The Autumn Budget was delivered on Wednesday 28 October 2026. If you are buying, selling or letting a home in Poole, Bournemouth or Verwood, here is a plain guide to what was announced and what is still to be confirmed, with sources at the bottom.
The headlines
Stamp duty was left unchanged. First-time buyers got the details of the new Your First Home scheme, a cut to one Lifetime ISA penalty and a new First Time Buyer ISA for 2029. Landlords face a further rise in the tax on rental income from April 2027. The “mansion tax” on homes worth £2 million or more is going ahead from April 2028.
Buyers and first-time buyers
Stamp duty. No changes were announced, so the current rates and thresholds still apply in England. You can check what you would pay with our stamp duty calculator.
Your First Home. The scheme first announced in September now has its key details confirmed. It is for first-time buyers in England buying a new-build home to live in. You put down a deposit of at least 2.5% (and no more than 15%), the government lends you 20% of the price as an equity loan, and you take a repayment mortgage from a participating lender for the rest. The loan is interest-free for the first five years, then 1.5% in year six and 3% from year seven. You normally repay 20% of the home’s value at the time you sell or pay it off.
Household income must be £110,000 or less outside London. Each council area will have its own price cap based on local prices. Only a handful have been published so far (for example £375,000 in Reading and £320,000 in North Devon), and the cap for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is still to be confirmed, along with the list of participating developers and lenders. Pre-registration is due to open by the end of December 2026, applications from February 2027, and the first purchases from April 2027.
Lifetime ISA. If you use a Lifetime ISA to buy a first home costing more than its £450,000 limit, the withdrawal charge falls from 25% to 20% from 29 October 2026. The 25% charge stays for other early withdrawals. You can also use a Lifetime ISA alongside Your First Home.
First Time Buyer ISA. From April 2029 a new First Time Buyer ISA will replace the Lifetime ISA for new savers. You will be able to pay in up to £4,000 a year and get a 25% government bonus (up to £20,000) when you buy a first home worth up to £450,000, with no upper age limit. Existing Lifetime ISA holders can carry on saving under the current rules. The legislation is still to come, so the fine print could change.
If you are starting to look, our area guides to Winton, Canford Heath and Verwood are a good place to begin.
Sellers and homeowners
With stamp duty unchanged, there is no new deadline to beat, which should mean a steadier market than the rush we saw before April 2025. Your First Home could bring more first-time buyers into the market from spring 2027, though only for new-build homes.
The “mansion tax”. The High Value Council Tax Surcharge will apply to homes in England worth £2 million or more (based on April 2026 values) from April 2028. It ranges from £2,500 a year for homes worth £2 million to £2.5 million up to £7,500 for homes over £5 million, paid by the owner on top of normal council tax. Fewer than 1% of homes are expected to be affected, but it will matter in places such as Sandbanks. Draft valuation bands are due in autumn 2027, and there will be a deferral scheme for some owners.
Council tax help. Households in council tax bands A to D in England are due a £100 Household Energy Payment through the council tax system from January 2027.
To work out what you would take home from a sale, try our selling costs calculator.
Landlords
Tax on rental income. The rates of income tax on property income will rise by a further two percentage points from 6 April 2027, on top of the rise announced at last year’s Budget. That means 24% for basic-rate, 44% for higher-rate and 49% for additional-rate taxpayers. The government will also consult on asking third parties, such as letting platforms, to report property income to HMRC.
Capital gains tax. No change to the capital gains tax rates on buy-to-let or second homes was announced.
Now is a good time to rerun the numbers with our rental yield calculator, and to make sure you are ready for the new rules with our Renters’ Rights Act checklist. It is worth talking to your accountant about how the April 2027 change affects you.
Housing supply and interest rates
The Budget added £1.5 billion for around 10,000 more social and affordable homes in England, with council housebuilding a priority. For most buyers, though, mortgage rates matter more. The Bank of England’s next decision is on Thursday 5 November 2026, with Bank Rate currently at 3.75%.
What to do next
If you have questions, our FAQs cover the basics, or you can get in touch with our Oakdale, Winton or Verwood team.
Thinking of selling or letting? Book a free, no-obligation valuation and we will tell you what your home is worth in today’s market. Call Oakdale on 01202 681113, Winton on 01202 512348 or Sam Garlick in Verwood on 07359 667183, or contact us online.
This guide is general information, not financial or tax advice. Details were correct as published on 28 October 2026 and some are still to be confirmed.
Sources
HM Treasury, Budget 2026 · HMRC, Budget 2026 overview of tax legislation and rates · MHCLG, Your First Home · GOV.UK, High Value Council Tax Surcharge · MoneySavingExpert · Propertymark · Which? · The Negotiator