Four new octahedral complexes of the type [SnCl4L2] (L = γ-keto allyl phosphonate) (1–4) were prepared and characterized by multinuclear (1H, 13C, 31P and 119Sn) NMR, IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The NMR data show, as expected, that these complexes exist in solution as mixtures of cis and trans isomers. More importantly, the solution structure was confirmed by 119Sn NMR spectra which show two triplets corresponding to the two isomers. In addition, the solution behavior of these complexes in the presence of excess ligand was studied by variable temperature NMR using the coalescence temperature method. The metal-ligand exchange activation energies were therefore determined and found to be in the range 57–60 kJ/mol. The effect of remote substituents on the metal-ligand interaction was studied and compared with closely related tin-phosphoryl complexes.