The real cost of selling a house in the UK

Estate agent commission

Sole-agency commission on the high street is commonly quoted around 1% to 1.5% of the agreed sale price, with VAT at 20% on top. Multi-agency agreements — where more than one agent can sell — are usually higher because the fee is shared risk.

Online and fixed-fee agents charge a flat sum instead, often payable up front or deferred. Read what happens if the property does not sell: with some fixed-fee models the fee is still due.

Two clauses to check in any agency agreement: the tie-in period, and whether a fee becomes payable if the agent introduces a 'ready, willing and able purchaser' even where the sale later collapses.

Conveyancing and legal costs

• Conveyancer's fee for the sale, plus VAT. Leasehold adds to this because of the extra work.
• Land Registry official copies of the title register and plan — a few pounds each.
• Bank transfer fee on completion, typically tens of pounds.
• Anti-money-laundering identity checks, usually a small per-person charge.
• For leasehold, a management or leasehold information pack from the freeholder or managing agent. These are set by the managing agent and can run into several hundred pounds.
• If you are also buying, budget separately for that side — including stamp duty, which the buyer pays.

Marketing costs

An EPC if you need a new one. Professional photography and a floor plan, if you are not doing them yourself. A For Sale board. Possibly paid promotion on a listing platform.

For a private sale these are the main outlay, and they are the ones with the clearest return — good photographs and a floor plan measurably increase enquiries. In Scotland add the Home Report, which is prepared by a chartered surveyor and legally required before marketing.

Mortgage and moving costs

• Early repayment charge, if you redeem a fixed-rate mortgage before the term ends. This is percentage-based and can be substantial — check your redemption statement early.
• Mortgage exit or deeds release fee, usually a modest fixed amount.
• Removals, which vary hugely with distance and volume. Get three quotes.
• Storage, if your sale and purchase dates do not line up.
• Redirecting post, final utility bills and updating your council tax.

Tax when you sell

Sellers do not pay stamp duty — in England and Northern Ireland Stamp Duty Land Tax, in Scotland Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, and in Wales Land Transaction Tax are all buyer taxes.

Capital gains tax generally does not apply to the sale of your only or main home, because Private Residence Relief usually covers it. It can apply where the property has been let, used exclusively for business, is very large, or is a second home. Where CGT on UK residential property is due, it must be reported and paid to HMRC within 60 days of completion.

If any part of your situation is unusual, take advice before you exchange rather than after — the reliefs depend on facts you can no longer change once the sale completes.

Which costs you can actually avoid

The commission is the avoidable one, and it dwarfs everything else. Conveyancing, the EPC and removals are effectively fixed costs of moving.

Listing on HausMart is free during early access — no commission, no tie-in — so on a typical mid-priced UK home the saving compared with high-street commission is measured in thousands. Use the estate agent fees calculator to see the number for your own price.