Members were recently asked a series of questions by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) relating to the recent speculation that the Chancellor may grant a stamp duty holiday in autumn and the results clearly demonstrated agents’ strong feelings on how this situation has been handled and the impact this has had on the market to date.

Some 25% of agents claimed that a sale had fallen through as a direct result of the Chancellor’s comments on stamp duty whilst 92% of agents believe the Chancellor’s remarks have increased consumers concerns.

Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the NAEA, said: “Instead of the Government formulating a careful plan outlining their thoughts clearly and concisely with a clear time frame in mind, this comment was simply made off-the-cuff. This is not particularly helpful in the current climate. It seems that there had been little regard to how this speculative comment might impact on what is already a delicate market. These figures clearly show the effect that this ‘loose’ statement has had on consumers and the property market as a whole, none of which are encouraging.”