Campaign for Stamp Duty reform
We’re backing Andrews Property Group, who have launched a campaign asking the government to review Stamp Duty payment terms by allowing home buyers the option to spread stamp duty costs over two to five years, rather than finding the full amount within 14 days of completion.
Within the first month, they have achieved over 1,600 of the 10,00 signatures needed to require a response from government, and 100,000 required to ensure the idea will be considered for debate in Parliament.
“This pragmatic suggestion could positively impact demand and consequently support a healthy market and transaction volumes. It is well known and generally agreed that every residential property transaction gives a boost to the economy. Initiatives which could free up more cash for homebuyers to spend on their new home can only support this. ” Christian Balshen, Rightmove’s Director of Agency Partnerships
People can view and sign on the government website until 1st January 2026
Rightmove has separately asked the government to review the current stamp duty thresholds, to help mobility across many parts of the property market.
The current zero rate thresholds of £125,000 for home-movers, and £300,000 for first-time buyers were first introduced in 2006 and 2017 respectively. There have been some temporary increases to these thresholds over the years, which have now reverted to these levels.
Our analysis comparing the number of stamp duty free properties back in 2017 with 2025 highlights the need for a review, to consider price growth over the period:
- Asking prices in England have risen by 22% between 2017 and 2025.
- For first-time buyers, in 2017 over half of properties in England (53%) were free from stamp duty taxes. This has dropped to 40% in 2025 due to rising house prices
- For home-movers, 15% of properties in England in 2017 were free from stamp duty taxes. That has dropped to only 5% in 2025
Rightmove believes that reforming stamp duty could help to make moving more affordable, especially for first-time buyers, and could lead to more moves happening in the market.
“It’s been a positive first six months of the year for the property market, and Rightmove continues to support our partners by delivering high quality services and connecting them with the UK’s largest and most engaged audience of serious movers. Stamp duty can be a big barrier to movement, and so we want to see ways that affordability can be improved and more first-time buyers can be supported onto the housing ladder. We’d encourage the government to review the current stamp duty thresholds, and see if there is a way to update these to better reflect current house prices, to help increase mobility across the market.” Johan Svanstrom, Rightmove CEO
Sources: Historical market data provided by Rightmove Data Services. Historical stamp duty thresholds taken from the government website.