Foreign investors are setting up “club deals” to manage new stamp duty surcharges that come into place on 1 April, a tax and advisory firm has claimed.

There will be a combined five percent stamp duty surcharge for overseas investors buying buy-to-let properties in England and Northern Ireland, which gives an effective top tax rate of 17 percent.

Blick Rothenberg believes there is already evidence of an early behaviour change to exploit a loophole in the new rules.