Research from broker Mojo Mortgages has highlighted January 16th as the last realistic date to start the home-buying process and beat the stamp duty deadline.
Mojo Mortgages analysed 395 councils’ processing times, showing how different local authorities can make or break a buyer’s chances of meeting the deadline.
The research reveals a stark variation in local authority search processing times, ranging from three to 180 working days.
This creates a “postcode lottery” for homebuyers’ chances of meeting the Stamp Duty holiday deadline.
DECEMBER DEADLINE
The study suggests that in 23% of council areas (91 out of 395), homebuyers would have needed to start their process by December 2024 to meet the March 31st, 2025 Stamp Duty holiday deadline.
THIS WEEK
For an additional 31% (125) of council areas, the research indicates that the conveyancing process should have started by the end of this week (Friday, January 10th, 2025) to complete in time.
HOPE REMAINS
The analysis shows there’s still hope for buyers in 38% of council areas, with predicted deadlines to start the conveyancing process ranging up to January 16th, 2025.
HACKNNEY HURDLE
In the extreme case of the London Borough of Hackney, the study suggests buyers would have needed to start their process in July 2024, due to an estimated 180-day search time.
AVERAGE INCREASE
Mojo Mortgages predicts that the average stamp Duty will increase by £2,033 for home movers after the deadline.
However, the stamp duty deadline will have a significant impact on first-time buyers in London, potentially increasing overnight from £3,854 to £15,104 – a projected increase of £11,250.
STAMP DUTY BILL AFTER APRIL 2025
Source: Mojo Mortgages
