A fee charged by lenders to cover the cost of setting up the mortgage. Some lenders waive this fee. Our partners, a firm of professional, independent financial advisors, would be pleased to provide you with a free, no obligation consultation on what mortgage options are available to you, and the associated costs.

All lenders require a valuation of the property to assess whether it is actually worth the price being paid for it. This type of valuation is organised by the mortgage lender but you will be expected must cover their costs. The cost of the valuation depends on the value of the property.

You may wish to commission a more detailed survey in addition to the basic mortgage valuation. There are generally two types of survey: the Homebuyer's Report (which costs around £500) and the more comprehensive Building Survey (Structural Survey) which could cost anything up to £1,000, depending on the value of the house. A professional survey can be arranged for you through us, please contact us for more info.

This is a government tax, charged for purchase of properties above £125,000. If your new home is priced between £125,000 and £250,000, you will need to pay 1% of the final agreed price. If its between £250,000 and £500,000, the tax is 3%; and over £500,000 its 4%. So, for example, if you are paying £200,000 for your home you will be expected to pay £2,000 in stamp duty - i.e. 1%.

The Land Registry is the government department that manages the register of all properties in England and Wales. It charges a fee - typically £40 or so, but is dependent on the property price - for transferring the register to the new owner.

Local searches will be carried out by your solicitor/conveyancer to ensure there are no potential problems such as planning permission on neighbouring properties or plans for new roads nearby. The fee can vary depending on which local authority your new home is located in, but you should budget around £150 to cover this charge.

These include an index map, commons, the coal authority, land charge, company searches, bank transfer fees. Allow about £70 to cover an average house purchase.

If you're selling your property as well as buying one, the sum charged by your estate agent has to be taken into account. Usually this is charged as a percentage of the property price. Please call contact us online to learn more about or fees and related services.

If you're on a tight budget, you could arrange to do all the packing and removals work yourself. However, given the scale of this task, we recommend you seek professional assistance. We have partnered with removals services to assist you. Please contact us to learn more.