The short answer
A complete moving budget normally considers the deposit, property purchase tax, conveyancing and searches, survey, mortgage and valuation fees, removals or storage, insurance, overlapping bills, immediate repairs and a contingency. Sellers may also face estate-agent fees, mortgage redemption charges and legal costs. The exact total depends on the property, tenure, location, finance and chain.
Costs before exchange or missives
- Mortgage costs: product, booking, broker and valuation fees where applicable.
- Survey: choose the inspection level for the property rather than the cheapest report by default.
- Legal work and searches: compare the full quotation, including VAT, searches and foreseeable leasehold or gifted-deposit supplements.
- Property tax: calculate SDLT in England and Northern Ireland, LTT in Wales or LBTT in Scotland using the correct buyer status and effective date.
Costs around completion
Allow for removals, packing, storage, cleaning, travel, mail redirection, insurance and utility overlap. Leasehold buyers may encounter notice, deed, certificate or management-pack charges. New owners often need locks, safety work, appliances, window coverings and repairs before discretionary furniture.
Worked example
A buyer sets aside a £50,000 deposit, £5,000 property tax, £2,000 conveyancing and searches, £600 survey, £1,000 mortgage fees, £1,200 removals, £5,000 initial repairs and furniture, and £500 other costs. Non-deposit costs are £15,300. A 10% contingency on those costs adds £1,530, producing estimated upfront cash of £66,830. This is the reference example in our moving-cost planner.
How to avoid double counting
Keep the deposit separate from costs. Check whether a mortgage fee is paid upfront or added to borrowing. Confirm whether quotations include VAT and disbursements. Do not count a tax estimate both in the moving budget and as money already removed from savings. If selling and buying, calculate sale proceeds first, then transfer the net cash into the onward-purchase plan.
Use primary guidance and dated rules
Start with the government's buying-a-home guidance. Calculate current purchase tax with our UK property-tax calculator, which links to the official HMRC, Welsh Revenue Authority and Revenue Scotland rate sources. For surveys, consult the independent descriptions provided by a suitably qualified surveyor or the RICS home-survey guide.
Limitations and corrections
Starting figures are not market averages or quotations. Complex tax, leasehold, shared-ownership and cross-border cases need specialist advice. Send corrections or changed-source notices to hello@propertiesandhomes.co.uk.
Reviewed by the Properties & Homes editorial team
Published and last reviewed: 14 August 2026.
Change log: first edition.