When you sell a house in England, the main costs are your estate agent's fee (if you use an agent), your solicitor's or conveyancer's fees with VAT and disbursements, and paying off your mortgage, including any early repayment charge. You will also need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) unless you already have a valid one, and a budget for removals. If you are selling a leasehold home, expect a charge from your landlord or managing agent for the information your buyer needs. Capital Gains Tax is normally only an issue if the property has not been your only or main home throughout, such as a second home or a buy-to-let.
Searches are not a seller's cost: the buyer's solicitor arranges them and the buyer pays. This guide goes through each cost, what the law and industry rules say about it, and where any figures come from. It is written for England, much of it also applies in Wales, and Scotland has a different system.
Estate agents' fees vary, and what you pay is whatever your contract says. GOV.UK tells sellers to check their contract to find out how much the agent charges and what is included, and the government's guide to selling notes that some agents charge a percentage of the sale price while others charge a fixed fee. It suggests asking whether you will be charged if your home does not sell, whether you will pay extra for sales progression and whether there are any penalties, and says not to be afraid to negotiate.
The law and the industry code set out what you must be told before you sign. Under section 18 of the Estate Agents Act 1979, the agent must tell you when you will become liable to pay, the amount of the fee or how it will be worked out, and any other payments you may have to make. The Property Ombudsman's Code of Practice for Residential Estate Agents, which is mandatory for its member agents, adds that:
In practice, your solicitor normally pays the agent on your behalf out of the sale money on completion.
If your contract uses these terms, the Property Ombudsman's code requires the agent to use the definitions in the Estate Agents (Provision of Information) Regulations 1991, so read them carefully:
If you use more than one agent, or switch agents, you may have to pay more than one fee when your home sells. The Property Ombudsman's code requires agents to warn you that they may be entitled to a fee if you end their instruction and, within 6 months, another agent agrees a sale to a buyer they introduced that goes on to exchange. If no other agent is involved, that period is 2 years.
Your agent may recommend a solicitor, mortgage broker or surveyor. You must be told if the agent receives a referral fee, and you do not have to use the firm recommended. Under the ombudsman's code, sellers should be asked to opt in to these services rather than opt out, and any charge for not using one must be disclosed.
You pay for your own legal work; the buyer pays for theirs. The most recent independent figures come from the Legal Services Board, which surveyed conveyancing providers in England and Wales between September and November 2024. For the sale of a £285,000 home with a mortgage to be repaid, quotes were:
These figures exclude VAT and disbursements. VAT at 20% turns a £1,000 fee into £1,200. Disbursements on a sale typically include official copies of the title from HM Land Registry, which cost £7 each through its portal or £11 by post. Removing your mortgage from the register carries no Land Registry fee, because discharging a registered charge is exempt.
The Law Society advises asking what you will pay if the sale falls through, as some solicitors charge even if you do not complete. Our guide to who pays for the seller's solicitor covers quotes, disbursements and VAT in more detail.
GOV.UK advises asking your lender early how much you owe, whether there are early repayment charges and whether there are fees to move your mortgage. On completion your solicitor pays the lender the redemption figure, which is made up of the remaining balance, any early repayment charge and some interest, so it can differ slightly from the first figure you are quoted.
The Financial Ombudsman Service explains that if you have a fixed, capped or discounted rate, your lender may apply an early repayment charge if you repay during the special rate period, and the charging period can sometimes run beyond it. The Financial Conduct Authority's rules say that for a regulated mortgage the charge must be expressible as a cash amount and be a reasonable pre-estimate of the lender's costs of early repayment, and the maximum charge must be shown in your mortgage illustration and offer.
You may be able to transfer your rate to your next home (porting) and avoid the charge, but the lender can turn the application down, for example if its lending policy has changed, and the Financial Ombudsman Service sees complaints where that left the borrower paying the charge. Check the position before you agree a moving date, and ask your solicitor to get a redemption statement in good time.
You must have an EPC to sell a home in England and Wales, and GOV.UK says you must order one before you market the property. Under the current regulations, you must commission the EPC before the home goes on the market and use all reasonable efforts to have it within 7 days, with a further 21 days allowed if you cannot get it in time despite trying. The buyer must be given it free of charge. For a home, the penalty charge for breaching these duties is £200.
An EPC rates a property from A (best) to G (worst) and is valid for 10 years. Before paying for a new one, check the government's find an energy certificate service, where you can download an existing certificate for free. If yours has expired you will need a new one. If it is still valid but you have since fitted, say, a new boiler or insulation, the government's guide to selling suggests considering whether it still reflects the property. You pay an accredited assessor directly, or your agent may arrange one. If your agent arranges it, the Property Ombudsman's code requires them to tell you in writing about all the charges for supplying the EPC.
The rules are changing. In its partial response to the EPC reform consultation, published on 21 January 2026, the government said it intends to:
The response said new EPCs would come from October 2026, but on 9 March 2026 the government moved the launch to the second half of 2027 and said it would agree a new launch date with industry. New regulations are still needed, and no new date had been published on GOV.UK at the time of writing. The 2012 regulations on legislation.gov.uk still contain the current 7-day and 21-day periods. Since the Law Society's TA6 (6th edition), sellers are no longer asked for an EPC on the property information form, because agents deal with it at the marketing stage.
If you are selling a leasehold home, the Law Society says you may have to pay your landlord or managing agent to complete an LPE1 Leasehold Property Enquiries form, which covers matters such as ground rent, insurance and service charges. If you are selling a freehold home that shares services with other properties, you may have to pay a management company or managing agent to complete an FME1 Freehold Management Enquiries form. The government's guide to selling recommends contacting the freeholder as early as possible so that collecting this information does not delay the sale.
The government's June 2026 home buying and selling roadmap acknowledges that the freeholders and managing agents who hold this information "often take too long or charge too much". Section 67 of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 gives the government a power to limit these charges, but it has not yet been brought into force. The roadmap says the government will use these powers to set "firm caps on fees and turnaround times for information requests" and that it will consult on the secondary legislation needed in 2027. Until then, ask for the fee at the start.
Two other leasehold costs can arise. If the lease has less than 80 years left, you may need to extend it before selling, because some lenders are reluctant to lend on shorter leases. And if your home is a specialist retirement property, check whether an exit or event fee is payable to the landlord or management company when you sell.
The TA6 Property Information Form is the seller's main questionnaire about the property, and your solicitor will help you complete it as part of the sale. The Law Society's TA6 (6th edition) replaced earlier editions on 30 March 2026, and firms in its Conveyancing Quality Scheme must use it for new instructions from that date. It has 15 sections, 10 fewer than the 5th edition. The questions that had been added to the 5th edition to follow National Trading Standards material information guidance, including sections on council tax and the asking price, were removed, and the form was streamlined to avoid duplication. Leasehold sellers also complete the TA7 (5th edition). The TA6 can be completed before a buyer is found, and the Law Society encourages sellers to instruct a conveyancer as early as possible, ideally before marketing.
The cost for most sellers is time and paperwork: finding planning permissions, building regulations certificates, guarantees and similar documents. Where something is missing or wrong, you may have to pay to put it right. GOV.UK lists resolving issues in the deeds among the costs of selling. Accuracy matters: the Law Society's notes say buyers can rely on your answers, and if you give misleading information the buyer may be able to claim compensation after completion. Our guide to how long you are liable after selling a house explains the time limits.
Separately, your estate agent has a legal duty not to leave out material information, meaning information the average consumer needs to make an informed decision where leaving it out is likely to affect that decision, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (in force since 6 April 2025). National Trading Standards published guidance in three parts: Part A in July 2022 (price, council tax band and tenure), and Parts B and C in November 2023, covering information needed for every property and information needed only where an issue such as flood risk applies. Its material information page now carries only a note about the government's June 2026 reform announcement, and the government has said it will publish new non-statutory guidance on the 2024 Act duties. The government's guide to selling advises being prepared to tell your agent all the relevant material facts about your property, such as whether it regularly floods.
Removal costs vary between firms, and the government's guide to selling recommends getting more than one quote. It suggests checking whether the firm belongs to a trade association, whether your belongings are insured throughout the move, how problems in online reviews were resolved and whether the small print adds extra charges. Packing by the removal firm costs extra. If you can choose your date, the guide notes you may get better rates by avoiding Fridays and the first and last days of the month. You are likely to have to be out by lunchtime on completion day, so plan to be packed the day before.
If you complete your sale before you can move into your next home, budget for storage and somewhere to stay in between. If the property will be empty for a while before the sale, check your home insurance: the government's guide warns that many policies will not cover a property empty for more than 30 or 60 days.
You do not pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on your home if it has been your only home and your main home for the whole time you owned it, and the other conditions for Private Residence Relief are met, including grounds of under 5,000 square metres. If it was your main home at some point, the last 9 months of ownership always qualify for relief. CGT may be due on a second home, a buy-to-let, inherited property or a home that was let or empty for part of the time you owned it.
For the 2026 to 2027 tax year:
Your selling costs reduce the gain: GOV.UK says you can deduct estate agents' and solicitors' fees, along with the costs of buying the property and of improvements such as an extension (but not maintenance such as decorating). Our guides to the property 36-month rule and the tax you pay when selling a rental property explain the reliefs and calculation.
GOV.UK lists arranging and paying for searches and surveys as part of the buyer's process, along with Stamp Duty Land Tax and Land Registry fees for registering the purchase. Once you accept an offer, the buyer's solicitor orders the searches, and buyers usually pay for them up front. For homes in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, Greater Cambridge Shared Planning charges £203 for a full residential local search under its fee schedule from 1 April 2026. A seller usually only pays for searches if they choose to order them early. Our guide to the searches done when selling a property explains what each covers.
If you are buying at the same time, you will pay these costs on your purchase. To find out what your home is likely to sell for, and so what you will have left after costs, you can book a valuation with our Cambridge team.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Speak to a solicitor or licensed conveyancer, a tax adviser or your mortgage lender about your own circumstances.
Usually the estate agent's fee, your legal fees with VAT and disbursements, and the cost of clearing your mortgage, including any early repayment charge. You may also pay for an EPC, removals, a leasehold management pack and Capital Gains Tax if the home was not your main residence throughout.
Not usually. The buyer's solicitor arranges searches and the buyer pays for them. A seller usually only pays if they choose to order searches before finding a buyer.
Yes, unless the property is exempt. You must commission one before marketing, it must be given to the buyer free of charge and it lasts 10 years. You can check for an existing certificate for free on GOV.UK.
Under the Property Ombudsman's code, commission becomes due on exchange of contracts unless other costs were agreed in advance. Your solicitor normally pays the agent from the sale money on completion.
A 2024 Legal Services Board survey found a median quote of £1,000 for selling a £285,000 freehold home and £1,261 for a leasehold one, excluding VAT at 20% and disbursements. Always get written quotes.
Not if it has been your only and main home throughout and the other conditions for Private Residence Relief are met. On a second home or buy-to-let, total gains above the £3,000 allowance are taxed at 18% or 24%, and any tax due must be reported and paid within 60 days of completion.
