Quick Answer — Updated April 2026

Selling an average UK home (£268,421) costs approximately £5,000 in 2026, covering estate agent fees of around 1.42% including VAT, conveyancing solicitor fees of £610–£950, and an Energy Performance Certificate at £60–£120. Additional costs may include removals (£500–£5,000), a mortgage early repayment charge (typically 1%–5% of the outstanding loan), and Capital Gains Tax if the property is not your main residence.

Sources: HM Land Registry UK HPI (Jan 2026), HomeOwners Alliance.

What are the costs of selling a house in 2026?

Selling a home in the UK in 2026 typically costs around £5,000 on an average-priced property of £268,421, according to the HomeOwners Alliance. The bulk of this is the estate agent fee (currently averaging 1.42% including VAT), with conveyancing solicitor fees, an Energy Performance Certificate, removal costs and any mortgage charges making up the rest. The tables below show the basic costs and the potential extra costs you may need to budget for.

These tables detail the basic and potential extra costs you'll have to pay;

UK property market snapshot (2026)

According to the HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, the average UK house price in January 2026 was £268,421, up 1.3% year on year. HMRC recorded 102,410 residential property transactions (seasonally adjusted) in February 2026 — 6% lower than February 2025 but 6% higher than the previous month, suggesting a modest recovery in seller activity.

Total Stamp Taxes receipts between April 2025 and February 2026 reached £18.4 billion according to HMRC's tax receipts bulletin, £1.9 billion higher than the equivalent period a year earlier. Stamp Duty Land Tax is paid by the buyer, not the seller, but high SDLT receipts tend to indicate stronger transaction volumes — useful context if you're considering when to list.

Energy Performance Certificates

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is a legal requirement before you can market your property for sale in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, under GOV.UK rules. EPCs cost between £60 and £120 in 2026 and are valid for 10 years from the date of issue. You can check whether your property already has a valid EPC on the official GOV.UK register before paying for a new one.

An EPC contains information about how energy efficient your property is, the typical energy costs, and advice on how to save money and reduce energy use. EPCs are available to buy direct from accredited assessors found online, or your estate agent can arrange one for you.

EPCs matter to buyers because they allow them to compare the energy efficiency of different properties and identify improvements they could make — an increasingly important consideration as energy prices remain elevated.

What Do I Need to Do to Sell My House?

The first thing you should do when considering selling your home is to get a valuation. An online estate agent can give you a general idea, but you are better off getting a local solicitor or licensed conveyancer for your evaluations when moving to a new home.

You should consider getting more than one valuation done, because they can vary, and you don't have to stick to one agent — the asking price of the house is up to you. Transferring ownership of a property to potential buyers is a legally binding action, which means you need to instruct a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to handle the transfer; this process is called conveyancing.

At this point you may receive an offer and progress to exchange of contracts. This is the point at which you are legally bound to the sale — only if the buyer pulls out at this stage will the sale not proceed (and they typically lose their deposit). Once you have moved out on the agreed completion date, the solicitor will register the transfer of ownership and settle their fees from the sale proceeds.

Estate agent fees for selling

Cost range: 1.0% – 1.8% inc. VAT (sole agency) — average 1.42% inc. VAT in 2026.

The average high-street estate agent fee in the UK in 2026 is 1.42% of the sale price including VAT, according to the HomeOwners Alliance. On a property sold at the current UK average price of £268,421, that works out at approximately £3,811.

• Around 96% of UK sellers use a traditional high-street estate agent.
• Most agents charge a percentage fee on a "no sale, no fee" basis — you only pay on completion.
• Sole agency agreements typically cost 1.0%–1.8% inc. VAT; multi-agency agreements (using two or more agents) typically cost 3.0%–3.6% inc. VAT.
• All estate agents, including online agents, are required by law to quote fees inclusive of VAT.
• Estate agents must belong to a government-approved redress scheme such as The Property Ombudsman.
• Fees are routinely negotiable — the HomeOwners Alliance recommends getting at least three quotes and negotiating sole-agency rates.

Conveyancing Solicitor Fees

Cost range: £610 – £950 (selling, freehold) — rising by around £300 for leasehold sales.

Conveyancing fees for selling a UK home in 2026 typically range from £610 to £950 for freehold property, based on HomeOwners Alliance 2026 data. Fees vary by property value, whether the property is leasehold or freehold, and whether you have an outstanding mortgage to redeem on completion.

Independent research of 100 conveyancing firms in England and Wales, published by Property Solvers in 2026, found the all-in average freehold sale conveyancing cost (fees plus disbursements, including VAT) is £1,316.52, rising to £1,628.58 for leasehold sales. Some firms charge a percentage of the property value, but most reputable conveyancers now offer fixed-fee quotes — which makes budgeting much easier.

The conveyancing process must be handled by a solicitor regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority or a licensed conveyancer regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers. You can verify any solicitor's credentials using the Law Society's Find a Solicitor tool. Instruct a conveyancer early in the process to avoid delays.

Removal Costs

Cost range: £500 – £5,000 + VAT, depending on home size and distance.

This cost range varies depending on the following factors:

• Quantity of possessions
• Whether you pack yourself or pay for a packing service
• The accessibility of your house
• The distance to your new home
• Storage space requirements

If you are thinking of taking the DIY approach to moving, you need to consider the costs of hiring a van, goods-in-transit insurance, fuel and suitable packing materials. Although this is cheaper than using a removal firm, it is a far more stressful experience from a logistical sense.

You also need to ensure you are on top of your household contents insurance — for example, will your policy cover you for the move? If it doesn't, you may have to pay a premium of £20–£30 to get the extra cover you need. Many removal firms offer their own goods-in-transit insurance for an additional fee.

You can also purchase a short-term storage service that lets you hold your contents during the gap between completion dates — useful when there's a delay between selling and moving in to your new property. Storage can be arranged by phone, with a fixed start date and chosen length of stay.

Mortgage Charges

There are two mortgage-related charges to be aware of when it comes to selling a house.

• Mortgage exit fee
• Early repayment charge

Incentives

Cost range: dependent on incentive offered.

If you are struggling to sell your home because you're up against several similar properties, then you can either drop the price or offer some incentives to make your home more appealing to buyers.

Capital Gains Tax (HMRC rules, 2026)

You do not pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) when selling your main home if you qualify for Private Residence Relief, according to HMRC. CGT is only payable when you sell a property that has not been your main residence for the entire period of ownership — typically a buy-to-let, second home, or inherited property.

For the 2026/27 tax year, HMRC CGT rates on residential property are:

• 18% on gains within your basic-rate income tax band
• 24% on gains above the basic-rate threshold
• The annual CGT allowance is £3,000 per person (reduced from £6,000 in 2023/24)

Key points to be aware of:

• The Private Residence Relief Final Period Exemption covers the last 9 months of ownership, even if it is not your main home during that time.
• Your CGT liability is based on the amount the property has increased in value during your time of ownership.
• You can deduct the cost of capital improvements, plus the transactional costs of buying and selling the property (including estate agent and conveyancing fees), from the gain.
• CGT on UK residential property must be reported and paid to HMRC within 60 days of completion using a Capital Gains Tax on UK property account. Late reporting can attract penalties and interest.

How to Calculate Profit When Selling a House

Most sellers will need to know how to calculate profit when selling a house.

To work this out you need the sale price (A), your outstanding mortgage balance (B) and the total cost of selling (C).

Use these figures and place them in this simple arithmetic:

Gross Profit = A − (B + C)

For example, on a £268,421 sale (the current UK average) with a £150,000 mortgage to redeem and total selling costs of £5,000, your gross profit would be £113,421 before any Capital Gains Tax (where applicable).

Accepting an Offer

When you first receive an offer, make sure you negotiate. Many buyers will offer significantly less than they are prepared to pay, and your estate agent will advise whether the offer is acceptable based on comparable sales in the area.

Contracts

Once the final terms of your contract of sale are agreed, contracts are exchanged with the buyer, which legally binds the sale. If you choose not to go ahead with the sale after exchange, the buyer can sue you. If the buyer pulls out at this stage, they lose their deposit.

Key Takeaways

Before you leave this page, it's important to take these points away with you when it comes to the costs of selling a house in the UK in 2026:

• The total cost of selling an average UK home (£268,421) is approximately £5,000 — mostly estate agent fees, conveyancing and an EPC.
• Estate agent fees average 1.42% inc. VAT for sole agency, but are routinely negotiable — get at least three quotes.
• Conveyancing fees for selling are £610–£950 for freehold; compare fixed-fee quotes before instructing.
• Capital Gains Tax only applies if the property is not your main home; it must be reported to HMRC within 60 days of completion.
• Avoid the trap of being "penny-wise but pound-foolish" — paying a fair fee for the right services usually delivers the best sale price and the most profit.

Sources & references

The cost figures on this page are compiled from the following official and independent sources, last reviewed in April 2026:

• HM Land Registry — UK House Price Index reports. Official UK average house price (£268,421, January 2026).
• HMRC — Monthly UK residential property transactions and Stamp Taxes statistics.
• GOV.UK — Capital Gains Tax on residential property and EPC requirements.
• HomeOwners Alliance — Cost of selling a house, estate agent fees, solicitors' fees for selling.
• The Law Society — Find a Solicitor tool for verifying regulated conveyancers.
• Solicitors Regulation Authority — sra.org.uk, the regulator for solicitors in England and Wales.
• Property Solvers 2026 conveyancing survey — independent research across 100 firms in England and Wales.

Page last updated: April 2026. Cost figures reviewed quarterly.