Sdlt Hike Spurs Record Home Sales by Auction
iamproperty is crediting the recent Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) hike and rising consumer awareness as the reasons behind a record-breaking quarter for Auction.
The market conditions led to an 11% increase in the number of iamproperty Auction sales in the first quarter of the year, compared with the same period last year. iamproperty’s Partner Agents benefitted by receiving £10.7m in fees during the quarter, a 13% increase on Q1 2024*.
As buyers and sellers raced to complete before the SDLT deadline, iamproperty’s Conveyancing teams saw the number of daily completions double on the final day before the SDLT change. In March alone, 1,182 Auction sales were completed, iamproperty’s highest ever monthly total.
The UK’s largest residential property auctioneer has released the data as part of its Q1 Online Auction Index.
Auction awareness continues to rise
Alongside the record-breaking activity, consumer data also shows an increased awareness of the Modern Method of Auction (MMoA), which grew from 37% last year, to 41% in early 2025**.
Lengthy Private Treaty sales – which had an average completion time of 160 days in 2024^, have driven home movers to seek alternative sales methods.
With 56-day completion timelines^^, the speed and security of using Auction as opposed to traditional sales methods meets consumers’ top priorities. Data shows that over 85% of consumers are looking for a fast, straightforward process, with 95% of people looking for reassurance that the other party will stay committed to the sale**.
Jamie Cooke, Co-Founder at iamproperty, said:
“The first quarter of the year has demonstrated continued growth in demand for Auction. While the SDLT deadline provided a clear incentive for faster completions, the level of activity we saw, including a record number of completions in March, reflected a trend towards alternative methods of sale.
“Our Partner Agents completed 2,878 sales in Q1, with a notable increase in both volume and fee income compared to the same period last year. Auction continues to be an effective alternative to Private Treaty, particularly in a market where speed, transparency and greater certainty are valued by both buyers and sellers. As other agents may have been grappling with Private Treaty completion timelines, we were able to support our Partner Agents to delight their clients, push sales through on time and save a significant amount of money by completing before the tax hike.
“As we move into the new financial year, we expect this momentum to continue, supported by growing consumer awareness and an increased focus on choice in the home moving process.”
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