Closed petition Extend the Stamp Duty holiday for properties when sale is delayed due to probate

Closed on 7 June 2021

Extend the cut-off for house purchases where a property cannot be sold due to delays caused by probate, because of the backlog caused by Covid. Purchasers are at risk of losing out on the stamp duty benefit and being financially impaired and potentially sales falling through as a result

The housing market has seen an increase in house sales but due to Covid there are increased delays in probate. Purchasers are now being told that if the sales don’t go through in time they will miss out even though probate is a legal requirement and applications for probate are being delayed due to the pandemic. These sales could have gone through in time if not for the probate office back log. If it comes to cut off and the sales have not gone through purchasers may then have to pull out of the sales.