How to Calculate the Total Cost of Buying a Property

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Buying a property in the UK requires significant upfront cash beyond just the deposit. The total cost includes the deposit, stamp duty, solicitor fees, survey costs, mortgage arrangement fees, moving costs, and other expenses like searches and Land Registry fees. For a typical £300,000 property with a 10% deposit, first-time buyers need approximately £34,000–£36,000 in cash, while standard buyers need around £41,000–£44,000 due to stamp duty.

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The total cash needed to buy a property is the sum of seven main components:

1. Deposit — typically 5–20% of the property price, paid on completion
2. Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) — a progressive tax on the purchase price, with relief for first-time buyers
3. Solicitor fees — legal work for conveyancing, searches, and contract exchange (average £1,500–£2,000)
4. Survey costs — structural inspection of the property (£300–£1,500 depending on survey type)
5. Mortgage arrangement fees — lender fees for setting up the mortgage (£0–£2,000)
6. Moving costs — removals, van hire, storage (average £1,100)
7. Other fees — Land Registry (£150–£270), property searches (£250–£600), insurance

Unlike ongoing costs (mortgage payments, bills, maintenance), these are one-time upfront costs due at or before completion.

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Component breakdowns

Stamp Duty (from 1 April 2025):

• Standard rates: 0% up to £125k, 2% £125k-£250k, 5% £250k-£925k, 10% £925k-£1.5m, 12% over £1.5m
• First-time buyer rates: 0% up to £300k, 5% £300k-£500k (no relief above £500k)
• Additional property surcharge: +5% on all bands

Solicitor fees (MoneyHelper 2025):

• Typical range: £1,000–£2,500 (average £1,575)
• Includes: conveyancing, searches (local authority £100-£300, environmental £50-£100, drainage £50-£100), Land Registry submission, AML checks
• Separate from disbursements (searches, Land Registry fees)

Survey costs (MoneyHelper 2025):

• Condition Report (Level 1): £300–£500 — basic overview, no valuation
• HomeBuyer Report (Level 2): £400–£900 — most common, includes valuation
• Building Survey (Level 3): £600–£1,500 — detailed structural survey for older/unusual properties

Mortgage arrangement fees:

• Range: £0–£2,000 (some lenders charge 0%, others charge a flat fee or % of loan)
• Can often be added to the mortgage (paid over term) instead of upfront

Land Registry fees (gov.uk 2025):

• Portal (online) application: £150 for £200k-£500k, £270 for £500k-£1m
• Postal application: £270 for £200k-£500k, £540 for £500k-£1m

Moving costs:

• Removals: £300–£1,500 for professional movers (depends on distance and volume)
• Van hire: £100–£300 for DIY moves
• Storage: £100–£500/month if needed between completion dates
• Insurance: £50–£150 for removals insurance
• Average total: £1,112 (comparemymove.com 2025)

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Example 2: Standard buyer, £350,000 property, 10% deposit

• Deposit: £35,000
• Stamp duty (standard rates):
  • £125,000 × 0% = £0
  • £125,000 × 2% = £2,500
  • £100,000 × 5% = £5,000
  • Total: £7,500
• Solicitor fees: £1,500
• Survey: £500
• Mortgage fee: £999
• Moving costs: £1,000
• Other fees: £500
• Total Cash Needed: £46,999

Example 3: Additional property, £350,000, 25% deposit

• Deposit: £87,500
• Stamp duty (5% surcharge on all bands):
  • £125,000 × 5% = £6,250
  • £125,000 × 7% = £8,750
  • £100,000 × 10% = £10,000
  • Total: £25,000
• Solicitor fees: £1,500
• Survey: £500
• Mortgage fee: £999
• Moving costs: £1,000
• Other fees: £500
• Total Cash Needed: £116,499

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• Property price — the agreed purchase price in the sales contract
• Deposit % — percentage of property price paid upfront (typically 5–20%; higher deposit = lower monthly payments)
• Buyer type — standard, first-time buyer, or additional property (determines stamp duty rate schedule)
• Mortgage rate — annual interest rate (%) used to calculate monthly payment (does not affect upfront cash needed)
• Mortgage term — length of mortgage in years (does not affect upfront cash needed)
• Mortgage arrangement fee — lender’s one-time fee for setting up the mortgage (can be paid upfront or added to loan)
• Solicitor fees — conveyancing and legal work (£1,000–£2,500 typical range)
• Survey fees — property inspection cost (£300–£1,500 depending on survey type)
• Moving costs — removals, van hire, storage (£500–£2,000 typical range)
• Other fees — searches, Land Registry, insurance (£400–£1,000 typical range)

வெளியீடுகள் விளக்கம்

• Deposit — upfront payment (property price × deposit %)
• Stamp Duty — total SDLT calculated using progressive bands (£0 for first-time buyers on properties ≤£300k)
• Total Fees — sum of stamp duty + solicitor + survey + mortgage fee + moving costs + other fees
• Total Cash Needed — deposit + total fees (the full upfront amount required)
• Mortgage Amount — property price − deposit (the amount borrowed)
• Monthly Payment — repayment mortgage payment over the term (principal + interest)

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• Rates shown are for England and Northern Ireland only. Scotland and Wales have different stamp duty systems (LBTT and LTT).
• Solicitor fees vary significantly by location and property complexity. Leasehold properties and shared ownership typically cost more.
• Survey costs depend on property age, size, and type. Older properties (pre-1900) and listed buildings usually require Level 3 surveys.
• First-time buyer relief requires that no buyer has previously owned a property worldwide. If buying jointly with a non-FTB, standard rates apply.
• Mortgage arrangement fees can be paid upfront (reduces total cash needed now) or added to the loan (increases monthly payment). This calculator assumes upfront payment.
• Searches vary by location. Flood-risk areas, mining regions, and conservation areas may require additional searches (£50–£200 each).
• Help to Buy ISA/Lifetime ISA bonuses are not included. If you have a LISA, the government adds 25% (up to £1,000/year) which reduces cash needed.
• Shared ownership and new-build incentives are not modeled. New-build buyers may face additional costs (snagging surveys, reservation fees).

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All figures verified against official government sources and industry benchmarks (February 2025):

Cross-calculator identity tests:

• totalCashNeeded = deposit + stampDuty + solicitorFees + surveyFees + mortgageFees + movingCosts + otherFees
• mortgageAmount = propertyPrice - deposit
• stampDuty matches output of /stamp-duty calculator for same property price and buyer type
• monthlyPayment matches output of / (basic mortgage) calculator for same mortgage amount, rate, and term

Official verification sources:

• Stamp duty figures verified against gov.uk SDLT calculator (https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/)
• Fee ranges verified against MoneyHelper (https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/homes/buying-a-home/estimate-your-overall-buying-and-moving-costs)
• Land Registry fees verified against gov.uk fee tables (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees)