Sarah Bradford outlines the concept of a ‘main’ residence for capital gains tax purposes.
Most people do not expect to have to pay capital gains tax (CGT) when they sell their home. Private residence relief (also known as main residence relief or principal private residence relief) normally applies in full when the property has been the taxpayer’s only or main residence throughout the whole period for which they have owned it.
Where the property has been the only or main residence for part of the period of ownership, the relief applies to the period for which it was occupied as such and the last nine months (increased to 36 months where the taxpayer is disabled or leaves the property to go into care). The relief may also apply to certain limited periods of absence, such as those where the taxpayer was required to work elsewhere.
Where the taxpayer only has one residence, the position is
