Lowering the threshold for Stamp Duty and locking out first-time buyers at the same time as introducing legislation that makes it economically nonviable to be a landlord has led to a glut of London flats on the market, says Simon Gerrard

Londoners were the most likely to have lost money when selling their property in 2025, and 90 per cent of these loss-making properties were flats, according to new research from Hamptons. 

The news might make some buyers question whether there’s something wrong with flats and whether they should steer clear of them. Of course, there isn’t – they’re a necessary part of living in a dense, modern city. The current issues facing the flat market are almost entirely attributable to short-sighted economic decisions by the Labour government and could be easily fixed. 

While reports of high service charges and ground rent increases may have deterred some buyers, the high service charges mainly related to buildings affected by the cladding scandal. Ground rents have now also been addressed, and every type of........

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