Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Mortgage Strategy. Read the original article for full details.

Stamp Duty Reform Could Unlock 300,000 Homes, Says Jackson-Stops

Removing stamp duty costs could bring more than 300,000 owner-occupied homes to the market across England within less than a year, according to a new report from Jackson-Stops. The housing mobility report also estimates that this figure could rise to over 750,000 homes over three years, underlining the impact of upfront moving costs on housing mobility.

The report found that greater certainty over the home-moving process could unlock 260,000 homes within a year. This figure represents the first wave of latent housing supply that could be released if uncertainty over transaction timelines was reduced, with the potential to rise to over 700,000 homes in three years.

The findings follow the government’s recent publication of a roadmap for reforming the home buying and selling process, which aims to cut transaction times by around four weeks. The report highlights that stamp duty was cited by 28% of affected owner-occupiers as a barrier to moving, while economic uncertainty (42%) and mortgage rates (29%) were also mentioned as obstacles.

UK-wide residential transactions reached over 1.21 million completions in the 2024 to 2025 financial year, up from around 1 million in 2023 to 2024. Jackson-Stops states that this activity is being supported by a mix of practical life-stage and lifestyle-led decisions.

Among owner-occupiers who had moved, were considering moving, or had considered moving in the last five years, the leading motivations were moving to a larger home (24%) and relocating to a different area for lifestyle reasons (22%). Millennials were identified as the most active established owner-occupier generation, with 12% currently planning to move or already in the process, compared to 8% of owner-occupiers overall.

For letting agents and inventory clerks, the report’s findings suggest that changes to stamp duty and transaction processes could significantly increase housing market activity, potentially leading to more instructions and property turnovers.