redemption fees

Conveyancers charge £200-£500 to redeem an existing mortgage at sale, separately from the purchase work. Factor into the conveyancing quote.

5. Not shopping around even when porting

Just because you can port doesn't mean you should. Compare your porting offer with current market rates from other lenders. A good broker (London & Country, Habito, Hargreaves Lansdown, Mortgage Advice Bureau, local Cornwall brokers like Phil at Cornwall Mortgages or similar) will run the market for you in 30 minutes.

Bridging finance: when sale and purchase don't align

If you're buying before you've sold (rare for most movers, common for renovations or chain breaks), bridging finance fills the gap. Typical 2026 bridging market:

Loan terms 1-24 months
Interest rates 0.5-1.5% per month (so 6-18% annualised — much higher than mortgage rates)
Arrangement fees 2-3% of loan
Exit fees common
Strict LTV (typically 75% maximum on the combined property value)

Expensive but flexible. Used by Cornwall buyers in chain breaks and by holiday-let owners exiting after the FHL abolition.

Buy-to-let and second-home mortgages

If your new Cornwall property is a second home or buy-to-let, mortgage requirements differ:

Larger deposit required (typically 25%+ for BTL, sometimes 40%+ for second homes)
Interest rates higher than residential
Rental coverage requirement (BTL): rent must cover 125-145% of mortgage interest at stress-tested rates
5% SDLT surcharge applies
FHL abolition (April 2025) means tax treatment of any holiday-let income is now standard residential property income tax, with mortgage interest relief restricted to 20% basic-rate relief

What to ask your lender or broker

Can I port my current product? If yes, on what terms?
What's the affordability test against the new property?
What are the rates for any additional borrowing?
What's the maximum LTV on this property type?
How long do I have between redemption and new drawdown?
Are there any property-specific issues (listed, construction type, drainage)?
What's the total fees on the porting/new mortgage?
Is there a better deal on the market right now?

Timeline for mortgage and SDLT

3 months before: Speak to current lender about porting. Get a porting agreement in principle.
2 months before: Have a broker compare market rates as a backup
6-8 weeks before: Mortgage application formally submitted; valuation instructed
4-6 weeks before: Mortgage offer received
2 weeks before: Exchange contracts; commit to SDLT amount
Completion day: Mortgage funds drawn down; SDLT funds paid to conveyancer
Within 14 days of completion: Conveyancer files SDLT return and pays HMRC

Where to get help

Lender direct: Free, but limited to their products
Mortgage broker: Whole-of-market access, fee usually around £400-£600 or commission from lender
Money Helper (formerly Money Advice Service): Free government-backed guidance at moneyhelper.org.uk
Cornwall-based independent brokers: Know local property quirks and Cornwall-specific lenders

Ready to start?

The mortgage decision typically happens in parallel with finding your remover. Once you have completion dates, submit your details for fixed-price Cornwall removal quotes. See also our completion day survival guide, moving to Cornwall guide, and change of address checklist.

This guide is for general information only and is not financial advice. Speak to a qualified mortgage adviser or solicitor for advice on your specific circumstances.