How stamp duty changes are distorting London's property market
Changes to stamp duty are driving London property developers to give up on family homes in favour of filling the capital with tiny flats.
Tax what you want less of; don't tax what you want more of. It's simple stuff. So here's a question: why do the authorities want fewer family size homes in London and more rabbit-hutch sized homes? That's the direct result of the recent rise in stamp duty.
The group doing Battersea Power Station has already announced something similar: it is adding 409 homes to its total by cutting the size of the ones in the original plans. The same is true in Chelsea where one developer has just cut seven townhouses and a six-bedroom flat from its plans so it can bump up its mini-flat count.
Article continues belowTry 6 free issues of MoneyWeek today
Get unparalleled financial insight, analysis and expert opinion you can profit from.
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
It all makes perfect sense (paying stamp duty at 10% on any purchases of more than £925,000 is one hell of a deterrent to the average buyer). But it is worth wondering if, when George Osborne introduced his changes, he had actually thought through the effect of the new rates on the make-up of London's new-build housing stock, given that the average UK new build is already rather smaller than those anywhere else in Europe. I suspect not.
