Guide · 5 minute read · Updated 10 Jul 2026

The true cost of buying a home: conveyancing and solicitor fees

Beyond the deposit, buying a home carries a stack of smaller costs that few people budget for: legal fees, searches, Land Registry, a survey and, above a threshold, stamp duty. On a typical £300,000 purchase they add up to a few thousand pounds before stamp duty, and rather more with it.

The solicitor's own fee

You need a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to do the legal work of transferring ownership. Their fee for a purchase typically runs from around £800 to £2,000 plus VAT, depending on the firm, the price of the property and whether it is freehold or the more involved leasehold. Leasehold usually costs a few hundred pounds more because there is a lease, a freeholder and often a management company to deal with.

This fee is separate from the third-party costs the solicitor pays on your behalf, known as disbursements. When you compare quotes, check whether the headline figure includes VAT and disbursements or just the legal work, because a cheap-looking fee often excludes both.

Searches, Land Registry and the transfer fee

Disbursements are the costs your solicitor pays out and passes on. The main ones on a purchase are:

• Property searches (local authority, water and drainage, environmental), usually £250 to £450 together.
• The HM Land Registry registration fee, a fixed scale based on price. On a £300,000 home bought with the online service the fee is £135; the postal fee is £270.
• A bank transfer fee to send the money on completion, commonly £20 to £40.
• Anti-money-laundering identity checks, often £10 to £20 per person.

On a £300,000 freehold purchase, legal fee plus VAT plus these disbursements realistically lands somewhere around £1,600 to £2,800 in total. A leasehold flat adds lease-related fees on top.

Survey and mortgage costs

A survey is optional but sensible. A basic condition report starts around £400, a fuller HomeBuyer report on a typical house runs roughly £500 to £900, and a full structural survey on an older or unusual property can be £900 to £1,500 or more. Your mortgage lender's own valuation is separate and sometimes free, but it checks the lender's security, not the state of the house, so it is not a substitute.

Add any mortgage arrangement fee, often £1,000 or so, which you can usually add to the loan or pay upfront. Paying it upfront avoids interest on it for the life of the mortgage.

Stamp duty, and the rough total

Stamp duty land tax is the big variable. In 2026/27 in England and Northern Ireland you pay nothing up to £125,000, 2% on the slice to £250,000, then 5% to £925,000. First-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000 and 5% on the part between £300,000 and £500,000, with no relief above £500,000. On a £300,000 home a mover pays £5,000; a first-time buyer pays nothing. Work out your exact bill with the stamp duty calculator.

Putting it together on a £300,000 purchase: budget roughly £2,000 to £3,500 for legal work and survey, plus stamp duty on top. For a mover that is around £7,000 to £8,500 all in; for a first-time buyer under the relief, closer to £2,000 to £3,500. None of it comes out of the deposit, so it needs its own line in your savings plan. Check the deposit and repayment side with the mortgage affordability calculator.

Common questions

How much are solicitor fees when buying a house?

Typically £800 to £2,000 plus VAT for the legal work on a purchase, with leasehold costing a few hundred pounds more than freehold. On top of that come disbursements such as searches, the Land Registry fee and bank transfer charges, which add several hundred pounds more.

What is the Land Registry fee when buying a home?

A fixed scale based on the purchase price. For a £300,000 home the fee is £135 using the online service, or £270 by post, and it rises with price. It is a disbursement your solicitor pays on your behalf and adds to your bill, and the buyer pays it, not the seller.

Do I need a survey and how much does it cost?

It is optional but worth it. A basic condition report starts around £400, a HomeBuyer report is roughly £500 to £900, and a full structural survey on an older property can be £900 to £1,500 or more. Your lender's valuation is separate and only protects the lender, not you.

What does it cost in total to buy a £300,000 home?

Beyond the deposit, budget roughly £2,000 to £3,500 for legal work and a survey. Add stamp duty: a mover pays £5,000 on a £300,000 home, so around £7,000 to £8,500 all in, while a first-time buyer within the relief pays no stamp duty and so closer to £2,000 to £3,500.

Guidance and education, not regulated financial advice.