Rumoured stamp duty extension to end of June: latest estimates

Following the latest rumours that the stamp duty holiday could be extended to the end of June, here is the estimated effect it could have:

• Rightmove estimates an additional 300,000 property transactions in England could get through, based on previous HMRC data
• If an additional 300,000 transactions made it through, buyers could save £1.75 billion in total
• Based on the current sales that have been agreed in England, 80% would pay no stamp duty due to this holiday

There are an estimated 628,000 sales in total still currently in the legal process across Great Britain, including those that were agreed last year and those that have been agreed so far this year.

Currently, Rightmove estimates that 100,000 buyers who agreed a purchase last year are set to lose out, if the deadline stays as 31^st March.

Rightmove’s property expert Tim Bannister said: “We estimate that around 100,000 sales will miss the current March deadline, and so if the holiday is extended to the end of June it would give these the chance to complete in time, plus a number of other sales could now make it through that were only agreed at the start of this year. If it is announced next week we’re likely to see a rush of new buyers also trying to make use of the savings, but it’s worth remembering that the huge logjam will mean a new sale being agreed is still likely to take over four months on average to complete, so really an extension for a few months would be an indication that it’s to help those already trying to get their purchases through.”