What is the cost of moving home? Helpful guide inside!
If you’ve been thinking about moving home, it’s important you consider all costs involved. Beyond the price of the property and the deposit you’ll have to put down, there are several fees you’ll need to ensure you’ve budgeted for. These include the cost of legal services, stamp duty costs, the use of a removal company and much more. According to mybigmove.co.uk, the average UK spend while moving house is more than £10,000 - a lot more than many may have thought and the reason so many people look for ways to raise unexpected funds in a last minute panic just to get the process of the move over the line.
To help avoid this panic we’ve put together this guide to help you plan for these additional costs when working out your moving budget.
Solicitors
These fees will pay for the services that a conveyancing solicitor carries out when acting for you during the buying and/or selling process of a property, and depending on the type of property, will typically cost between £500 - £1500 (including 20% VAT). The conveyancers will also conduct local searches which will cost between £250 - £300.
Estate agents
Estate agents work on commission and most will charge between 1-3% of the sale price (plus 20% VAT), which is paid for by the seller. It is sometimes possible to list your property for sale exclusively with one sole agent in order to reduce the amount of commission, but this may also limit the number of potential buyers that view the property, so you’d need to weigh up what could be most suitable in your situation.
Stamp duty
Stamp duty tax is a fee payable to the government and covers the changing of information on documents that specifies the owner of a property. It’s known as Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) and must be paid on a property that is purchased over a certain price in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is a threshold on SDLT which currently stands at £125,000 for residential properties, and recent changes mean that rates only apply to that portion of the property price that falls within a band.
First-time buyers are exempt from paying SDLT up to the cost of £300,000 but will have to pay 5% on any portion between £300,001 to £500,000.
Current stamp duty rates are set out as below:
Property price: £0 - £125,000
Stamp duty tax rate: None payable
Property price: £125,001 - £250,000
Stamp duty tax rate: 2%
Property price: £250,001 - £925,000
Stamp duty tax rate: 5%
Property price: £925,001 - £1.5 million
Stamp duty tax rate: 10%
Property price: Over £1.5 million
Stamp duty tax rate: 12%
Valuation
Some mortgages include a valuation fee whereas others will require you to pay extra for it. If you have to pay a fee this will be paid to the lender so they can carry out a valuation of the property to help them decide how much they are willing to lend. Valuation fees can be anywhere from around £150 - £1,500 depending on the mortgage product.
Surveyors
A surveyors fee will need to be paid before the sale goes through so that the property you’re buying can be checked for any structural issues. There are several surveys available which each differ in the level of detail, and these range from around £250 - £600.
Electronic transfer
An electronic transfer fee covers the cost of transferring funds from the bank to the solicitor and will cost around £50.
Removal company
If your move doesn’t involve transporting large items of furniture you may escape the need to hire a removal company. However, most people will be looking to move sofas, double beds, wardrobes, cupboards, large tables and so on from one property to another, so a removal company is going to be required. Many factors will affect the total cost, including distance between properties, the time of year and the number of items you need to transport. A survey carried out by Compare My Move revealed the average removal company costs total £1,761, not including packing material charges, special care items and access issues.
Here at CPS Homes we’re proud to be Cardiff’s largest lettings and estate agent, so whether you’re looking to buy or sell our team have the local expertise to help you every step of the way. Contact us today by calling 02920 668585, e-mailing enquiries@cpshomes.co.uk or by popping into one of our three Cardiff branches.
