Map the buying costs around the mortgage, compare fee-paying and lower-fee deals over the initial period, and catch the charges that often surface too late.
Product Fee
A common starting range is around £1,000 to £2,000 or more
Land Registry
£150 electronic / £330 paper at £200,001 to £500,000
Comparison Rule
Compare the initial deal period before you project anything further
Calculator
Use the planner for two related jobs: building the wider cost plan for the transaction and comparing fee-heavy and lower-fee mortgage deals over the initial period.
These starting values reflect current public home-buying cost guidance and Land Registry fee tables. Replace them with your own quotes before treating this as a real budget.
Common starting range: around £1,000 to £2,000 or more
Common starting range: around £100 to £200
Common starting range: around £150 to £800
A Level 2 survey often starts around £400
A common starting budget is around £2,000 including VAT and disbursements
Common starting range: around £250 to £300
Common starting range: around £25 to £50
Current Scale 1 example: £150 electronic at £200,001 to £500,000
Common starting range: from around £400 to over £1,000
The stamp duty line here is a quick SDLT estimate using the same England and Northern Ireland rules as our dedicated stamp duty tool. For additional-property, non-resident or more complex tax cases, use the full stamp duty calculator instead of relying on this planner alone.
Planning Ranges
Use these editable ranges as a budgeting baseline, then replace them with your own lender quotes, survey quotes and conveyancing estimates as the purchase or remortgage progresses.
| Cost type | Typical starting range | Budget context |
|---|---|---|
| Booking fee | around £100 to £200 | Upfront lender booking cost on some products |
| Product fee | around £1,000 to £2,000 or more | Main arrangement fee that often drives fee-vs-rate trade-offs |
| Valuation fee | around £150 to £800 | Mortgage valuation cost where it is not covered by the lender |
| Level 2 survey | around £400 | Buyer survey cost separate from the lender valuation |
| Legal fees | around £2,000 including VAT and disbursements | Conveyancing and legal work on the transaction |
| Search fees | around £250 to £300 | Local authority and related property searches |
| Transfer fee | around £25 to £50 | Electronic transfer charge for mortgage funds or completion monies |
| Land Registry fee example | £150 electronic or £330 paper | Transfer of whole at £200,001 to £500,000 |
| Removal costs | from around £400 to over £1,000 | Moving-day logistics that are easy to underbudget |
Method
The planner compares the introductory period you select, so a short-term deal is judged on the window you are actually choosing rather than on a made-up full-life assumption.
The highlighted deal-cost line uses interest paid during the selected introductory period plus any product fee. That keeps the comparison tied to the part of the deal you are actually comparing.
Two deals can have similar monthly payments but leave you with different balances when the introductory period ends. Showing the balance keeps the comparison honest.
Rate alone is not enough. APRC and the full fee structure still matter when you compare mortgage deals beyond the simple initial-period calculation shown here.
Common Misses
These are the costs that often appear late or get lost behind the headline mortgage rate.
The lender valuation and the survey solve different problems. A valuation supports the lender. A survey tells you more about the condition of the home you are buying.
Some lenders let you add the arrangement fee to the mortgage, but that means you also pay interest on the fee over the life of the loan.
HM Land Registry pricing varies by application type, price band and whether the submission is electronic or paper-based. Old flat-fee claims drift out of date quickly.
This planner includes a quick SDLT line, but additional-property and more complex tax cases need the dedicated stamp duty tool rather than a shortcut assumption inside a wider cost calculator.
Next Steps
Once the cost lines are clearer, these pages help you move from fees into tax, buying process and remortgage timing.
Estimate the ERC and exit-fee line separately before folding it into a remortgage or overpayment decision.
Read the longer guide behind each cost line in this planner.
Run the full SDLT calculation when your case is more complex than a quick purchase-cost estimate.
Use the buying guide if you are budgeting for the whole purchase journey, not just the side costs.
Read the deal-ending guide if these fees are part of a switch rather than a house purchase.
The planner budgets for mortgage product fees, valuation and survey costs, legal and search fees, Land Registry charges, moving costs and a quick SDLT estimate. It does not replace your own lender, conveyancer or survey quote.
Sometimes, yes. But if you add the arrangement fee to the mortgage, you also pay interest on that fee over the life of the loan.
Because that is the part you can compare with the least guesswork. It keeps the decision tied to the actual introductory window instead of pretending one rate will stay in place for the whole mortgage term.
No. The lender valuation is for the lender. The survey is for you as the buyer and is about the condition of the property.
No. HM Land Registry fees depend on the application type, price band and submission route. For a transfer of whole at £200,001 to £500,000, HM Land Registry currently shows £150 for electronic applications and £330 for paper applications.