Buying a home: what will the survey, solicitor and stamp duty actually cost?

The deposit is only one part of the money you need before moving day. A survey, the legal work, property tax and a collection of smaller charges can turn a comfortable-looking budget into a tight one. Put them on the same sheet before deciding what you can offer.

Solicitor, conveyancer, surveyor: who does what?

Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring a property. In England and Wales, you can instruct a solicitor who handles residential conveyancing or a licensed conveyancer. You are choosing who will do the legal work, not automatically buying two separate services. The surveyor investigates the building's condition; that is a different job.

Your legal specialist deals with matters such as the contract, searches, ownership checks and the transfer of funds. MoneyHelper's guide to choosing one suggests comparing three firms and checking lender approval, relevant experience and how you will be kept informed. Ask who handles your file, who covers their absence and what makes the price change.

What should the budget include?

These are planning pointers, not quotations. MoneyHelper's buying-cost guide gives the following indicative figures. Location, the property and the work required can change the bill.

Cost	A starting point	What to check
Conveyancing legal fees	About £2,000 including VAT	Ask for the legal fee and third-party charges separately.
Searches	About £250–£300	Check whether the quoted legal package already includes them.
Bank transfer	About £25–£50	Confirm the number of transfers and whether VAT is included.
Home survey	Level 1 from about £250; Level 2 from about £400; Level 3 from about £600	Compare the scope and a quotation for this particular building.
Removals	About £400–£1,000 or more	Distance, access, packing and storage affect the price.

Keep separate lines for mortgage fees, registration charges, insurance and any immediate work. Avoid counting a search or transfer twice if it is already included in a package. Equally, do not mistake a headline legal fee for the total amount you will need to send to the firm.

Choose the survey for the home

RICS explains three survey levels. Level 1 suits a conventional home in good condition. Level 2 gives more detail for a conventional property in reasonable condition. Level 3 is the fuller choice for older, altered, unusual or poorer-condition buildings and major renovation plans. Ask the surveyor which service fits the property before choosing by price alone.

A lender's mortgage valuation is not a substitute for your own condition survey. Survey prices can range from a few hundred pounds to more than £1,000. Read any limits on the inspection and ask what follow-up investigations are recommended. In Scotland, sellers normally provide a Home Report, with exceptions; discuss what further information you need rather than assuming the buying process is identical across the UK.

A practical way to use the report is to make three lists: questions to resolve before committing, likely early repairs and longer-term maintenance. Obtain estimates for significant work while there is still time to reconsider the budget.

Now add the property tax

The tax depends on where the property is and your buying circumstances. England and Northern Ireland use SDLT; Scotland uses LBTT; Wales uses LTT. Our stamp duty calculator lets you choose the nation and buyer type and see the calculation in bands.

Under the current SDLT rates, a £300,000 main-home purchase in England or Northern Ireland usually produces £5,000 of tax. An eligible first-time buyer at the same price pays no SDLT. Additional properties and non-UK resident transactions can cost more. Do not use the first-time option unless every buyer qualifies.

A simple £300,000 buying budget

For illustration, start with a 10% deposit of £30,000. Add £5,000 SDLT for the ordinary main-home example above, then a deliberately separate £5,000 planning allowance for professional fees and moving expenses. That gives a £40,000 cash target before any further reserve.

The £5,000 allowance is an example to replace with your own written quotations, not a promise that it will cover everything. If a survey reveals work, or you need storage and temporary accommodation, add those amounts explicitly. A first-time buyer eligible for zero SDLT would start £5,000 lower in this example, but still needs the other costs.

Use the mortgage calculator for the monthly payment and local house prices to research the area. Keep the monthly affordability calculation alongside the up-front cash budget: both need to work before the move does.