Cost of selling a house: every fee a seller pays

Selling a house in England and Wales is rarely free, but most of the cost falls at completion rather than up front. The main bills are the estate agent's fee, conveyancing, an Energy Performance Certificate and removals. Some sellers also pay for leasehold information, indemnity policies or capital gains tax.

What the cost of selling a house is made of

Sellers face one large cost and a handful of smaller fixed ones. The large cost is the estate agent's commission, normally a share of the agreed sale price. The rest are quotes you can compare before you instruct anyone: conveyancing, the EPC, removals and any leasehold paperwork.

There is no official published average for the total cost of selling, because fees are set by agents, solicitors and assessors rather than regulated. What you can check against public data is the price your property is likely to achieve, which is the figure every other cost is calculated from. Local achieved prices are on /sold-house-prices, and area-level values are on /house-prices.

Costs differ by region, by property type and, above all, by whether the home is freehold or leasehold. Treat any single national figure you see quoted with care.

Estate agent fees: the biggest single bill

Estate agent fees are usually a percentage of the sale price, agreed in writing before marketing starts. That percentage, and whether it is sole agency or multi-agency, is a commercial negotiation, so it varies by agent and by area.

A few points decide what you actually pay:

• When the fee is due. Most agents charge on completion only, so a sale that falls through costs you nothing in commission. Check the contract for withdrawal fees and notice periods.
• VAT. Agents add VAT to their fee at the standard rate, so the amount you pay is higher than the headline percentage. GOV.UK sets out the current standard rate on its VAT rates page.
• Sole agency versus multi-agency. A sole agency agreement is normally cheaper, but ties you to one agent for an agreed period.
• What is included. Photography, floor plans, portal listings and viewings are sometimes charged separately. Ask for the full list in writing.

Read the terms before you sign, not after an offer arrives.

Conveyancing and legal costs

Conveyancing is charged as a professional fee plus disbursements, and the disbursements are where quotes differ most. The fee covers the legal work of transferring ownership; the disbursements are payments your solicitor makes on your behalf.

Typical disbursements include local authority searches, water and drainage searches, environmental or mining searches where the area requires them, and the fees for transferring funds. Search costs are set by the authority or supplier, not by your solicitor, so they vary from place to place. Ask for a quote that itemises fees and disbursements separately, and ask what happens to the money if the sale collapses before exchange.

If the property is leasehold, the solicitor also has to obtain information from the freeholder or managing agent, and that landlord usually charges for providing it. Ask for that cost early, because it can arrive late in the process.

Energy Performance Certificate

An EPC must be in place before a home is marketed for sale in England and Wales, and a certificate is valid for ten years. The assessment is carried out by an accredited assessor and the price is set by the assessor, so it is worth getting more than one quote.

The certificate rates the property's energy efficiency and includes recommendations. It does not change your asking price, but buyers do see it, so a poor rating is worth understanding before your first viewing.

Removals and the practical costs of moving

Removals are quoted on volume, access and distance, so two homes of the same size can get very different prices. A firm typically charges more for stairs, parking restrictions and long carries from the door to the van.

Other moving costs that appear around completion include storage if the dates do not line up, a final clean, and connection or disconnection charges for utilities. Completion dates can slip, so keep a contingency for an extra week of storage or a night or two elsewhere.

Costs sellers often overlook

Some charges are not in the headline fee but still land on the seller.

Mortgage early repayment charges. If you are on a fixed rate, redeeming the mortgage early can trigger a charge. Check the terms with your lender before you exchange.

Capital gains tax. Your main home is normally covered by private residence relief, but a second home or a rental property is not. Where tax is due on residential property, HMRC requires it to be reported and paid within 60 days of completion. Take advice on your own position.

Indemnity policies. A buyer's solicitor sometimes asks for a policy to cover a gap in the title or a missing consent. These are cheap but are an extra line on the bill.

Leasehold consents. If your lease requires permission for alterations, or the freeholder charges for a management pack, those fees are yours.

Stamp Duty Land Tax is not a seller's cost. GOV.UK confirms it is paid by the buyer on the purchase.

How to keep the cost of selling down

Get at least three written quotes for agency and for conveyancing, and compare the itemised totals rather than the headline percentage. Ask every agent what they charge if you withdraw, and ask every solicitor what happens if the buyer pulls out.

The most effective saving is pricing realistically in the first place. A home that sits on the market costs you in time, in repeated marketing and sometimes in a renegotiated price. Start from what actually sold nearby, not from what is currently advertised. The /house-price-map shows how prices shift across an area, and a street-level view for a specific town such as /house-prices/bristol shows what buyers are comparing your home against.

When you are ready to think about your own figure, use /house-value rather than guessing from asking prices.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay estate agent fees if the sale falls through?

Usually not, if the contract is commission on completion. Most agents are paid only when the sale completes, so a collapsed sale costs you nothing in commission, but some contracts include a withdrawal or marketing fee, so read the terms before signing.

Is the EPC included in the estate agent's fee?

Sometimes, but not by default. An EPC is required before marketing and is arranged by the seller, either directly with an accredited assessor or through the agent, so confirm in writing who is ordering it and who pays.

Does the seller pay stamp duty?

No. Stamp Duty Land Tax is paid by the buyer on the purchase, not by the seller. Sellers should budget instead for agency fees, conveyancing, the EPC and removals.