Property 8 January 2026, 9:38am

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Until 31 December 2025, it was possible to obtain a tax allowance for a replacement purchase if the buyer sold their previous home within three years prior to or one year after the purchase.

From 1 January, the look-back period has increased from three to five years (the one-year period following the purchase remains unchanged), and the basis for the tax remains the difference in market value between the two properties.

The standard rate of the tax on transfers of property for consideration, as it is officially called, is 4% of the market value of the acquired property, not reduced by any encumbrances.

Another change is that, in the case of multiple apartment sales,

the purchaser may apply the most favourable tax base

when determining the tax liability by looking back over three years or forward over one year, because the phrase "the sale of an apartment closest in time to the purchase of an apartment" has been removed from the law.

The law states the following in this regard: "If a private individual exchanges several residential properties or purchases or sells several residential properties within three years prior to the purchase or within one year after the purchase, when determining the value difference forming the basis of the duty, only one exchange or sale may be taken into account for each apartment exchange or purchase, resulting in a more favorable duty base for the person liable to pay the duty."