Beyond the deposit, buying a house in the UK in 2026 costs roughly £3,500–£6,000 on a clean first-time purchase — legal work, searches, a survey, mortgage fees, removals and insurance — with home movers adding stamp duty on top (around £4,500 on a £290,000 home). The deposit gets all the attention, and it is the biggest single number, but arrive at completion having put every penny into it and you can find yourself short for the solicitor, the survey, the lender's fee and the removals van, all of which fall due before you get the keys. This guide itemises every cost, when each one lands, and gives worked totals for a first-time buyer and a mover so nothing ambushes you.
A useful way to think about it: there's the deposit, and then there's everything else. Budgeting for the "everything else" as a separate pot from your deposit is the single best way to avoid a nasty surprise. The figures here are 2026 planning estimates, not quotes — speak to an FCA-regulated mortgage broker and a regulated conveyancer before committing.
At a glance — what you need beyond the deposit
On an average English home around £290,000 with a 10% deposit, a typical first-time buyer needs about £5,000 beyond the deposit; a home mover needs about £9,500 (the difference is stamp duty). The full itemised breakdown and worked totals are below.
Contents
The costs of buying a house, itemised
Here is every upfront cost on a first-time-buyer purchase of an average £290,000 home with a 10% deposit, with a low / typical / high range for each and when it falls due. Movers should add stamp duty (see below).
| Cost | Low | Typical | High | When it's due |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit (10% of £290,000) | — | £29,000 | — | On completion |
| Stamp duty (first-time buyer) | £0 | £0 | £0* | On completion |
| Conveyancing (incl. searches & disbursements) | £1,500 | £2,300 | £3,000 | Through the process |
| Survey (RICS Level 2) | £300 | £600 | £1,500 | Before exchange |
| Mortgage arrangement fee | £0 | £999 | £1,500 | Up front or added to loan |
| Removals | £450 | £900 | £1,400 | Moving day |
| Buildings insurance (first year) | £150 | £250 | £400 | From exchange |
| Total beyond the deposit | £2,400 | £5,050 | £7,800 | Mostly around completion |
The deposit — the big one
Your deposit is a percentage of the purchase price, and it sets your loan-to-value (LTV) — which in turn sets the interest rate you're offered. The realistic minimum in 2026 is 5%, though 10% opens up meaningfully better rates. On an average English home of around £290,000, a 5% deposit is roughly £14,500 and a 10% deposit roughly £29,000. The deposit isn't a "cost" in the sense of money lost — it becomes equity in your home — but it's cash you need available up front, and it dwarfs everything else on this list. For how LTV bands affect your rate, see the main mortgage guide, and to see what a fixed sum buys at different incomes, read what a £20,000 deposit gets you.
Stamp Duty
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) in England and Northern Ireland depends on the price and on whether you're a first-time buyer, a home mover, or buying an additional property. As of 2026, first-time buyer relief applies up to £300,000, the standard nil-rate band sits at £125,000, and an additional-property surcharge of 5% applies to second homes and buy-to-lets. There's a sharp catch for first-time buyers: cross £500,000 and you lose the relief entirely, not just on the portion above it.
For a typical home-mover purchase around £290,000, stamp duty runs to about £4,500 (0% on the first £125,000, 2% on the next £125,000, then 5% on the balance); most first-time buyers under £300,000 pay nothing. Work out your exact figure with the stamp duty calculator before you offer — it's the cost most likely to swing your budget — and see the full bands in our stamp duty guide. Scotland (LBTT) and Wales (LTT) have their own separate systems.
Conveyancing and legal fees
Conveyancing is the legal work of transferring ownership, handled by a solicitor or licensed conveyancer. It splits into two parts: their fee for the work, and disbursements — third-party costs they pay on your behalf.
- Solicitor / conveyancer fee: typically £850–£1,500 for a standard purchase in 2026, rising with property value and complexity. Leasehold properties usually add around £300 for the extra legal work.
- Searches (local authority, environmental, drainage): roughly £250–£450.
- Land Registry fee: scaled to the purchase price.
- Bank transfer / telegraphic transfer fee: usually £25–£50.
Add it all together and the average cost of conveyancing when buying in the UK in 2026, including disbursements, lands around £2,300–£2,400 — though headline solicitor fees alone can look much lower, which is why comparing on the full figure matters. Quotes vary widely by firm, region and property type, so it pays to compare several itemised quotes rather than taking the first one.
The survey
The mortgage valuation your lender runs is for them — it confirms the property is worth roughly what you're paying, and is sometimes free or up to about £300. It is not a survey of the building's condition. That's a separate, optional cost that's almost always worth paying:
- RICS Level 1 (Condition Report) — most basic, from around £300. Suits new or modern homes in good order.
- RICS Level 2 (HomeBuyer Report) — the most common choice, roughly £400–£1,000+. Suits conventional properties in reasonable condition.
- RICS Level 3 (Building Survey) — the most thorough, from around £630 up to £1,500+. For older, larger, or unusual properties.
People who skip the survey to save a few hundred pounds frequently spend many times that fixing problems they didn't know about — and a survey that flags an issue can be used to renegotiate the price, often recovering its cost several times over. If a low energy rating is part of the picture, our guide on EPC ratings when buying covers what to check.
Mortgage fees
Lenders charge to set up the mortgage, and the structure varies:
- Booking / application fee: often £100–£300, sometimes payable up front.
- Arrangement (product) fee: the big one — commonly up to around £1,500, occasionally higher. Many deals offer a fee-free version at a slightly higher rate.
This is a genuine trade-off, not just an annoyance. A deal with a £999 fee and a lower rate can be cheaper overall than a fee-free deal at a higher rate — or the reverse — depending on your loan size. Compare total cost over the fixed term, not the headline rate, and see the mortgage guide on weighing fee vs rate. You can add the arrangement fee to the loan, but you'll then pay interest on it for the whole term, so paying it up front is usually cheaper if you can.
Removals and moving costs
Easy to leave to the last minute, and it adds up. A professional removals service in the UK typically costs between £450 and £1,400, depending on the size of your home, the distance, and how much you pack yourself. On top of the van, budget for packing materials, mail redirection through Royal Mail, and the time off work moving usually swallows. Getting several quotes makes a real difference here — prices for the same move vary a lot between firms, and booking outside month-end and Fridays (the busiest, priciest slots) can save money. For quotes, AnyVan prices removals online — Hall's Homes UK readers currently get 5% cashback through our link (affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no cost to you).
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Insurance from day one
This one surprises people: buildings insurance is usually a condition of your mortgage and must be in place from the day you exchange contracts — not from completion, and not "soon after you move in." From exchange, you're legally committed to buy, so you're responsible for insuring the structure. Buildings cover starts from modest monthly figures, and home-buyer protection products start from around £74. Contents insurance is optional but sensible. Factor at least the buildings policy into your completion budget, because your lender will check it exists.
Ongoing costs once you're in
Beyond the one-off purchase costs, your monthly budget changes the day you own rather than rent. These are the running costs to plan for:
| Ongoing cost | Who pays | Typical (2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Council tax | Everyone | £1,300–£2,600/yr | Set by band & local authority |
| Utilities & broadband | Everyone | £150–£300/mo | You're now responsible for the whole property |
| Service charge & ground rent | Leasehold only | £1,000–£4,000+/yr | Check carefully before buying; can rise |
| Maintenance & repairs | Everyone | ~1% of value/yr (~£2,900) | No landlord now — a boiler or roof is your bill |
| Contents insurance | Optional | from ~£10/mo | Sensible, not required by the lender |
Furniture and redecorating are the costs that quietly balloon in the first few months — worth a line in the budget too. Our first home checklist covers the admin and set-up for your first month.
Worked totals: first-time buyer vs home mover
The same £290,000 home with a 10% deposit, side by side. The only difference is stamp duty — but it's a £4,500 difference, which is exactly why movers need a bigger completion buffer.
| Item | First-time buyer | Home mover |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit (10%) | £29,000 | £29,000 |
| Stamp duty | £0 | £4,500 |
| Conveyancing (inc. disbursements) | £2,300 | £2,300 |
| Survey (Level 2) | £600 | £600 |
| Mortgage arrangement fee | £999 | £999 |
| Removals | £900 | £900 |
| Buildings insurance (first year) | £250 | £250 |
| Total cash needed at completion | £34,049 | £38,549 |
So beyond the deposit, a first-time buyer is realistically looking at around £5,000 in non-deposit costs, and a mover around £9,500 — more if the property is leasehold, you need a higher-level survey, or you choose a fee-paying mortgage deal. The headline lesson holds: keep a buffer separate from your deposit. The buyers who get caught out are almost always the ones who treated the deposit as the whole cost. Run your own numbers with the mortgage repayment and stamp duty calculators.
How to keep the total down
- Compare conveyancing and removals quotes — both vary enormously between providers for identical work, and getting several quotes routinely saves hundreds.
- Weigh fee-free mortgage deals against fee-paying ones on total cost, not headline rate.
- Don't skip the survey — it's the cost most likely to pay for itself, either in avoided repairs or renegotiation.
- Time your move away from month-end and Fridays for cheaper removals.
- Use first-time buyer reliefs — the stamp duty saving alone can be thousands; check your position with the calculator before you offer.
The short version: the deposit is the headline, but the supporting cast — legal work, searches, survey, lender fees, removals and insurance — typically adds several thousand pounds that all fall due around completion. Budget for them as a separate pot, get the schemes and reliefs working for you, and read the full mortgage guide so the numbers hold no surprises. Weighing up a specific development? See the true cost on a real scheme like Edition Birmingham or the move-in-now Snow Hill Wharf.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to buy a house beyond the deposit?
On a clean first-time purchase in 2026, budget roughly £3,500–£6,000 for conveyancing, a survey, mortgage fees, removals and insurance. Movers add stamp duty on top — around £4,500 on a £290,000 home. Leasehold, higher-level surveys and fee-paying mortgages push it higher.
How much are solicitor and conveyancing fees when buying?
The fee is typically £850–£1,500, with leasehold adding ~£300. Including disbursements (searches, Land Registry, transfer fees), the all-in cost usually lands around £2,300–£2,400. Compare on the full itemised figure, not the headline fee.
Do I need a survey, and how much does it cost?
It isn't compulsory, but it's almost always worth it. A RICS Level 1 starts around £300, a Level 2 HomeBuyer Report is ~£400–£1,000+, and a Level 3 Building Survey runs from ~£630 to £1,500+ for older or unusual homes. A survey that finds a problem can be used to renegotiate the price.
What are the hidden costs of buying a house?
The ones buyers forget: stamp duty, search fees, mortgage arrangement fees, buildings insurance from exchange (not completion), removals, and first-year maintenance on a home with no landlord. Individually small, together they add several thousand pounds around completion.
When do I need buildings insurance?
From the day you exchange contracts — not completion. At exchange you're legally committed to buy, so you become responsible for insuring the structure, and your lender will check the policy exists.
How much stamp duty will I pay in 2026?
First-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000 (relief is lost above £500,000). Movers pay 0% to £125,000, 2% to £250,000 and 5% above — about £4,500 on a £290,000 home. Additional properties add a 5% surcharge. Use our stamp duty calculator for your exact figure.
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Last reviewed: July 2026
Next review due: October 2026