The Stamp Duty Land Tax reforms that were introduced in December last year have saved UK homeowners £701million in the six months since the changes came into force, according to myhomemove.

The Government’s estimate that the changes to how stamp duty is levied has cut the tax for 98 per cent of people purchasing homes under £937,500, is supported by the research carried out by the conveyancing service provider, which found that since the reforms each house buyer below this level has saved an average of £1,400.

“The stamp duty reforms have saved UK home buyers a significant amount of money since its introduction and provided an important boost to the property market, just as house transactions were starting to slow down in the run up to the General Election,” said Doug Crawford, CEO of myhomemove.

He points out that the changes have had a particularly positive impact on those struggling the most to get onto the property ladder, including first-time-buyers, as they can now save more money towards a deposit for their purchase.

Crawford (left) continued, “Under the old ‘slab’ system, there was a substantial increase in price at the stamp duty thresholds, which the reforms have reduced significantly, leading to greater movement up the property ladder and enabling homeowners to aspire to own properties that would have previously been unobtainable.

“While there are losers from the changes, these are a small minority of buyers. For them, the risk of a prospective ‘mansion tax’ was far greater than the increase in stamp duty. Early signs indicate that the election result has reassured buyers of higher value properties, with many estate agents reporting a buoyant market at the top.”