All the costs of buying a home: solicitor, types of survey, searches, Land Registry fees, insurance and an example budget
Published: Last checked: October 20263 min read1 like
Short answer
Besides tax, buying a home brings a solicitor (about £2,000), a survey (from about £250 to £600+), a valuation, Land Registry fees (£20 to £500 by portal), searches, buildings insurance and moving costs. For a £300,000 home allow at least about £7,500 including tax.
In short
- This post is general information, not legal, financial or tax advice. It is based on GOV.UK and other official pages as they were on 18 October 2026 and applies to England; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules and taxes.
- Besides the price and deposit there are tax, solicitor, survey, valuation, searches, land registration, insurance and moving costs. GOV.UK asks you to budget for these at the "preparing to buy" stage.
- The solicitor and survey amounts below are MoneyHelper's "typical" figures; real quotes vary.
The rest is for members
Sign up for free to read the whole post.
Sign up and keep readingAlready a member? Log in
Official sources
This answer is based on the pages below. Check the source yourself before you decide.
- GOV.UK: Buying a home, preparing to buy
- GOV.UK: HM Land Registry registration services fees
- GOV.UK: How to buy a home (guide, 2019)
- MoneyHelper: Buying a house or flat in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Source links are for members. Sign up for free