The costs of buying a house
and the documents you'll need for your mortgage application.
What's on this page?
Complete your full mortgage application
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Fees and costs
What are all the costs involved in buying a home?
The mortgage product you opt for could affect some of the costs too.
Before you choose your mortgage, make sure you look at the fees.
Cost name | Do I have to pay it? | What’s it for? | How much can I expect to pay? |
---|---|---|---|
Home survey | No, you don’t have to have a survey but it can help you learn about potential problems with the building.
| There are different levels of survey depending on the size of the property and depth of information you want. The most basic survey will give an overview of the property's condition and point out significant problems, but won’t go into detail. | £500 - £1500 |
| Sometimes the valuation is free. A valuation is always carried out by the lender. | A valuation by a lender is not a survey and just confirms the value of the property to the lender. | From free. Check with your lender. |
Mortgage product fee or mortgage arrangement fee | This is part of the mortgage application, and you will have to pay it.
| The mortgage product fee is to cover the administration costs of arranging your mortgage. You pay this when you apply for the full mortgage application. | From free to around £2,500. Check with your mortgage product details. |
Mortgage booking fee Sometime called an application or reservation fee. | Not all lenders charge these, but if they do, it will have to be paid on submitting your full mortgage application. It’s not refundable even if your house purchase falls through. | If it’s charged it’s sometimes to reserve a certain type of product. | From £100 -£300 |
| You might have to pay Stamp Duty.
| Stamp Duty Land Tax is tax paid to the government on house purchases depending on the price of the house.
| Use our stamp duty calculator to work out how much you could pay. |
| Yes. Conveyancing is the legal process that all property sales go through. | Conveyancers deal with the transfer of property ownership. They also do checks and searches on factors that could affect the property you’re buying. | £800 - £1500+ |
What documents do I need for my mortgage application?
You’ll need documents to prove your ID and address:
- Signed full or provisional UK/EU driving licence.
- UK bank or building society current/savings account or credit card statement, from the last 3 months.
- UK utility bill from the last 3 months.
- Letter from HMRC including tax credit or statement (not P45 or P60) from the last 12 months.
- Council tax bill from the last 12 months.
You’ll need documents with details of your finances:
What are the different types of products?
Mortgage type | Description |
---|---|
Tracker rate | A tracker mortgage has a variable rate that tracks or follows the Bank of England base rate, or the lenders standard variable rate, for the initial period of the mortgage deal. |
Fixed rate | A fixed rate mortgage means your interest rate is fixed for the initial period of the mortgage deal. This means your mortgage payments won't go up or down during this time. |
Offset | An offset mortgage is a way of linking your mortgage with your savings to reduce the amount of interest you pay. |
What is a capital repayment mortgage and interest only mortgage?
Capital repayment or repayment mortgage
When you reach the end of your mortgage term you will have paid off the mortgage loan and the interest.
Interest only mortgage
When you get to the end of the mortgage term you will need another way of paying off the loan, in one lump sum.
Read our guide interest only mortgages
What’s the difference between freehold and leasehold properties?
Freehold and leasehold are types of property ownership
Leasehold: You own the property for a set period of time, but not the land it’s built on.
Read our guide, leasehold and freehold differences
For impartial financial advice, try MoneyHelper
What do you want to learn about next?
Mortgage guides

What is a fixed rate mortgage and how does one work?

What is a standard variable rate mortgage?
