Mansion Tax After the Budget: What It Means If You Own, Buy or Let a £2m+ Home (Updated November 2026)

The mansion tax is confirmed. From April 2028, homes in England worth £2m or more will pay an annual surcharge of £2,500 to £7,500 on top of council tax. The October 2026 Budget doubled the charge for homes left substantially unfurnished and unoccupied for 12 months or more, to as much as £15,000 a year. For most owners it is a running cost to plan for, not a reason to sell in a hurry. The owners who need to act are those with a £2m+ home sitting empty.

What changed in the October 2026 Budget

• The £2m threshold stays. Speculation about a lower £1.5m threshold came to nothing.
• The bands are unchanged. The charge is £2,500 a year from £2m, rising to £7,500 a year at £5m and above. It will be uprated with CPI inflation from 2029–30 (GOV.UK; Budget 2026).
• New: a 100% premium on empty homes. It applies to £2m+ homes that are substantially unfurnished and unoccupied for 12 months or more. The owner may also pay an empty homes premium on regular council tax, depending on the council (Budget 2026; [Telegraph](ADD LINK); Evening Standard).
• What that means band by band. An empty home would pay £5,000 a year from £2m, £7,000 from £2.5m, £10,000 from £3.5m and £15,000 at £5m and above.
• Deferral, exemptions and discounts. There is a deferral option for asset-rich, cash-poor households, plus exemptions and discounts for specific property types. Discounts for farms and other tied properties are among those being considered (Propertymark).
• The start date is still April 2028. Charges are based on April 2026 values, not your eventual sale price. Draft valuation bands are due in autumn 2027, and the first bills go out in March 2028 (Propertymark).

If you own a £2m+ home you live in

If you own an asset above £2m, you plan for the charge and then move on. At the top band the charge is £7,500 a year. That matters, but on its own it rarely changes whether a well-located, well-run home is worth holding. The bigger long-term point I made last year still stands. The bands rise only with inflation, so more homes will be pulled in over time, and London will feel it first because so many homes sit near the thresholds.

• Check where your home is likely to sit against the bands. Owners just above a threshold have the most at stake, and solicitors are already predicting valuation disputes (Setfords, quoted in the Evening Standard).
• Keep evidence of condition and works. If your band is ever challenged, a clear record helps.

If your £2m+ home sits empty

This is the group the Budget really targets. A second home, an inherited home or a London base used a few weeks a year could face double the charge from April 2028 if it is substantially unfurnished and unoccupied. You have around 17 months to decide what that home is for.

• Live in it more, furnish it properly or let it. Prime London rents rose 4.0% over the year to Q3 2026, with an average gross yield of 5.19% ([LonRes](ADD LINK)). Letting can now cover more than the tax.
• Or sell it, off market. Many owners in this position do not want a public listing or a history of price reductions. A discreet, off-market approach to qualified buyers lets you test the price first.
• Overseas owners should take advice early. Lawyers have flagged that homes left empty while their owners spend long periods abroad are exactly where the premium bites (Irwin Mitchell, quoted in the Evening Standard).

If you are buying

Add the surcharge to your running costs and use it in negotiation. Pricing around £2m is already adjusting. Winkworth found that price reductions taking asking prices below £2m nearly doubled after the surcharge was announced, and some sales agreed just above £2m fell through before being re-agreed below it ([Property Reporter](ADD LINK)).

• Buyers have room to negotiate. Across prime London, the average discount to asking price was 10.1% in Q3 2026, and achieved prices were 4.0% lower over the year ([LonRes](ADD LINK)).
• At the very top, demand is holding. There were 26 sales above £10m in Q3 2026, led by Belgravia, Knightsbridge and Kensington ([Savills](ADD LINK)). Best-in-class homes are not waiting for the tax to settle.
• The surcharge applies across England. The same thinking applies to a country house in Surrey, the Cotswolds or Buckinghamshire as to a Chelsea townhouse.

If you are thinking of selling

Do not sell just to avoid the charge. It does not start until April 2028. A rushed sale in a buyer’s market can cost far more than several years of surcharge, and the right buyer will price the tax in either way. Sell when the home no longer suits your life, and sell well: realistic pricing, strong presentation and the right buyers in front of it.

My view, one year on

Last November I said the charge was small but the principle was big. The Budget has proved both points. The headline numbers did not move, but the government has started using the surcharge to change behaviour, and it is starting with empty homes. If you own at this level, decide now what each property is for. A home that is lived in, let or sold on your own terms is in a much stronger position than one left to sit.

Frequently asked questions

When does the mansion tax start? The High Value Council Tax Surcharge is due to start in April 2028 for homes in England valued at £2m or more. The first bills are expected in March 2028.

How much is the mansion tax? It starts at £2,500 a year for homes valued from £2m and rises to £7,500 a year for homes worth £5m or more. It is paid on top of normal council tax and uprated with CPI inflation from 2029–30.

Is there extra mansion tax on empty homes? Yes. From April 2028, a 100% premium applies to £2m+ homes that are substantially unfurnished and unoccupied for 12 months or more, so a £5m+ home could pay up to £15,000 a year.

Should I sell my house before the mansion tax starts? Usually not just for the tax. The charge is an annual running cost, buyers will factor it in, and a rushed sale in today’s market can cost more than several years of surcharge. Sell when the home no longer fits your plans.

Does letting my empty home avoid the double charge? The premium targets homes that are substantially unfurnished and unoccupied for 12 months or more. A home that is properly let and lived in should not be treated as empty. Check the final legislation with your adviser.

Does the mansion tax apply outside London? Yes. It applies to qualifying homes across England, including country houses in Surrey, Buckinghamshire and the Cotswolds.