Updated
What it costs to sell a house in the UK, and a worksheet for your own figures
Two offers can look far apart and leave you with similar money, or the reverse. Write down what each one would leave in your account. The worksheet holds the figures you type in, and we supply none.
What GOV.UK says you may pay
Check the costs of selling before you accept any offer. GOV.UK’s guide to selling a home lists the items below. The table adds who each is paid to and where to find your own figure.
| Cost | Paid to | Where to find your figure | What GOV.UK says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgage balance, early repayment charge and mortgage fees | Your lender | A redemption statement from your lender | Check how much you owe, whether there are early repayment charges and whether there are fees to move the mortgage. |
| Other debts secured against the home | The creditor | Your own paperwork, then your solicitor | Listed as a cost you may need to pay. Your solicitor pays secured debts off at completion. |
| Estate agent fee | Your estate agent | The fee in your signed contract | Check how much they charge and what is included. With more than one agent you may owe fees to each, depending on the contract (dual fees). |
| Legal fees (solicitor or conveyancer) | Your legal professional | A written quote | Listed as a cost you may need to pay. Their fee is paid from the sale money at completion. |
| Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) | Whoever you book to produce it | A quote before you book | You must order an EPC for potential buyers before you market the property. |
| Service charges owed (leasehold flats) | Your landlord or managing agent | Your latest service charge statement | Service charges, if relevant, are paid off from the sale money at completion. |
| Essential repairs or improvements | The tradespeople you hire | Written quotes | Listed as a cost you may need to pay. |
| Fixing issues in the deeds | Your solicitor, and any third parties involved | Ask your solicitor early | Listed as a cost you may need to pay. |
| Removal costs | A removal firm | A quote | Listed as a cost you may need to pay. |
| Capital Gains Tax | HMRC | GOV.UK guidance and HMRC’s tools | Due only if the property is not your main home or includes a lot of land. See the tax section below. |
The worksheet: what would each offer leave you?
Fill in Route A and Route B from real quotes and written offers. Leave a box empty if a cost does not apply. The sum is the sale price minus every cost you enter.
What is paid at completion
GOV.UK says that once contracts are exchanged and the buyer’s checks are done, the buyer’s solicitor or conveyancer transfers the money. Your solicitor or conveyancer then pays off:
- the mortgage
- any secured debts
- Stamp Duty, if you are buying another property
- any outstanding estate agent fees
- service charges, where they apply
- their own fee as your legal representative
The remaining balance is sent to your account.
Tax on the sale
You do not pay Capital Gains Tax on your home if you have lived in it as your main home for all the time you have owned it, have not let part of it out (a lodger does not count), have not used part of it exclusively for business, the grounds are under 5,000 square metres and you did not buy it just to make a gain. You then get Private Residence Relief automatically.
If any of that is untrue you may owe some tax. GOV.UK explains the rules in Tax when you sell your home and, for property that is not your home, in Tax when you sell property. Rates and allowances change, so we quote none here.
When a sale is called free
Some buyers advertise a sale with no fees. We found no official definition of “free”, so ask which of the costs above the buyer pays and which stay with you, and get the answer in writing. Enter it under Route B in the worksheet.
GOV.UK says to check that a legal professional is regulated by the appropriate body. It also says to ask an estate agent which redress scheme it belongs to: The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme. For a fuller set of checks, see is selling to a cash buyer safe and how much cash house buyers pay.
Questions
How much does an estate agent charge?
GOV.UK gives no figure. It says to check your contract for how much the agent charges and what is included, and warns that using more than one agent can mean paying fees to each of them. Get the fee in writing before you sign. Where the costs can still sit decodes common fee claims.
Does the buyer or the seller pay Stamp Duty?
GOV.UK says you pay Stamp Duty Land Tax when you buy a property. It also lists stamp duty among the sums your solicitor pays at completion if you are buying another property.
Do I pay Capital Gains Tax when I sell my home?
GOV.UK says you do not pay it if you have lived in the home as your main home for all the time you have owned it, have not let part of it out (a lodger is fine), have not used part of it only for business, and the grounds are under 5,000 square metres, and you did not buy it just to make a gain. If any of those is untrue you may owe some tax, so read the GOV.UK page or ask an accountant.
Who pays the estate agent when the sale completes?
GOV.UK says your solicitor or conveyancer pays any outstanding estate agent fees from the sale money at completion, along with your mortgage, secured debts, service charges and their own fee. The balance goes to your account.
Is selling to a cash buyer cheaper?
No official source compares the costs. Enter the figures from each offer in the worksheet, and ask a cash buyer in writing which of the costs above they pay. Our questions to ask a cash buyer list covers what else to check.
Is this financial advice?
No. It is a summary of public guidance and a calculator that adds up numbers you type in, published by Loud Crowd IT Ltd, which does not buy property. A solicitor, conveyancer or accountant can advise on your own sale.
Sources and when we checked them
Every figure and rule on this page comes from the sources below, read on . The date next to each source is the “last updated” date the publisher shows. Rules and thresholds change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.