The seasonally adjusted number of sales in March was 1.4 per cent higher than in February, and 6.8 per cent higher than in March last year, according to the latest figures released by HM Revenue and Customs.
The report found that the seasonally adjusted UK property transaction count for March 2019 was 101,830 residential and 11,210 non-residential transactions.
Year-on-year, UK non-seasonally adjusted residential transactions in March 2019 were approximately 0.4 per cent higher than March 2018, while non-adjusted non-residential transactions were approximately 9.2 per cent higher than March 2018.
The seasonally adjusted count of non-residential property transactions increased by 8.9 per cent between February and March, and is 9.7 per cent higher than March 2018.
Masking an unhealthy market
Joshua Elash, director MT Finance, said that there is a danger that an overall number of transactions for the country as a whole masks an unhealthy market, which in large parts is either stagnant or in decline and empowers the government to continue with its strategy of an overly-aggressive stamp duty regime.
“On face value, transactional volumes are slightly up which in light of the general surrounding circumstances is a win. We shall wait to see what this transactional volume equates to in net stamp duty revenues to HMRC.
“The suspicion is that the volumes reflect increased activity in the regions and secondary cities, which would be consistent with the recent house price data released by the Land Registry. But transactional volumes in London and the South East, where higher value properties yield higher stamp duty returns, remain suppressed.”
Stamp duty holiday would help last-time buyers
Kevin Roberts, director of Legal and General Mortgage Club, said that while existing homeowners remain largely undeterred by the current political climate, it is clear there are still other barriers preventing people from achieving their homeownership goals.
He added: “The continued support we’ve seen from the government to help those lower down the housing ladder is to be welcomed, but if we are to increase property transactions, this means helping those at the other end too.
“A stamp duty holiday for ‘last-time buyers’, for example, would enable these borrowers to move to more suitable accommodation, whether that be a two-bed bungalow or retirement village, freeing up larger homes often in school catchment areas for growing families.”
