Residential property transactions in the UK are 15% higher in the first eight months of the year compared to the same period in 2024.
The data tracked transactions between January 2025 and August 2025 and found a surge in March, with a 106% year-on-year increase in the deal as buyers rushed to close before changing stamp duty.
Meanwhile, activity fell sharply in April by 27%, and activity in May fell 11% compared to last year.
In June and July, there was a rebound, trading was getting higher and higher into 2024, with June growing by nearly 3% and up nearly 5% in July.
August’s deals rose 2% compared to the previous year, and budget speculation began.
The Prime Minister is reportedly considering major reforms to property taxes, including removing stamp duty for buyers and proposing new taxes to home sellers worth more than £500,000.
Other options rumored to be reviewed include changes to allow home buyers to pay stamp duty and capital gains tax in installments.
The fall budget is scheduled for November 26.
“It’s been a year of ups and downs in the real estate market, but overall transactions are higher than last year, which shows people running quickly in March. March buyers caught their breath in the spring and then returned in the summer.
“We have started to feel the mood change since the speculation was announced in August. The conversations with buyers and mortgage brokers show that some people are starting to back off while waiting for what the Prime Minister announced.”
“The housing market doesn’t like uncertainty, and rumors of big changes are enough to make people hesitate or risk making wrong choices.”
“As we approach the nearly 26th of November, buyers may induce them to stop and decide to cancel the stamp duty and save thousands of pounds overnight.”
“This hesitation is understandable, but it will create a market that stops. If reforms are made, they need to think clearly and carefully so that people can wait confidently rather than cautiously on the field.”
