Extra costs

Buying a house is expensive and although the biggest cost is usually the mortgage there will be other costs for you to take into account when budgeting for your purchase. The costs will either be one-off amounts or ongoing costs that you will have to pay each month.

One-off payments

• Deposit
• Stamp duty
• Solicitor's fees
• Surveyor's and conveyancing fees
• Land registry fees
• Mortgage arrangement fee
• Lender's insurance premium
• Estate agent's fees
• Moving expenses
• Decorating costs

Ongoing costs

Mortgage repayments
• Life insurance cover
• Mortgage protection cover
• Buildings and contents insurance
Council tax, water rates, electricity, gas and other regular bills
• Maintenance and decorating costs

The costs will vary depending on the property price, its location and the amount of deposit you have.

If you are selling as well as buying there will be further costs such as additional estate agent's fees.

Top tips

  • It may be possible to add the extra costs onto your mortgage. The interest rate that is applied to these costs may not be as competitive as the rest of your mortgage, so make sure you check the conditions. As you'll be paying the costs back over a longer period of time, you will be paying out much more in the end.
  • The higher a deposit you can put down the better, as you'll be offered lower interest rates, which means you pay less for your loan.

© Copyright Daily Mail & General Trust plc