Homebuyers have already paid £3.2bn in stamp duty this year
New analysis from over-50s property specialists, Regency Living, reveals that homebuyers in England have already paid more than £3.24bn in Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) in 2025 (Jan to Aug), an amount that would have been saved under new Conservative Party proposals to abolish the tax entirely on primary home purchases.
Unveiled at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester this week, the policy pledge would see SDLT removed for main residence purchases if the party wins the next general election.
The analysis* by Regency Living looked at Land Registry Price Paid data for every primary property transaction to have completed so far this year across England (Jan to Aug), calculating the stamp duty owed at current thresholds, to reveal just how much homebuyers have paid due to the archaic government tax grab.
£3.24bn paid in stamp duty so far this year across England
The research shows that, this year alone, homebuyers have paid an estimated £3.24bn in SDLT across £116bn worth of residential property transactions in England.
London and the South East home to highest SDLT bills
London homebuyers have shouldered the greatest burden, paying over £1bn in SDLT alone. This is followed by the South East (£771.5m), East of England (£414.4m), and South West (£331.7m). Homebuyers have paid the least stamp duty across the North East, but even still this equates to a total tax bill of £40.7m.
How much could the average homebuyer stand to save?
Further analysis by Regency Living, using the latest Gov UK House Price Index, has revealed how much the average homebuyer could stand to save should stamp duty get scrapped.
Across England, the average stamp duty bill currently stands at £4,593, based on an average property price of £291,852.
In London, where the average house price reaches £561,587, the average SDLT bill climbs to £18,079. But in the capital’s most expensive borough, Kensington and Chelsea, the potential SDLT saving is significantly higher with the average SDLT bill hitting an eye-watering £79,914 – the highest in the country.
Outside London, the South East sees an average SDLT bill of £9,088, with potential savings in the region’s priciest area, Elmbridge, reaching £26,886.
In the East of England, buyers in St Albans could save an average of £21,428, while in the South West, the biggest potential savings are found in the Cotswolds, averaging £12,155.
At the other end of the scale, the North East records the lowest SDLT bills, with an average of just £774, based on an average house price of £163,684, although this climbs to £1,612 in the region’s priciest pocket of the market, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
See how much money homebuyers in your area would save if SDLT was abolished today.
Tim Simmons, sales director at Regency Living, commented: “Stamp duty is one of the most prohibitive costs when it comes to buying a home. No matter where in the country you live, or what step of the ladder you’re on, paying thousands of pounds – if not tens of thousands – for the privilege of buying a home is senseless and exclusionary.
At Regency Living, the high cost of stamp duty is regularly cited as one of the key reasons downsizers opt to purchase a residential park home, instead of a bricks and mortar property.
Not only do they offer heightened levels of affordability in some of England’s most in-demand property market hotspots, they’re also exempt from stamp duty. This means buyers can save many thousands of pounds, regardless of whether or not the Conservatives win power at the next general election.”
Data tables and sources
*Sold price records source from the Land Registry Price Paid data set looking at transactions to have completed so far in 2025 (Jan to Aug). PPD Category A only (primary purchases) and excluding sales listed by property type as ‘other’.
*Average house price data sourced from the UK House Price Index
*Stamp duty rates and information sourced from the UK Government
Full data tables can be viewed online, here