Myself and my fiancee plan on buying within the next year or so. She is a FTB but i am not.
Does this mean we have to pay full stamp duty or is there a "loophole" where by some/all of the stamp duty can be avoided as one party is a first time buyer.
The majority of unmarried couples buying a place will need to raise funds jointly and put the house in joint names and in this case there is no avoiding the tax as far as I know.
If the FTB can buy the place on their own and their partner agree to have no beneficial interest in the place (until marraige) then I think you can avoid the duty. This is not a runner for most couples but it's worth looking into (via a good solicitor and financial advisor) as it is one of the most important financial pieces of advice you will ever seek