Moving House Costs UK 2026/27 — Full Buying & Selling Budget

Moving house in the UK costs more than the deposit and the difference between two property prices. A buyer or seller may need to budget for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), estate-agent fees, conveyancing, searches, surveys, mortgage fees, early repayment charges, removals, storage, repairs, insurance, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), temporary accommodation and a period when two homes overlap.

The Moving House Cost Calculator→ provides a checklist and scenario estimate. It cannot know your solicitor’s quote, lender’s early-repayment calculation, leasehold complexity, chain delay or removal-company price. The useful question is how much cash is needed to complete the move and remain resilient if the dates change?

The four budgets in a house move

Keep four separate budgets instead of one percentage of the new property price:

1. Selling budget — estate agent, seller’s legal work, mortgage redemption, EPC, repairs and storage.
2. Buying budget — SDLT or the applicable devolved tax, buyer’s legal work, searches, survey, mortgage and insurance.
3. Move-in budget — removals, packing, cleaning, furniture, appliances, connections and immediate works.
4. Resilience budget — emergency cash and an overlap reserve for delayed completion or a broken chain.

The amount released from selling is not the same as the cash available for the next deposit. Start with the expected sale price, subtract the mortgage redemption and selling costs, then subtract purchase, moving and reserve requirements.

Selling your current home

Estate-agent fees are commercial and depend on the service, contract, sale price and VAT. Ask the agent for written terms covering the fee, minimum charge, marketing, photography, withdrawal, sole agency, multi-agency and the point at which payment becomes due.

Seller’s legal and conveyancing costs can vary with title, leasehold work, management information, planning history, lender redemption and the complexity of the chain. A low headline fee may exclude searches, document retrieval, bank transfers, leasehold packs or additional correspondence. Request a quote that separates the professional fee from estimated disbursements.

If the property is being marketed in England or Wales, an EPC is generally part of the information required, subject to exemptions. GOV.UK guidance should be checked for the property and marketing circumstances. Do not treat an EPC line in a calculator as proof that the legal requirement or a particular fee applies.

The selling budget may also include:

• repairs or decoration before marketing;
• professional cleaning and garden work;
• storage if the sale and purchase dates do not align;
• mortgage redemption and fixed-rate early-repayment charges;
• leasehold management information and service-charge reconciliation;
• removal of unwanted furniture and possessions; and
• temporary accommodation if the buyer completes before your purchase.

Calculate net sale proceeds under a lower sale-price scenario. A small change in the sale price can affect the deposit, mortgage size and whether the household still has an emergency reserve.

Buying the next home

MoneyHelper’s buying-a-home guidance explains that buyers should budget beyond the price and deposit. The buying budget can include:

• SDLT in England or Northern Ireland, or the relevant devolved property tax;
• solicitor or conveyancer fees;
• searches and registration;
• lender valuation and an independent survey;
• mortgage arrangement or broker fees;
• mortgage protection, buildings and contents insurance;
• specialist inspections for structure, damp, drainage or other risks;
• leasehold information, service charges and ground rent checks; and
• immediate repairs, appliances and furnishing.

Some costs are payable before completion, some on completion and some after. Ask the conveyancer when funds are needed and whether the quote includes VAT and disbursements.

SDLT and the moving-home budget

SDLT applies to chargeable purchases in England and Northern Ireland. The rate depends on the purchase price, completion date, buyer status, property type, ownership position and reliefs or surcharges. Scotland uses Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and Wales uses Land Transaction Tax, so an English SDLT estimate cannot be transferred to those jurisdictions.

For a replacement main residence, the higher additional-property rates can sometimes apply when the new home completes before the old home is sold. The higher charge may be reclaimable if the previous main residence is sold within the relevant time limit, subject to the current HMRC rules and claim process. This is a cash-flow issue: the household may need to fund the higher amount at completion even if a later refund is possible.

Do not assume that “moving home” automatically means standard SDLT. Check:

• whether the buyer owns another dwelling at completion;
• whether the old home has been sold;
• whether the buyer is a first-time buyer;
• whether the property is in England or Northern Ireland;
• whether the buyer is non-UK resident under the SDLT rules;
• whether the property is mixed-use or non-residential; and
• whether a company or other non-natural person is buying.

Use the Stamp Duty Land Tax guide for the detailed rate and relief analysis, then include the actual SDLT result in the wider moving budget.

Conveyancing, searches and surveys

A mortgage valuation is for the lender and is not a full condition survey. The appropriate independent survey depends on the property’s age, construction, condition, location and the buyer’s risk tolerance. A survey can identify defects before exchange, but it does not guarantee that every future repair will be found.

Ask the surveyor what the report covers, what it excludes and whether a specialist inspection may be needed. Budget for follow-up work if the report identifies structural, drainage, damp, electrical, roofing or environmental questions.

Searches and legal work can also vary by property. Leasehold flats may require management information, service-charge statements, buildings insurance details, planned major works and lease checks. A chain delay while these documents are obtained can have a financial effect beyond the legal fee.

Do not remove a survey or legal check solely to make the calculator total smaller. A cheaper move that creates an unresolved legal or structural risk is not necessarily a lower-cost move.

Mortgage and early-repayment costs

If the current mortgage is fixed or has an early-repayment period, request a written redemption statement. The charge can depend on the product, remaining term, balance and lender calculation. A generic percentage is not reliable.

When comparing a new mortgage, include more than the monthly repayment:

• interest rate and fixed period;
• arrangement or product fee;
• valuation and broker fee;
• portability conditions;
• early repayment or overpayment terms;
• required insurance;
• affordability under lender stress testing; and
• the date the old mortgage stops and the new mortgage starts.

Porting a mortgage is not automatic. The lender may reassess affordability and the new property, and additional borrowing can have a separate rate. If the old mortgage cannot be ported, the redemption cost may change the best completion strategy.

Removals, storage and move-in costs

Removal quotes depend on the volume of possessions, distance, access, floors, lifts, packing, dismantling, storage, waiting time and insurance. Obtain written quotes and check what happens if completion is delayed. A low quote that excludes packing, stairs or waiting time may not be comparable with a full-service quote.

Move-in costs commonly include:

• removals and packing materials;
• storage and delivery;
• cleaning at both properties;
• locksmith, alarm or security changes;
• utility and broadband connection;
• curtains, appliances and essential furniture;
• initial decorating or repairs; and
• travel, meals or temporary accommodation during a delay.

Separate essential move-in costs from optional improvements. The household should know which items must be funded to live safely in the home and which can wait until the emergency reserve is rebuilt.

The chain and temporary accommodation

The timing of a sale and purchase can change the entire cash requirement. Selling first may reduce borrowing and make the deposit clearer, but it can require renting or storing possessions. Buying first may reduce disruption but can create two mortgages, higher SDLT cash needs or bridging risk.

Model three cases:

The reserve should include at least the costs that would continue if the move were delayed: mortgage, rent, storage, insurance, utilities, travel and childcare where relevant. Do not fund the reserve with a bonus, an assumed sale date or an unconfirmed mortgage approval.

A worked illustrative budget

Assume a household sells for £425,000 with a £220,000 mortgage balance and buys a £600,000 home. For illustration only, suppose selling costs are £8,000, SDLT is £20,000 under a simplified scenario, buying legal and professional costs are £6,000, removals and storage are £3,000, and immediate repairs are £10,000.

The gross equity before costs is £205,000. After the illustrative selling costs, £197,000 remains before the purchase costs, deposit and reserve. The move then needs another £39,000 for SDLT, buying costs, removals and repairs. The household cannot safely treat the £197,000 as the full deposit available unless the mortgage and post-completion reserve are also modelled.

The numbers are not a quote. They show the order of the calculation: sale price, mortgage redemption, sale costs, purchase price, transaction tax, purchase costs, moving costs and resilience cash. Replace each input with an actual quote or current official calculation.

When the move is cross-border or devolved

The UK is not one property-tax jurisdiction. SDLT applies in England and Northern Ireland, LBTT in Scotland and LTT in Wales. Mortgage, legal, survey and removal costs can also vary by location. A household moving between jurisdictions must calculate the tax in the jurisdiction where the property is located, not where the seller lives.

If the move involves a foreign property, non-UK residence, inheritance, company ownership or a buy-to-let property, do not use this guide’s principal-home assumptions without specialist review. The tax and legal questions can change substantially.

Practical moving-house checklist

Frequently Asked Questions

Run the scenario in the Moving House Cost Calculator→, then read the Stamp Duty Land Tax guide, First-Time Buyer Stamp Duty guide, Mortgage Stress Test guide and Relocation Expenses guide. Confirm the transaction tax and legal costs before exchange or completion.

Official sources

• GOV.UK — Stamp Duty Land Tax
• GOV.UK — Buying a home
• MoneyHelper — Buying a home
• GOV.UK — Energy Performance Certificates
• GOV.UK — Stamp Duty Land Tax residential property rates
• GOV.UK — Higher rates on additional properties