The average cost of moving house

Estate agent fee – Variable but can be up to 3.5% of sale price

This is a cost you pay to your estate agent for selling your current home. It varies between estate agents, so you may want to check what the fee is before deciding on which one you will use to sell your home.

Stamp duty – Set % of property cost

Stamp duty is the tax you pay on the land you’re purchasing. So, rather than being a set price, stamp duty is calculated based on the cost of the property and only applies to homes above a certain value. Read our stamp duty guide for more detailed information.

Valuation fee – Usually £250+ depending upon the cost of your home

Before buying your new home, you’ll need to have it valued. This proves to the lender that the property is worth the amount they are going to lend you. The valuation fee you pay will be to cover this cost, however, you may find that the cost of this valuation is included on some mortgage products. At Newcastle Building Society we offer a free standard valuation on all properties up to £250,000. 

Surveyor's fee – Usually £250+ depending upon the cost of your home

Request a homebuyer or structural survey if you want to learn more about the property you’re buying. Where a property valuation tells you a property’s worth, a homebuyer or structural survey will provide detail on the condition of the house, such as if the roof requires repairs. If any large issues arise out of the survey, it will give you leverage to negotiate your offer price. You can get varying levels of surveys at different prices and they aren’t compulsory to the house buying process. 

Completion / arrangement fee – Anywhere from £999-£1,999 (depending on application type)

Your completion fee, sometimes referred to as an arrangement fee, is paid upon completion of your mortgage and is the fee to acquire the mortgage product you have selected. Not all mortgages have a completion fee, while others include the fee as part of the mortgage. We recommend speaking to a mortgage adviser to get a clear understanding of your full mortgage cost.

Legal fees – Usually £800-£1,500

These are the costs covered for using a conveyancer. You will need a conveyancer to manage all the legalities of moving home.

Organised house removal service

Using an official removal service can be very handy. It means you don’t have to worry about getting everything loaded up and moved, especially if you have heavy items to transport.

Make sure that the removal service you use is legitimate and comes with insurance – you may not be covered if something gets broken!

DIY? Get house removal insurance

If you decide to hire a van and move your own furniture and possessions, make sure you get house removal insurance to cover yourself in case of any issues. It’s also a good idea to check your house insurance policy and see if removal insurance is covered, as it is included in some policies.

Storage units

If there’s an gap between selling your old home and moving into your new home, you might want to consider renting out a storage unit. This allows you to keep all of your possessions in a safe place until you move into your new home.

Deep clean of the old house

You can probably do this yourself, but you might want to consider hiring a professional. A deep clean leaves the home in a clean and tidy condition for the people moving into your old property, and if you’re currently renting, prevents your landlord from charging you for any marks or dirtiness.

Land Registry fee - £40-£910 dependent upon the cost of your home

This is the cost of registering your name to the land you have just purchased, and this is paid to the Land Registry.

Home insurance

Lenders will require you to have arranged your home insurance and have this in place in time for contracts to be exchanged.

Repairs

Homeowners may end up footing the bill for repairs on their new house which can add up to thousands of pounds. You might find it useful to keep some money aside for any big issues. If you choose to get a homebuyer survey before you buy the house, this may mitigate some of those repair costs.

Mail redirection

Royal Mail will handle your mail redirection from your old home to your new home for a fee. This fee varies depending on how long you want the redirection for, whether you want it redirecting to an overseas address and whether you want to add an extra person to the redirection.

Changing locks

You don’t have to do this, but if you want complete security you may want to change the locks to ensure no one has a key that you don’t know of.