Ask "how much does it cost to sell a house?" and most answers muddle two very different things: the cost of selling and the cost of moving. Removals vans, storage, stamp duty on the next place — those are moving costs, and they're the same whoever sells your home. This guide is only about the first part: what it actually costs to get your house sold in 2026, line by line, and which of those lines you can simply cross out.
The costs every seller pays
Strip everything else away and there are only two things you genuinely cannot sell without.
An Energy Performance Certificate: £60–£120
You must have a valid EPC before your home is marketed. Before you pay for one, check the national EPC register — certificates last ten years, so if you've bought, remortgaged or rented the property out in the last decade there may already be one in force. If not, an assessor visit costs £60–£120 depending on where you live and the size of the property.
Conveyancing: £850–£1,500
A solicitor or licensed conveyancer handles the contract, the enquiries and the transfer of ownership. Expect £850–£1,500 for a freehold sale in 2026. Leasehold flats run higher — typically £1,200–£2,000 — because there's more paperwork, and your freeholder or managing agent will usually charge £150–£450 for the management information pack your buyer's solicitor will demand. That pack is worth requesting the day you list, because it's the single most common cause of leasehold sales stalling.
One tip that costs nothing: instruct your conveyancer when you put the property on the market, not when you accept an offer. Having the draft contract pack ready can shave weeks off the sale.
And that, honestly, is the end of the compulsory list.
The optional extras that earn their keep
- Photography. A phone, daylight and a ruthless declutter get most homes 90% of the way there. If your property trades on light, views or period character, a professional shoot at £150–£300 can pay for itself.
- A floor plan. Listings with floor plans consistently attract more enquiries. Phone apps will draw one for free; a professional version costs £30–£100.
Spend here if it flatters your particular home. Neither is required, and neither should be confused with a fee for selling.
The biggest cost of all — and it's optional
Here's the line that dwarfs everything above: the estate agent's commission.
High street agents typically charge 1% to 3.5% including VAT of the final sale price. On an average UK home — around £290,000 in early 2026 — that's £2,900 to over £10,000. On a £450,000 family house, a mid-range 1.5% fee is £6,750. And the headline percentage is rarely the whole story: watch for sole agency tie-ins, non-refundable upfront payments on "discount" deals, and paid add-ons for the photography and floor plans that make the listing usable. We've covered the small print separately in our guide to estate agent contract clauses to watch out for.
What does the commission buy? A portal listing, photos, someone to book viewings and relay offers. Useful work — but nothing on that list requires a licence, and for a well-presented home in a normal market, nothing on it is difficult. It is the only major cost of selling that is entirely optional, which is exactly why it deserves the hardest look.
Costs that depend on your circumstances
These aren't fees for selling so much as personal-finance side effects of it — but check them before you commit to a price:
- Mortgage early repayment charge. If you're inside a fixed or discounted deal and not porting the mortgage to a new home, redeeming it can cost 1–5% of the outstanding balance. Your lender will confirm the exact figure in minutes.
- Indemnity insurance. Missing building regs certificates or planning paperwork are usually solved with a one-off policy at £20–£300, typically paid by the seller.
- Capital gains tax. Irrelevant if you're selling your main home; very relevant if it's a second property or a buy-to-let. Get advice early rather than at completion.
Adding it up: what selling actually costs in 2026
Here's the honest comparison on that average £290,000 home:
| Cost | With a high street agent (1.5% inc VAT) | Selling with Keyzee | | --- | --- | --- | | EPC (if needed) | £60–£120 | £60–£120 | | Conveyancing | £850–£1,500 | £850–£1,500 | | Photos & floor plan | Usually bundled into the fee | £0–£400 | | Listing, marketing & selling | £4,350 | £0 | | Total | £5,260–£5,970 | £910–£2,020 |
Keyzee is free. Not "free trial" free, not "free until you sell" free — free to list and free to sell, with no commission and no percentage at completion. You build the listing, you talk to your buyers directly, and the only cheques you write are the ones every seller writes anyway: the EPC and the solicitor.
Which means the real cost of selling a house in 2026 comes down to a single decision. The EPC and conveyancing are fixed. The agent's £3,000–£10,000 is a choice.
The bottom line
- Only two costs are compulsory — the EPC and the conveyancing. Budget £910–£1,620 for a freehold home and you've covered the essentials.
- The agent's fee is the only big line, and the only optional one. Make it a deliberate decision, not a default.
- Check your mortgage terms before you price. An early repayment charge can matter more than any fee.
- Keep selling costs and moving costs separate. Removals and stamp duty come later, whoever sells the house.
Want to know what your home is worth before you spend a penny? Start with our free house valuation tool, then create your free listing on Keyzee — most sellers have a draft ready in under an hour.