Buyers now have only 92 days to benefit from the second stage of the stamp duty holiday before the nil rate threshold returns to its pre-Covid level of £125,000 from October 1.

And now new data from online mortgage broker Trussle has revealed the regions that could still benefit from the stamp duty holiday until the end of September. From July 1 2021 to September 30 2021, next time buyers in England and Northern Ireland will not pay any stamp duty on the first £250,000 of a property purchase.

After this, they will pay 5% on the next £675,000 of the purchase (from £250,001 to £925,000). With an average property price of £336,073, buyers during this period will pay £4,304 in stamp duty as opposed to £6,804 in normal times, representing a saving of £2,500.

As a result, Trussle says that buyers who can complete a property purchase within 92 days can still expect significant savings. The online broke says this timeline will be difficult for many, though, as it currently takes 144 on average to complete on a property in the UK. 

Unprecedented demand driven by the stamp duty holiday has lead to severe delays in the homebuying process, with conveyancers in particular struggling to cope with the huge volume of work, which has in turn had a significant impact on completion times.

Despite this, Trussle says there are still some locations where buyers can beat the deadline. 

“Without doubt, the stamp duty holiday has been the driving force behind the property market over the past year. During a time when many expected property transactions to tumble, as households tightened up their finances, it provided a huge incentive for people to move home rather than stay put,” Miles Robinson, head of mortgages at online mortgage broker Trussle, said.

“As a result, we have seen record levels of demand across the supply chain which has driven strong price growth throughout the year.”

He added: “Now, as the ‘full’ stamp duty holiday ends, many might think that there are no savings to be made. But, it’s important to remember that there is a reduced rate of stamp duty in place until September 30. For those that still want to move home and can move quickly, not paying stamp duty on the first £250,000 can still mean big savings.”

The company points to postcodes in Shrewsbury, Hereford, Wigan, Preston and Ipswich as the top five fastest places to complete on a mortgage. Wakefield, Harrow, Telford, Torquay and Bournemouth complete the top 10, showcasing a good geographical spread of regions when it comes to fast mortgages – from suburban London to the South Coast, the South West, the Midlands, the North and the East.

You can see the top-performing postcodes below.  

Earlier this week, Tom Bill, head of UK residential research at Knight Frank, offered a different point of view – arguing that the holiday had overstayed its welcome and that its end will be good news for the UK property market.