Journey
Buying a home
From working out what you can afford to the day you get the keys.
Start with your entire cash requirement, not the advertised property price alone. Deposit size, borrowing, tax, survey and legal costs matter at different stages, and the rules vary across the four UK nations.
Common questions, answered
Can I afford to buy?
Check affordable monthly payments as well as a lender's indicative income multiples. Factor in deposit, property tax, conveyancing, survey, mortgage charges and moving costs.
How much Stamp Duty will I pay?
England and Northern Ireland use Stamp Duty Land Tax; Scotland uses LBTT and Wales uses LTT. The relevant calculator must reflect buyer status, date and local tax bands.
Which survey do I need?
A survey helps you assess property condition. The lender's valuation is primarily to assess its security and is not a substitute for an appropriate buyer's condition survey.
What happens after my offer is accepted?
After acceptance come identity checks, solicitor enquiries, searches, survey and mortgage approval, followed by exchange and completion where those stages apply. Scottish processes differ.
Free calculators
Adjust the inputs to your situation. These are planning estimates, not offers or personalised advice.
Mortgage Calculator
See your monthly repayment, loan to value and total interest.
Open calculatorMortgage Affordability Calculator
See an indicative borrowing range from your income and deposit.
Open calculatorStamp Duty Calculator
Work out Stamp Duty, LBTT or LTT on your purchase.
Open calculatorCost of Buying a House Calculator
Cash needed, split into deposit and real buying costs.
Open calculatorHouse Deposit Calculator
When will you reach your deposit target?
Open calculatorBuy vs Rent Calculator
Compare buying and renting over the years you might stay.
Open calculatorHow to approach buying a home
Step 1
Work backwards from available cash
Start with deposit and moving-date cash, then layer in Stamp Duty or the local equivalent, legal work, surveys, mortgage product costs and immediate repairs. Separate amounts due at exchange from amounts due at completion. Affordability must survive realistic interest rates and maintenance costs.
Step 2
Understand property taxes by nation
A first-time buyer in England or Northern Ireland may qualify for SDLT relief subject to price and buyer-status conditions. That treatment must not be copied to Scotland or Wales. Use official calculator sources and ask your conveyancer to confirm any relief before relying on a budget.
Step 3
Reduce failed-sale risk before exchange
Review the mortgage offer, legal enquiries, fixtures-and-fittings list, restrictions, tenure and survey concerns before committing. For leasehold property, check the lease, service charges, planned major works and management information. Ask what happens to any deposit if the transaction does not complete.
Step 4
Plan completion as a moving operation
Confirm the mechanism for key release and who will tell the removers if the chain is delayed. Arrange an essentials bag, parking, meter readings and access. Never treat a provisional completion date as a guaranteed key-collection time.
Detailed step-by-step guides
First-Time Buyer Guide: Costs, Steps and Getting the Keys
A plain-English walkthrough from deposit and mortgage affordability to surveys, legal checks, exchange and completion.
Read guideCompletion Delayed? What to Do About Keys, Removals and Storage
An action plan for a delayed property completion: establish legal status, communicate with the chain, avoid unnecessary removal charges and plan a fallback.
Read guideCompletion Day and Getting the Keys: What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know
What happens on completion day in England and Wales, why keys can be delayed and how to plan removals around confirmation.
Read guideHow to Buy a House: The Process from Budget to Keys
An England-and-Wales house-buying guide for first-time and repeat buyers: affordability, offer, checks, exchange, completion and moving.
Read guideConveyancing Explained: Searches, Enquiries, Exchange and Completion
What a conveyancer does in an England-and-Wales purchase, which stages cause delays and what buyers and sellers can prepare.
Read guideMortgage Agreement in Principle: What It Means and What Comes Next
A clear guide to mortgage decisions in principle, credit checks, lender assumptions and the difference from a formal offer.
Read guideHow Much Deposit Do You Need to Buy a House?
Understand mortgage deposits, loan-to-value bands, cash needed beyond the deposit and how to plan different property prices.
Read guideWhich House Survey Do You Need? Level 1, 2 and 3 Explained
Compare home survey levels, mortgage valuations, likely issues and the questions to ask before commissioning a survey.
Read guideCheck the official guidance
- GOV.UK: Residential Stamp Duty rates ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Buying a home and conveyancing ↗ (opens in a new tab)
UK rules vary by nation and circumstance. Sources reviewed 17 October 2026.