An immediate stamp duty holiday is needed

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) joins the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in calling for a temporary stamp duty holiday.

Richard Beresford, chief executive of the NFB, said:

“A temporary stamp duty holiday would encourage new build sales and release some much needed cashflow back to our struggling housebuilders. It would also ensure vital businesses, such as surveyors and conveyancers, are able to continue operating in these difficult times. We support it.”

The Government recommends that construction continues and it is also supporting house moves, where the process has already begun, or where homes are vacant. The option of a stamp duty holiday is therefore sensible and immediately deliverable, as are campaigns to defer planning contributions and council tax on vacant new builds, as well as extend planning permissions by 12 months.

Rico Wojtulewicz, head of housing and planning policy at the House Builders Association (HBA), the housebuilding division of the NFB, said:

“Housebuilders, many of whom are struggling to get lending from the Government CBILS scheme, are still expected to pay bills, their staff and the supply chain but with reduced or no revenues. A temporary stamp duty holiday is another immediately deliverable solution that the Government should pursue. Any delay in increasing support to our industry will see businesses go to the wall and once one goes, the domino effect will be striking.”

National Federation of Builders

The National Federation of Builders is a United Kingdom trade association representing the interests of small and medium-sized building contractors in England and Wales.

You May Also Enjoy

Commercial Agent Talk

Building Site Accidents and Compensation: A Guide for Injured Workers

One mistake, one faulty piece of equipment and an unsafe working setup could cause a construction laborer much more than just aches and pains. One injury can result in medical costs, showing up on working days, reduced income and a path to long recovery. Under certain circumstances, the workers may be entitled to get compensation…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

First-Time Buyers: Why 4–5 Houses is the Sweet Spot

House hunting before the stress kicks in: Four to five houses is the sweet spot for first-time buyers Just 20% of us feel excited on a first property viewing, rising to 47% by viewings 4 to 5 There’s a U shape trajectory of excitement when it comes to the viewing process However, there is a…
Read More
Breaking News

Two in five mortgage holders switched banks for a better mortgage deal

Of those who have a mortgage and switched banks, 41% did so to get a better mortgage rate deal and 30% did it to receive an incentive related to their mortgage Only 15% of people moving home switched their bank account during the move, while far more switched broadband (46%), energy (38%), and mobile phones…
Read More
Breaking News

Housing market trends highlight a changing landscape

The housing market has seen many challenges across the year to date and, in many ways, the property landscape has been a year of two extremes already.   At the start of the year, there was a quiet but optimistic consumer confidence in the air.   However, with the global economy impacting almost every aspect…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 7/9/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.     Privera uses Silex to provide its employees with a shared platform for source-based research Silex, the Swiss AI platform for legal research and productivity, today announced that Privera has selected and deployed Silex to support legal research and knowledge workflows across its nationwide real estate…
Read More
Breaking News

Mortgage rate rises loom as major lenders reprice

Major lenders have moved to increase mortgage rates to catch up with recent rises to swap rates, according to Moneyfactscompare.co.uk analysis.   Over the coming days, more lenders are expected to review mortgage rates in response to higher swap rates, with HSBC and NatWest so far the biggest banks to increase rates since the start…
Read More