How to Beat the Stamp Duty Deadline: Tips for Vendors and Buyers

Finding a chain-free property will give you the best chance of completing your purchase before the deadline. The more people in the chain, the more risk there is and the less control you have.

Chestertons also offers ‘sale ready’ properties, which have specialist London solicitors appointed that can act for both buyer and seller on a single transaction to further reduce the time to exchange of contracts.

The legal part of a transaction is generally the part that takes the longest and is the least predictable. You therefore need to ensure that you have a competent, experienced, well-resourced solicitor that isn’t planning to take any holiday while working on your transaction. It is well worth using a solicitor that your estate agent recommends as they are likely to already have a good working relationship and a proven track record of getting transactions completed quickly and efficiently.

Shop around for your preferred mortgage provider and apply for an ‘Agreement in Principle’ immediately, even if you haven’t found a property yet.

As well as agreeing a price as part of your purchase, agree a timeframe too and ensure everyone involved with the deal agrees to it. That timeframe shouldn’t just include an exchange and completion date, it should also specify that solicitors need to be appointed within 24hrs and enquiries are responded to within 48hrs.