One sitewide cost taxonomy
The calculator, guides and price pages use these twelve categories. Natural wording can vary in prose, but tables do not merge categories that are calculated separately.
- Deposit
- Property tax
- Solicitor/conveyancing
- Search fees
- Survey and valuation
- Mortgage fees
- Registration fee or allowance
- Bank transfer fee
- Moving costs
- Insurance
- Furnishing and setup
- Contingency
How figures are classified
The table below shows classification labels used across calculator results and editorial content, with columns for Classification and Meaning.
| Classification | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Official calculation | A result calculated from published jurisdiction-specific rules, such as property tax. |
| Official charge | A charge taken from a published official fee scale for the applicable transaction. |
| Market estimate | A planning amount based on the central estimate bands, not a statutory tariff. |
| User-entered amount | An amount or percentage supplied by the user. |
| Optional allowance | A selected planning allowance that can be excluded. |
| Adjustable allowance | A centrally suggested amount that should be confirmed or replaced for the transaction. |
On smaller screens, scroll sideways to view every column clearly.
What each headline scope means
The table below shows named total scopes used by TrueHomeCosts, with columns for Scope and Definition.
| Scope | Definition |
|---|---|
| total upfront cash | Deposit, property tax, core transaction costs, selected moving costs, insurance, furnishing and contingency. |
| core transaction costs | Property tax, solicitor/conveyancing, searches, survey and valuation, mortgage fees, registration and bank transfer fee. Moving costs are excluded. |
| core non tax transaction costs | Solicitor/conveyancing, searches, survey and valuation, mortgage fees, registration and bank transfer fee. Deposit, property tax, moving, insurance, furnishing and contingency are excluded. |
| wider moving and insurance | Moving costs and insurance only. Furnishing and setup are excluded. |
| optional furnishing and setup | The optional furnishing and setup allowance only. |
| contingency | The selected contingency percentage applied to estimate-led costs. |
On smaller screens, scroll sideways to view every column clearly.
First-year costs are discussed separately as purchase-completion costs, moving and setup, ongoing ownership costs and optional improvements. Ongoing mortgage payments and household bills are not silently added to the upfront calculator total.
Low, average and high assumptions
Market-estimate categories have low, average and high planning values. The appropriate price band and jurisdiction are selected where relevant. These are editorial planning ranges, not measured UK averages, so a real quotation should replace the estimate as soon as it is available.
Derived ranges are calculated by summing named categories from the same calculator result. They are not separately maintained headline figures.
The supporting guides use the same layers: for example, conveyancing planning figures reuse the solicitor, search and transfer assumptions, survey-level examples reuse the survey bands, and registration tables come from the verified jurisdiction modules.
Variable estimate source record
Each estimate below records the evidence or editorial reasoning used, when it was checked, what the allowance covers and why it may not match a real transaction. A source can help set context without turning a judgement-based allowance into a market average.
The table below shows source and reasoning record for central variable-cost assumptions, with columns for Category, Basis, Source or reasoning, Checked, Scope, and Limitations.
| Category | Basis | Source or reasoning | Checked | Scope | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solicitor / conveyancing | Published consumer benchmark | MoneyHelper buying and moving cost guide, supported by public solicitor price schedules | 2026-09-12 | VAT-inclusive professional legal work for a standard purchase; searches, registration, transfer fees and conditional work are separate. | The calculator bands are editorial planning ranges, not a measured UK average or a quote. Tenure, lender and title work can change the fee. |
| Property searches | Published consumer benchmark | MoneyHelper buying and moving cost guide, checked against public search-pack prices | 2026-09-12 | An allowance for a usual residential pack, commonly including local authority, drainage and environmental searches. | Pack contents, local-authority disbursements, provider pricing, property risks and VAT treatment differ. The allowance is not a tariff. |
| Survey and valuation | Published consumer benchmark | RICS consumer guide to Home Survey levels and pricing factors | 2026-09-12 | Price-banded planning amounts spanning a basic valuation or Level 1-style check through fuller Level 2 or Level 3 work. | RICS explains that level, size, complexity, location and required work drive the quote. The bands do not prescribe the right survey. |
| Mortgage fees | Published consumer benchmark | MoneyHelper mortgage-fee categories and conditional price ranges | 2026-08-30 | One adjustable allowance for possible product, booking, valuation, account or broker charges. | It is not a sum of every possible fee. A mortgage can be fee-free, include a valuation or price charges into the interest rate. |
| Removals and moving | Editorial planning assumption | Scenario-based allowance informed by the GOV.UK moving checklist; replace with competing removal quotes | 2026-09-12 | Optional allowance for van or removal-company work, packing and basic moving-day practicals, rising by property-price band as a rough proxy. | Property price does not determine removal cost. Distance, volume, access, timing, storage and packing service matter more. |
| Home insurance | Published consumer benchmark | MoneyHelper home-insurance benchmark and GOV.UK exchange guidance | 2026-09-12 | Optional first-year allowance for buildings cover and, where selected, contents cover around exchange or completion. | Premiums depend on rebuild cost, property, location, cover, excess and claims history. Leaseholders may already contribute through a service charge. |
| Furnishing and setup | Editorial planning assumption | Editable checklist-based allowance; no UK-average claim | 2026-09-12 | Optional budget for furniture, appliances and immediate household setup, with low, average and high scenarios. | Needs vary too widely for a reliable universal average. Buyers should replace it with a room-by-room list and current retailer prices. |
| Bank transfer fee | Published consumer benchmark | MoneyHelper buying-cost guide and public solicitor price schedules | 2026-09-12 | Allowance for one solicitor or lender electronic transfer charge. | A firm may include it, charge VAT, charge per transfer or use different wording. Use the amount and number of transfers in the quote. |
| Contingency | Editorial planning assumption | User-controlled budgeting buffer; no external market benchmark claimed | 2026-09-12 | Optional percentage applied only to estimate-led costs, not to the deposit, tax or official registration charges. | It is not a forecast of overspend and does not replace an emergency fund or transaction-specific professional advice. |
On smaller screens, scroll sideways to view every column clearly.
- Solicitor / conveyancing: MoneyHelper buying and moving cost guide, supported by public solicitor price schedules
- Property searches: MoneyHelper buying and moving cost guide, checked against public search-pack prices
- Survey and valuation: RICS consumer guide to Home Survey levels and pricing factors
- Mortgage fees: MoneyHelper mortgage-fee categories and conditional price ranges
- Removals and moving: Scenario-based allowance informed by the GOV.UK moving checklist; replace with competing removal quotes
- Home insurance: MoneyHelper home-insurance benchmark and GOV.UK exchange guidance
- Bank transfer fee: MoneyHelper buying-cost guide and public solicitor price schedules
Small public-price sense check
These published examples test whether parts of the legal-work and search allowances remain plausible. They are not private quotes, endorsements or a representative UK sample, and differently packaged prices must not be averaged together.
The table below shows selected public legal-fee and property-search prices checked on 12 September 2026, with columns for Category, Provider, Published, Price and VAT, Defined scope, and Important exclusions.
| Category | Provider | Published | Price and VAT | Defined scope | Important exclusions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal work | The Wilkes Partnership | April 2026 | £1,440 including VAT | Published professional fee for a residential purchase up to £300,000. | Searches (£350–£500), transfer (£54 including VAT), registration, tax and conditional supplements are separate. |
| Legal work | The Waring Partnership | February 2026 | £1,440 including VAT | Published purchase fee for the £250,001–£300,000 price band. | The page says tailored quotes depend on the matter; disbursements and applicable extras remain separate. |
| Search pack | Conveyancing Searches UK | April 2026 | £195–£325 including VAT | Four named residential packs combining regulated local, drainage and environmental products. | Pack contents differ; local disbursements, water company and property size can change the amount. |
| Search pack | Searchpoint | Current public page | £160 plus VAT (£192 including VAT) | Published fixed national price for its personal-search National Residential pack. | A named provider pack is not directly comparable with every solicitor pack, official local search or property-specific add-on. |
On smaller screens, scroll sideways to view every column clearly.
- The Wilkes Partnership published pricing
- The Waring Partnership published pricing
- Conveyancing Searches UK published pricing
- Searchpoint published pricing
The central defaults have not been changed from this small check. The provider examples support the existing order of magnitude, while their scope differences reinforce the need to enter an itemised quote.
Jurisdiction handling
England and Northern Ireland use SDLT, Scotland uses LBTT and Wales uses LTT. First-time buyer and additional-property treatment is selected from the relevant official rule set.
Registration is also jurisdiction-specific: HM Land Registry for qualifying England and Wales applications, Registers of Scotland for Scottish dispositions, and Land & Property Services for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is never treated as an HM Land Registry jurisdiction.
Source and review practice
Official tax and registration sources are checked when rules or fee tables change and during substantive factual reviews. Market estimates are checked against published consumer context, public prices where scopes can be described, and their intended budgeting role; one commercial price does not automatically replace the central range.
The table below shows official sources checked for calculator data version 2026.07.1, with columns for Source, Jurisdiction, Checked, and Rule or fee verified.
| Source | Jurisdiction | Checked | Rule or fee verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| HM Revenue & Customs | England and Northern Ireland | 2026-07-19 | SDLT standard bands, first-time buyer relief and the 5% additional-property surcharge |
| Revenue Scotland | Scotland | 2026-07-19 | LBTT bands and the first-time buyer nil-rate threshold |
| Revenue Scotland | Scotland | 2026-07-19 | 8% Additional Dwelling Supplement for relevant transactions |
| Welsh Revenue Authority | Wales | 2026-07-19 | Main and higher residential LTT bands |
| HM Land Registry | England and Wales | 2026-08-25 | Scale 1 and Scale 2 registration fee bands and supported submission routes |
| Registers of Scotland | Scotland | 2026-08-25 | Disposition registration fee bands |
| Land & Property Services Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland | 2026-08-25 | 2014 Land Registry electronic transfer scale; proposed 2027 changes are not yet in force |
On smaller screens, scroll sideways to view every column clearly.
A visible review date records a substantive factual review, not a build or formatting date. Article schema uses the same substantive date shown on the page.
Versioning, changes and corrections
Calculator data version 2026.07.1 is separate from individual article review dates. Material tax, registration or market-assumption changes are recorded in the calculator data change log.
Report an incorrect tax result, outdated fee, broken source, misleading wording or calculator fault through the public corrections route.
Disclaimer
TrueHomeCosts provides general UK home-buying cost information for planning purposes only. It is not financial, mortgage, tax or legal advice. Costs can change, and buyers should confirm figures with official sources and qualified professionals before making decisions.