There’s a massive logjam of some 575,000 homes stuck in the legal completion process trying to make the April 1 stamp duty deadline, says Rightmove.
The portal’s property expert Colleen Babcock says: “Historic averages show that this March is likely to be one of the strongest months of the year for sellers to spring into action. However, sellers can’t just rely on these historic averages for success, as this year they are facing a decade-high level of competition.
“Those who are successfully finding buyers right now are working hard with their agents to price competitively and present their home in the best possible light.
“The big milestone ahead in England is the stamp duty deadline, and with a massive log-jam of 575,000 moves going through the legal completion process, many cost-conscious buyers will be doing all they can to get their move over the line and avoid unnecessary extra tax. Whilst agents tell us that they have been working with both sellers and buyers to factor in the additional charges, many movers are understandably hoping to reduce their tax bill and keep their savings for themselves.”
The 575,000 homes going through the legal completion process represents a large proportion of Rightmove’s prediction of 1.15 final transactions for the whole of 2025.
Those movers who are based in England will likely be trying to beat the stamp duty deadline as it draws closer. Rightmove’s stamp duty report identifies an estimated 74,000 moves, which includes 25,000 first-time buyers, that will just miss thedeadline, and complete in April instead. Should they complete in April, it will be at a combined cost of £142m in extra tax.
Rightmove says the hope of an extension is fading, but with the Spring Statement arriving just before the deadline, this would be an opportune moment to announce a short extension to help these movers, who had a reasonable expectation of beating the stamp duty deadline, but due to delays in the process will just miss out.
So far this year the property market has remained stable and resilient despite the global turbulence and uncertainty, the portal states.
The data suggests that this is set to continue in the short term at least, as there are positive statistics for home-moving activity as the market heads into Spring. The number of sales being agreed is 9% higher than at this time in 2024, and the number of new sellers is now 8% ahead of this time last year. Both are positive signs for continued market activity after stamp duty increases at the start of April.
Persistently high mortgage rates are dampening some of the market optimism and activity, proving stickier than many expected and still very susceptible to economic uncertainty. According to Rightmove’s weekly mortgage tracker, the average five-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.74%, which is reduced from the peak of 6.11% in July 2023, but is only a marginal improvement on the 4.84% of this time last year.
Rightmove welcomes proposals by the mortgage regulator to look at ways responsible lending can be simplified. This includes encouraging lenders to stress test appropriately, making mortgage processes easier for home-movers, and in the longer-term, looking at responsible ways that first-time buyers could be permitted to borrow more. However, change can take time, and any lowering of mortgage rates will be of more immediate benefit to home-movers.
