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The stamp duty cut for first-time buyers was the Government’s big giveaway in last year’s Autumn Budget. But how much help will it really give buyers in London?
For aspirational young buyers who dream of living in the heart of London (Travel Zones 1-2), the stamp duty cut will benefit very few first-time buyers. According to analysis by online estate agents HouseSimple.com, there are just 387 properties currently for sale at £300,000 or less in London Travel Zones 1 and 2, that would be stamp duty exempt for first- time buyers.
If you extended the search area to include Travel Zone 3, the number of stamp duty exempt properties increases to 1,235. Not surprisingly, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has the fewest stamp duty exempt properties, with just six, including a tiny 113 square foot studio flat, in SW5, Earls Court. The boroughs of Camden and City of Westminster, both have just 18 stamp duty exempt properties currently on the market.
First time buyers should head to the borough of Croydon, which is travel zone 5-6, for the largest number of stamp duty exempt properties on the market today. Croydon has 795 properties at £300k or less, more than double the number in any other London borough.
The reality is, that most first-time buyers will still have to pay stamp duty if they’re hoping to buy in inner London. According to HouseSimple figures, there are 4,490 properties in Zone 1-2, and 7,687 properties in Zone 1-3, that are currently on the market at between £300,001 and £500,000, and would be eligible for a £5,000 stamp duty cut.
The following table shows the number of properties currently for sale in London at £300k and below, and between £300k up to £500k, broken down by borough.
| Borough | Tube/Travel zone | Number of properties for sale at £300,000 or below | Number of properties for sale from £300,001 up to £500,000 |
| Barking and Dagenham | 4-5 | 214 | 233 |
| Barnet | 4 | 260 | 1,346 |
| Bexley | 6+ | 213 | 388 |
| Brent | 3-4 | 292 | 1,263 |
| Bromley | 3-4 | 300 | 722 |
| Camden | 1-2 | 18 | 277 |
| City of Westminster | 1 | 18 | 242 |
| Croydon | 5-6 | 795 | 1,345 |
| Ealing | 3-4 | 235 | 1,142 |
| Enfield | 4-5 | 279 | 680 |
| Greenwich | 3 | 207 | 486 |
| Hackney | 2 | 23 | 438 |
| Hammersmith & Fulham | 2 | 24 | 212 |
| Haringey | 3-4 | 85 | 449 |
| Harrow | 4-6 | 175 | 589 |
| Havering | 6 | 275 | 665 |
| Hillingdon | 5-6 | 311 | 706 |
| Hounslow | 2-4 | 263 | 660 |
| Islington | 1-2 | 16 | 381 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 1-2 | 6 | 144 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 3-4 | 85 | 449 |
| Lambeth | 1-2 | 123 | 851 |
| Lewisham | 2-3 | 231 | 721 |
| Merton | 3-4 | 197 | 540 |
| Newham | 2-3 | 260 | 1,019 |
| Redbridge | 4 | 242 | 515 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 3-4 | 56 | 343 |
| Southwark | 1-2 | 89 | 688 |
| Sutton | 4-5 | 319 | 390 |
| Tower Hamlets | 1-2 | 70 | 1,257 |
| Waltham Forest | 3-4 | 175 | 567 |
| Wandsworth | 2-3 | 94 | 797 |
| TOTAL | 5,961 | 20,488 |
Sam Mitchell, CEO, online estate agents HouseSimple.com comments: “The Chancellor wheeled out his big tax break offering last Autumn to help first-time buyers and attract young voters. Unfortunately for the young London buyer, the stamp duty cut, while beneficial to large swathes of the country, won’t make much of a dent in their house buying budget.
“Even a stamp duty saving of £5,000 on properties up to £500,000, which is not something to be sniffed at, won’t be much help if first-time buyers don’t have the funds in the first place to put down substantial deposits needed to buy even a basic starter home in Inner London.
“London is seeing an exodus of young professionals, who would prefer to move to more affordable areas of the country, than buy in outer London, and face long commutes every day. With the growth of business hubs in many other major cities, and the cost of housing considerably lower than in the capital, London is no longer the economic draw it used to be.”
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