What moving house actually costs

Most people budget for the removal firm and the solicitor, and then get caught by a series of smaller costs that arrive together in the same fortnight. Individually none is large. Together they routinely add up to more than the van.

Buying: the unavoidable ones

• Stamp duty, or its equivalent — Land Transaction Tax in Wales, Land and Buildings Transaction Tax in Scotland. Rules, thresholds and reliefs differ by nation and change; first-time-buyer relief and the higher rate for additional properties both matter a great deal. Use the official calculator for your nation.
• Conveyancing fees, plus disbursements — searches, Land Registry fees, bank transfer fees. Ask for a full quote including disbursements, not just the headline fee.
• Mortgage arrangement or product fee, if your deal has one. Sometimes addable to the loan, which costs more overall.
• Mortgage valuation, where the lender charges for it.
• Survey. Optional, and the most common false economy in the entire process — a survey costs a fraction of what an undiscovered problem does.
• Buildings insurance, which lenders generally require from exchange, not from completion.

Selling

• Estate agent fees, typically a percentage plus VAT. Confirm whether the quoted figure includes VAT — a surprising number of quotes don't say clearly.
• Conveyancing for the sale, separate from the purchase.
• EPC, which you must have to market the property.
• Early repayment charge on your mortgage, if you're leaving a fixed deal early. This can be one of the largest single numbers in a move — check before committing to dates.

The move itself

The ones people forget

This is the section worth reading twice, because these arrive after the move when the budget is already spent.

• Overlapping council tax, if you complete before you move out. Liability can apply at both addresses at once — see council tax when moving house.
• Royal Mail redirection, which is priced by how long you need it.
• Broadband install or a new line, and possibly an early exit fee on the old contract.
• Higher insurance premiums — both home and car are postcode-based, and a move can push them up.
• Locks changed on arrival. Standard sensible practice, rarely budgeted.
• White goods, if the seller takes theirs. Check exactly what's included in the fixtures and fittings form.
• Curtains, blinds and carpets — the classic first-month spend, and the classic underestimate.
• Small repairs found in week one, which there always are.
• A deposit on a new rental, held while you're waiting for the old one back.

Where you can actually save

1. 1

   Declutter before you get quotes

   Removal pricing follows volume. An afternoon of decisions reduces the quote and the unpacking, and it's the only saving here that also makes the move easier.

2. 2

   Move mid-week and mid-month

   Fridays and month-ends are peak. If your dates are flexible at all, this is free money.

3. 3

   Pack yourself, but not the fragile things

   Packing services are a real cost. Professional packing of breakables is often worth keeping, because breakage claims usually depend on who packed the box.

4. 4

   Shop the insurance rather than auto-renewing

   You're changing address anyway, which is exactly the moment to re-quote rather than let an existing policy roll on at a loyalty price.

5. 5

   Don't skip the survey to save money

   Included here because it's the most tempting saving and the worst one. It's the only spend that can save you a five-figure sum.

MovePlan won't budget for you, but it does make sure the tasks that carry a cost or a deadline land in the right week — broadband before it's too late, council tax at both ends, insurance before moving day. It builds a dated plan from your move date and drafts your address-change letters, filled in with your details. £14.99 once, for 90 days.