Related topic: Stamp duty

Sebastian Murphy, group director at JLM Mortgage Services, says Burnham may have ruled out major property tax reform in the short term, but he should not mistake that for a reason to...

The first half of 2026 continues to outperform both 2023 and 2024, despite buyers facing considerably higher mortgage rates and the absence of any stamp duty incentive.

Stamp duty remains a key downsizing barrier, but connection and suitable housing matter too.

This is despite 58% considering moving to a smaller property in the future and 42% wanting more appropriate specialist facilities to enable moving.

Just 2% of first-time buyers in the North East pay, compared to 79% in London.

Stamp duty was cited by 28% of affected owner-occupiers as a barrier to moving.

Despite the significant rise in house prices, buyers still start paying stamp duty at the same point they did twenty years ago.

Homebuyers paid £15.2bn in stamp duty over the 12 month period.

In the last year, the total estimated stamp duty bill for first-time buyers has jumped from £101m to £408m.

Nearly £392m in potential estate agency revenue and £515m in potential stamp duty receipts were lost last year to fall throughs.