After having successfully survived the frenzied madness of March 2016, during which our property lawyers were overseeing up to 16 completions a day because of a rush to beat the March 31st Stamp Duty Land Tax increase deadline, the property market is now quieter.

Most potential buyers and sellers anxiously await the outcome of the Brexit referendum on June 23rd 2016. Other factors suggest that perhaps we have reached the top of the 12 year increase in property prices and the market, especially in London and the South East, is heading for a correction.

Statistics published in April 2016 show that mortgage lending for the month fell by under 1/3; residential transactions in the country fell below 100,000 as did Stamp Duty receipts, as one would expect.

The National Association of Estate Agents in April saw a marked reduction of new buyers (the lowest since March 2014) together with a sharp drop of properties coming to market .