UK and Sussex housing news: a flat market, and no stamp duty change in the Budget (15 August 2026)
Two things worth knowing if you are planning a move in Sussex this autumn. The surveyors' survey published on 13 August shows a market that has stopped getting worse without yet getting better, and the biggest source of Budget uncertainty for buyers has been taken off the table. Here is the detail.
RICS: demand still negative, but listings recover
The RICS UK residential market survey for July, published on 13 August, put new buyer enquiries at a net balance of -28% and agreed sales at -30%. Both are firmly negative, but the demand reading is a clear improvement on the -41% low recorded in March, so the deterioration has at least stopped accelerating.
The sharpest move was in supply: new vendor instructions came in at -4%, against -23% in June, which suggests sellers are returning to the market. The national house price balance edged from -32% to -30%, with falls still outnumbering rises. Forward-looking readings were better: near-term sales expectations improved for a fourth consecutive month to -14%, twelve-month sales expectations turned positive at +3%, and twelve-month price expectations sat at +4%. On the rental side, tenant demand slipped from +12% to -1% while landlord instructions stayed at -27%, so supply there is still contracting. Source: Mortgage Solutions, reporting the RICS UK residential market survey.
Stamp duty changes ruled out of the next Budget
The government has confirmed that changes to stamp duty, or its abolition, will not appear in the next Budget. Earlier speculation had suggested stamp duty and council tax might be replaced with an annual property or land value levy; that has been rejected. Ministers also confirmed rent controls remain off the table in England, pointing to the Renters' Rights Act that took effect in May, and retained the 1.5 million homes target for this Parliament.
For anyone weighing whether to transact now or wait, that removes the main reason to sit on your hands. The rules you will pay under this autumn are the rules that apply today, which makes working out your own bill the practical next step rather than a guess about policy. Source: Propertymark.
What it means if you are moving in Sussex
More listings and softening prices is a buyer's combination, and the surveyors' own commentary describes a market where guide price reductions are not yet pulling viewers through the door. If you are selling in Sussex this autumn you are competing with more stock than in June; if you are buying, there is room to negotiate but little sign of a sharp fall to wait for. Work out the numbers before you offer: our stamp duty calculator and guide to the cost of moving house in Sussex cover the parts people underestimate.