Total Cost of Buying a Property 2026

For a typical £300,000 property in England, a first-time buyer can expect to pay approximately £9,000–£14,000 in fees and taxes on top of their deposit. This breaks down as: stamp duty (£0 for FTBs on purchases up to £300,000), conveyancing £1,200–£1,900, searches £350–£560, Land Registry £150, survey £420–£685, and mortgage arrangement fee £0–£1,500. Moving costs add £600–£1,300 for a local two-bed move. Costs are higher in Scotland (LBTT applies) and Wales (LTT applies).

First-time buyers in England and Northern Ireland pay no Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on the first £300,000 of a property's value, then 5% on any portion between £300,001 and £500,000. For purchases above £500,000, standard rates apply in full. In Scotland, first-time buyers benefit from a higher nil-rate LBTT band of £175,000 (vs £145,000 for other buyers), saving up to £600. Wales has no first-time buyer LTT relief, but the £225,000 nil-rate threshold means most first-time buyers pay nothing.

Read the Stamp Duty Explained guide →

Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring property ownership from seller to buyer. A conveyancing solicitor handles title searches, contract review, Land Registry registration, and the transfer of funds. Based on a 100-firm survey by Property Solvers (February 2026), average fees are £1,390 for a freehold purchase, £1,743 for leasehold, and around £1,750 for new builds — all inclusive of VAT. Fees vary significantly; using "I have a quote" in this calculator lets you enter your own solicitor's figure.

For most properties, a Level 2 HomeBuyer Report is the minimum recommended survey — average cost £499. A Level 3 Building Survey is recommended for older, larger, or unusual properties — average £656. Level 1 Condition Reports (average £380) are very basic and rarely appropriate. For new builds, a snagging survey (average £325) checks for defects before completion. Buyers who commission a Level 2 or 3 survey and find defects negotiate an average £6,390 off the purchase price, making surveys excellent value.

An arrangement fee (also called a product fee) is charged by your lender for setting up the mortgage — typically £500 to £1,500. You can usually add it to the mortgage loan rather than paying upfront, though this means paying interest on it over the full mortgage term. For a £999 fee on a 25-year repayment mortgage at 4.5%, adding it to the loan costs an extra £730 in interest. Whether to pay upfront or add it to the loan depends on your available cash and how long you plan to keep the mortgage.

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Removal costs for a two-bedroom local move average around £780, based on Compare My Move data from thousands of verified moves (2026). Costs scale with property size and distance: a five-bedroom long-distance move averages around £2,900. Professional packing adds £300–£450 on a Typical estimate. You can adjust the property size and move distance in the "Adjust individual costs" panel to get a more accurate estimate for your situation.

Property searches are checks your solicitor runs to uncover issues that could affect the property's value or your ability to use it. The standard bundle includes: local authority search (planning permissions, road adoptions, enforcement notices), environmental search (flood risk, contamination, ground stability), and drainage search (whether the property is connected to public sewers). Searches are required by mortgage lenders and typically cost £350–£560. Even cash buyers are strongly advised to commission them.

Beyond your deposit and known fees, financial advisers typically recommend keeping 1% of the purchase price accessible as a contingency. This covers unexpected issues flagged in a survey, minor repairs needed before you move in, and the general administrative costs of settling into a new home. This calculator caps the suggested buffer at £3,500; if you're buying above £350,000, consider setting aside a proportionally larger amount.