First Time Buyer if owned in US?

Hi All-

So the wife and I are seriously looking to buy our first house/flat here in the UK. She is a UK citizen I am ILR. We will be first-time buyers here in the UK but we owned a couple of homes in the US while living in the US. Never while living here in the UK. The question is will we be "First-time buyers" and not have to pay Stamp Duty?  I have been reading on the web and it seems we are first-time buyers but one site said you.. "could not have owned a property overseas" and still qualify for relief.

Did anyone buy a home after owning in the US?

Thanks NWKH

Hi All-

So the wife and I are seriously looking to buy our first house/flat here in the UK. She is a UK citizen I am ILR. We will be first-time buyers here in the UK but we owned a couple of homes in the US while living in the US. Never while living here in the UK. The question is will we be "First-time buyers" and not have to pay Stamp Duty?  I have been reading on the web and it seems we are first-time buyers but one site said you.. "could not have owned a property overseas" and still qualify for relief.

Did anyone buy a home after owning in the US?

Thanks NWKH

I think it is pretty clear that if you have owned a home overseas that you are not a considered a first time buyer in the UK.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stamp-duty-land-tax-relief-for-first-time-buyers/stamp-duty-land-tax-relief-for-first-time-buyers

A first time buyer is defined as an individual or individuals who have never owned an interest in a residential property in the United Kingdom or anywhere else in the world and who intends to occupy the property as their main residence.

Agree with durhamlad - it's very clear, you can't have owned a home anywhere. We bought in the UK after owning one house in the US and definitely did not qualify for any of the first time buyer perks.

Thanks for the feedback all. That seems to clear it up. Gotta pay. So be it. Cheers.

The only caveat to this is that you can still qualify as a first time buyer for shared ownership properties in some, limited, cases. Some providers say that you only need not to own another property to be classed as a first time buyer, for them.. but not for mortgage suppliers/stamp duty etc.

However I'm not even sure US citizen can access those shared ownership schemes as they are a form of government investment scheme, i understand.