Guides
UK property cost research — written from the data, not the marketing brochure.
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regional-prices
Average house price in Southampton 2026: what buyers pay
The city's typical home sold for £260,000 in 2025 — here's the price ladder, council tax, energy and stamp duty behind that number.
6 August 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Portsmouth 2026: what buyers actually pay
The typical home sold for £259,000 in 2025 — a terrace-led island market with the lowest council tax of the big Solent cities.
6 August 2026
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buyer-guides
Why so many houses are leasehold in the North West (2026)
In most of England barely one house in fifty is leasehold — but across Greater Manchester and Lancashire it is the majority, HM Land Registry sales show.
6 August 2026
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cost-intelligence
How much does a £100,000 mortgage cost per month? (2026)
Every £100,000 of repayment mortgage costs about £546 a month over 25 years at the Bank of England's latest quoted rate — the full ladder by loan size, term and rate.
5 August 2026
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cost-intelligence
What salary do you need to buy a house in the UK? (2026)
How lenders turn income into a maximum mortgage — and the household salary behind the typical home in 13 UK cities.
5 August 2026
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market-analysis
Cheapest UK cities to buy a flat in 2026, ranked
Sunderland's typical flat sold for £72,900 in 2025 and London's for £440,000 — a six-fold gap, mapped across 27 major cities on Land Registry data.
5 August 2026
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buyer-guides
Keys before completion: the early stamp duty deadline trap (2026)
Take the keys early — to start renovations or beat a slow chain — and your stamp duty return can fall due weeks before you complete.
4 August 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Hull 2026: England's cheapest big city
Kingston upon Hull's 2025 median sale price of £141,000 is under half the England-and-Wales figure — and most of the market pays little or no stamp duty.
4 August 2026
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regional-prices
West Yorkshire buy-and-run costs: 5 districts compared for 2026
Leeds is the dearest of the five metropolitan districts to buy in - yet it carries the cheapest council tax, while Bradford does the reverse.
4 August 2026
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cost-intelligence
Project Blue v HMRC: What Section 75A Actually Decided (2026)
The Chelsea Barracks case fixed the meaning of SDLT's anti-avoidance backstop: section 75A bites on the arithmetic, whatever the parties intended.
3 August 2026
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cost-intelligence
Section 75A SDLT: What the Anti-Avoidance Backstop Restores (2026)
Where a scheme tried to shrink the tax to nothing, section 75A charges the full notional purchase — priced at £1m, £1.5m and £2m.
3 August 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Bradford in 2026: a postcode breakdown
One of England's largest cities carries a 2025 district median of £186,000 — well under two-thirds of the England-wide figure.
3 August 2026
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location-planning
Best-value postcodes near Manchester city centre in 2026
Where 2025 sale prices, council tax and energy efficiency line up to give Greater Manchester buyers the most for their money.
2 August 2026
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location-planning
London commuter belt: the true cost of buying in 2026
Reading, Brighton, Sevenoaks, Cambridge and St Albans compared on the numbers that actually decide the cost of owning a home.
2 August 2026
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market-analysis
Converted flats vs purpose-built blocks: the 2026 EPC gap
Across England and Wales, flats in pre-1930 buildings rate 26% at EPC band C or above; flats built since 2003 rate 93% — and the pattern holds in every major city.
2 August 2026
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cost-intelligence
Resting on Contract: How SDLT Sub-Sale Schemes Closed (2026)
Substantial performance, the 2013 rewrite of section 45 and the section 75A anti-avoidance rule between them shut down 'buy but never complete'.
1 August 2026
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location-planning
The 25-Year Council Tax Cost: Wandsworth vs Dorset in 2026
At today's rates, the same Band D home racks up about £43,000 more council tax over 25 years in England's dearest billing area than in its cheapest.
1 August 2026
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buyer-guides
Leeds: West Yorkshire's priciest homes, cheapest council tax 2026
The most expensive West Yorkshire borough to buy in charges the county's lowest council tax, because bands track 1991 values and council budgets rather than today's prices.
1 August 2026
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buyer-guides
The deposit gap: cheapest vs dearest UK cities to save for, 2026
A 10% deposit on the typical home ranges from £14,100 in Hull to £115,000 in Kensington and Chelsea — the same share of the price, eight times the cash.
31 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp duty on property options and pre-emption rights (2026)
How the Finance Act 2003 treats an option to buy or a right of first refusal as a taxable land deal in its own right — and how linked-transaction rules can add to the bill on exercise.
31 July 2026
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market-analysis
Where terraced homes lag on EPC: the 2026 UK district map
Across 10.7 million homes a terrace rates only just below the national average — but in a handful of districts the gap runs past 16 points, and it tracks build era, not price.
31 July 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Exeter, 2026: a full cost breakdown
Exeter's median home sold for £300,000 in 2025, right on the England average — here is what that costs a buyer in 2026.
30 July 2026
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market-analysis
SDLT 'uninhabitable property' refunds: inside the reclaim market
How a 2019 tribunal ruling spawned a no-win-no-fee reclaim industry — and why most speculative claims now fail HMRC's challenge.
30 July 2026
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buyer-guides
Derelict vs empty homes: how council tax cuts both ways in 2026
A genuinely derelict property can be removed from the valuation list and pay nothing, while a home that is merely empty now attracts a premium of up to 300%.
30 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
First-time buyer relief lost on non-residential homes (UK 2026)
First-time buyer stamp duty relief only covers a single dwelling — buy a derelict or mixed-use property and it disappears, often leaving a lower-priced buyer worse off.
29 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
HMRC security for tax and serious defaulters explained (2026)
HMRC can demand a cash deposit or bond against future tax — but the way stamp duty works keeps a one-off purchase almost entirely outside the power.
29 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
What getting Stamp Duty wrong deliberately costs in 2026
A deliberate stamp duty default is not one bill but five stacked layers — tax, penalty, interest, name publication and years of monitoring — and the careless-versus-deliberate line decides which of them apply.
29 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
HMRC Managing Serious Defaulters: the SDLT after-effect (2026)
Publication needs the tax at stake to top £25,000 — but HMRC's up-to-five-year monitoring programme has no such floor. A deliberate stamp duty error is enough.
28 July 2026
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regional-prices
Teesside and County Durham: cheap homes, cold terraces? 2026
Land Registry medians rank six North-East authorities among England's cheapest to buy, while energy certificates show the cold-home problem is concentrated in the oldest terraced streets rather than region-wide.
28 July 2026
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market-analysis
Cheap to Buy Doesn't Mean Cheap to Heat: England's 2026 EPC Map
Across 164 English shire districts, purchase price and energy efficiency barely move together — build era, not price, decides the bill.
27 July 2026
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regional-prices
East Lancashire's cheap terraces and the EPC retrofit gap 2026
The districts with England's lowest house prices also hold some of its least energy-efficient housing stock — the certificates explain why.
27 July 2026
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regional-prices
Cheapest places to buy in England 2026: Pennine Lancashire
England's three cheapest local authority districts to buy are all East Lancashire mill towns — median homes under £150,000, but above-average council tax.
27 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
HMRC's deliberate defaulter list: the £25,000 SDLT threshold (2026)
Why a deliberate stamp duty error above £25,000 in tax can put a name on a public HMRC list — and the one disclosure that keeps it off.
24 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp duty penalties and the reasonable care defence (2026)
An error made with reasonable care attracts tax and interest but no penalty — here is how the rule works, and where relying on an adviser stops protecting you.
23 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
When a non-residential SDLT claim fails: the 2026 penalty maths
Claiming the commercial rate on a run-down property can cut the stamp duty bill sharply — but if HMRC later reclassifies it, the reclaimed tax, a penalty of up to 100% and daily interest can all follow.
23 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Doer-upper or derelict? Where the SDLT dwelling line falls in 2026
A genuine wreck can pay non-residential stamp duty and escape the surcharges — but the tribunals set the bar at real unsuitability, not a tired house.
23 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Derelict homes and non-residential stamp duty in the UK (2026)
A property so dilapidated it is not ‘suitable for use as a dwelling’ can be taxed at the flatter non-residential rates — but the bar is high, and HMRC polices it hard.
22 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
When SDLT Falls Due: Substantial Performance vs Completion 2026
How the 'effective date' of a UK property purchase can jump forward from completion — and start the 14-day stamp duty clock early.
22 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp duty's effective date: when the dwelling count is fixed 2026
A half-fitted sixth flat on completion day can turn a non-residential purchase into a residential one — and move the bill by tens of thousands.
22 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Multiple Dwellings Relief abolished: what bulk buyers now pay
Since 1 June 2024, buying two or more homes in one deal no longer averages the stamp duty — here is the mechanism that vanished, and what is left.
21 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp duty on a house with a granny annexe: the 2026 rules
How the 'subsidiary dwelling' exemption can remove a £30,000 surcharge — and the one-third test that decides it.
21 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Mixed-use SDLT: when non-residential rates beat residential 2026
For a genuine mixed-use property, the flat 5% non-residential scale can undercut the standard residential bill by tens of thousands above £925,000 — but only where the classification is real.
21 July 2026
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market-analysis
Do semis ever cost more than a detached house? 2026
In 1,652 postcode districts with a reliable sample of both, the detached home wins every time — and the handful of exceptions turn out to be a small-sample mirage.
20 July 2026
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buyer-guides
Home-mover stamp duty: the hidden £2,500 since April 2025
A threshold that fell on 1 April 2025 added a flat £2,500 to the stamp duty bill of most people moving home in England — here is the arithmetic.
20 July 2026
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market-analysis
What £200,000 buys across the UK in 2026: floor space by area
For the same budget, 2025 sales show a 91 m² semi in Sunderland or a 44 m² flat in south-east London.
19 July 2026
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market-analysis
First-time buyer stamp duty relief: before and after April 2025
When the temporary thresholds ended, the number of English council areas where a first-time buyer paid £0 on the typical home fell from 228 to 145.
19 July 2026
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buyer-guides
Does council tax ever cost more than your mortgage? (2026)
Even in England's most heavily taxed area, the mortgage still outweighs council tax on all but the cheapest homes.
19 July 2026
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market-analysis
Where first-time buyers pay no stamp duty in England (2026)
In 145 of England's 295 councils a first-time buyer at the local median pays nothing — but in every London borough, the relief runs out.
18 July 2026
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buyer-guides
Cheapest council tax outside London in 2026
England's lowest Band D bills are almost all in the capital — here are the 20 lowest-charging council areas everywhere else.
18 July 2026
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location-planning
Kingston vs Wandsworth: council tax, price and true cost 2026
One borough has England's cheapest council tax, the other London's dearest — but which actually costs more to live in?
18 July 2026
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location-planning
England's cheapest coastal towns in 2026: the true cost
Blackpool to Skegness: where the sea is cheap to buy — and what council tax, energy bands and the second-home premium really add.
17 July 2026
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buyer-guides
How much of your monthly home cost is council tax? (2026)
On a home at the national average price, council tax is about one pound in seven of the monthly bill — and the share shrinks as prices rise.
17 July 2026
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regional-prices
West Midlands buy-and-run costs: 7 boroughs compared for 2026
The cheapest boroughs to buy in carry the region's heaviest council tax - but the mortgage still decides the monthly bill.
17 July 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Dudley 2026: cheapest council tax
Homes in the West Midlands borough sell for a median £242,000 — paired with the lowest Band D council tax of the seven boroughs in the conurbation.
16 July 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Sandwell 2026: cheap to buy and run
Homes in the Black Country borough sell for a median £220,000 — matched by one of the lower council tax bills in the West Midlands.
16 July 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Walsall 2026: cheap to buy, dear to run
Homes in the Black Country borough sell for a median £225,000 — but Walsall levies the highest council tax of any West Midlands metropolitan borough for 2026-27.
16 July 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Wolverhampton 2026
At a £220,000 median, Wolverhampton is one of England's more affordable big cities — but its council tax is the second-highest in the West Midlands.
15 July 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Coventry 2026: buying and running costs
A typical Coventry home sold for £230,000 in 2025 — cheaper than most big English cities, but with a council tax bill above the national average.
15 July 2026
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regional-prices
First-time buyer stamp duty by English shire district 2026
In 74 of England's 164 shire districts the typical home clears the £300,000 nil-rate; in nine — a ring of Surrey, Hertfordshire and Essex — first-time buyer relief has run out entirely.
15 July 2026
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market-analysis
Cheap to Buy, Dear to Run: Metro-Borough Council Tax 2026
In 29 of England's 36 metropolitan boroughs, Band D council tax now tops 1% of a typical home's price — and Gateshead's bill beats Trafford's on a house worth £205,000 less.
14 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Mixed-use stamp duty: the 'garden or grounds' test 2026
When a home comes with a paddock, a barn or a let unit, the stamp duty rules can shift — but HMRC and the tribunals set a high bar for a mixed-use claim.
14 July 2026
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market-analysis
Cheap to buy, dear to run: England's council tax burden gap 2026
In some English unitary authorities the council tax on a typical home tops 1.8% of its price; in others it is barely a third of that.
14 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp duty's six-dwelling rule: what counts as a dwelling 2026
Buy six flats and the transaction turns non-residential; buy five and you pay residential rates plus the 5% surcharge. The bill turns on how HMRC counts a dwelling.
13 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Mixed-use and 6+ dwellings: the non-residential SDLT route 2026
How a mixed-use property or a purchase of six or more dwellings falls under non-residential Stamp Duty rates — and why that matters most for surcharge-paying buyers.
13 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp duty on a statutory lease extension in the UK (2026)
Extending a flat lease is a surrender and regrant — but the peppercorn rent makes the rent charge nil, and most premiums fall below the £40,000 filing line.
13 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Lease variation and stamp duty: the rent-rise trap in 2026
A negotiated rent increase in a lease's first five years can be a fresh stamp duty event — but a review clause written into the lease is not.
12 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
SDLT on non-residential and mixed-use leases: NPV bands 2026
How the rent net present value and premium rules diverge from the residential lease charge — including the £1,000-a-year rent trap that removes the nil band.
12 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp Duty on a leasehold flat resale in 2026: no rent charge
Buying an existing leasehold flat means stamp duty on the price alone — the rent was taxed once, when the lease was first granted.
12 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp Duty on the grant of a new lease: premium, rent and NPV (2026)
A lease grant is taxed on two fronts — any premium, and the net present value of the rent — and can be reportable even when nothing is owed.
11 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp duty on divorce transfers: the Schedule 3 exemption 2026
Property moved between spouses or civil partners under a court order or separation agreement is exempt from SDLT — and needs no return.
11 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Section 54: when the connected-company stamp duty rule switches off
Two trustee cases and a company-distribution exit — how Finance Act 2003 section 54 narrows the market-value charge, with worked figures.
11 July 2026
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regional-prices
First-time buyer stamp duty by English unitary authority 2026
In 38 of England's 63 unitary councils the typical home falls under the £300,000 nil-rate, so a first-time buyer pays no stamp duty. In two, relief has run out entirely.
10 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
What Schedule 4A relief is worth: the corporate SDLT saving 2026
When a relief lifts a company purchase off the 17% flat rate, the cash it saves runs from £52,000 at £600,000 to a ceiling of £86,250.
10 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
The 17% stamp duty clawback when a director moves in (2026)
How a company that claimed relief from the flat 17% rate can lose it — and face a further bill — if the property's use changes within three years.
10 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Corporate stamp duty: the 17% flat rate on £500k+ homes 2026
The higher rate for corporate bodies charges 17% on the whole price — far above the ordinary bill — unless a commercial relief applies.
9 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp Duty and the Connected-Company Market-Value Rule (2026)
Why moving a home into your own company is taxed as a full-price purchase under section 53 of the Finance Act 2003 — with worked examples.
9 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Transfer of equity and the £40,000 stamp duty return trap (2026)
When you add or remove someone from a property's title, a £40,000 line decides whether HMRC needs a stamp duty return — even at zero tax.
9 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Transfer of Equity and Stamp Duty: When SDLT Is Due in 2026
Adding a partner, removing an ex, or gifting a share can all count as a purchase for stamp duty — and the trap is almost always the mortgage.
8 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
First-Time Buyer Stamp Duty Taper: £300k to £500k in 2026
How first-time buyer relief tapers between the £300,000 nil-rate band and the £500,000 ceiling — and why the saving is a flat £5,000 until it vanishes.
8 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Does a partner's deposit affect first-time buyer stamp duty? (2026)
When a cohabiting partner becomes a 'purchaser' for stamp duty — and how it can turn a £0 first-time buyer bill into £5,000 or £20,000.
8 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
First-time buyer stamp duty relief: married vs unmarried 2026
Whether a partner or spouse wipes out your £0 stamp duty bill turns on two separate rules — and marriage changes the answer.
7 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Married vs unmarried couples: second-home stamp duty in 2026
Why marriage can add £14,750 to the stamp duty bill on the same £295,000 home — and the one situation where it does not.
7 July 2026
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regional-prices
First-Time Buyer Stamp Duty in England's Metro Boroughs (2026)
In 33 of England's 36 metropolitan boroughs the median home sits under the £300,000 relief threshold — so a typical first-time buyer pays no stamp duty.
7 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp duty surcharge: your spouse's home vs your old one (2026)
Two rules in the same schedule pull in opposite directions: one adds a spouse's property to your name, the other lets you ignore the home you're selling.
6 July 2026
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regional-prices
Cheapest London boroughs for first-time buyers in 2026
In 22 of London's 33 boroughs the typical home now costs too much for any first-time buyer stamp duty relief. Here is the full ranking.
6 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
How a spouse's home can cost a first-time buyer £20,000 (2026)
On a solo purchase, the stamp duty rules can treat a husband or wife as a joint buyer — quietly withdrawing first-time buyer relief and adding the 5% surcharge.
6 July 2026
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regional-prices
BS7 flat prices 2026: Bishopston, Horfield & Ashley Down
Bristol's cheapest inner-north flats sit at a £261,000 median — and, unusually, they are also its greenest on energy ratings.
5 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp duty and the 'living together' test for married couples (2026)
A married couple or civil partners count as 'living together' for stamp duty by default — even if they have never shared an address. Here's what that does to the bill.
5 July 2026
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regional-prices
BS6 flat prices in 2026: Cotham, Redland, Bishopston
Bristol's second-dearest flat district, where a leasehold flat is the affordable way onto a £900k house street.
5 July 2026
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regional-prices
The cheapest postcodes in England for first-time buyers in 2026
Where 2025's lowest recorded sale prices sit — and what they mean for stamp duty, deposits and the monthly bill.
4 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
SDLT paragraph 9: trial separation vs a permanent split (2026)
Two of the three ways out of the additional-property surcharge are documents you can wave. The third is a factual test the tribunals actually argue about.
4 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
SDLT paragraph 9 separation: the evidence checklist (2026)
The documents HMRC and the tribunals treat as proof that spouses were not 'living together' at the effective date — and the ones they do not.
4 July 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Plymouth 2026: a data breakdown
At a £227,000 median, Plymouth is the most affordable of the West Country's major markets — and its council tax sits almost exactly on the national average.
3 July 2026
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regional-prices
Richmond upon Thames house prices in 2026: outer London's outlier
At a £720,000 median, Richmond is the only outer-London borough among the capital's five dearest — and its bill splits sharply by riverside district.
3 July 2026
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cost-intelligence
SDLT refund claims and HMRC Schedule 36 notices (2026)
A higher-rate SDLT refund can be worth £14,750 at the national median — here is the evidence HMRC can demand after you claim it.
3 July 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Solihull 2026: £330,000 in the West Midlands
Solihull is the most expensive borough in the West Midlands to buy in — yet one of the cheapest for council tax. Here is what the data shows.
2 July 2026
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market-analysis
London Borough Monthly Cost: Mortgage vs Council Tax 2026
Council tax swings 2.5x across the capital, but it is under 11% of the monthly cost of a median home in every borough — the mortgage sets the bill.
2 July 2026
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market-analysis
London council tax vs house prices: a borough inversion (2026)
Kensington & Chelsea homes cost three times a Barking home — yet the headline council tax is lower. All 33 boroughs, ranked.
2 July 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Middlesbrough 2026
The typical Middlesbrough sale is around half the national median — but the running costs tell a different story.
1 July 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Cornwall 2026: the coast sets the price
Cornwall's typical 2025 sale came in below the national median — but a 2.1x gap separates the prime coast from the old mining towns inland.
1 July 2026
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regional-prices
Inner vs Outer London house prices in 2026: a shrinking gap
The typical inner-London home costs 1.19x an outer one — narrower than a year ago. The borough table shows why the zone label misleads.
1 July 2026
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buyer-guides
Conveyancing fees in 2026: what it costs to buy a home
The solicitor's own fee is the small part — searches, Land Registry fees and stamp duty do the heavy lifting.
30 June 2026
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buyer-guides
How much deposit do you need to buy a house? (UK, 2026)
A 10% deposit ranges from about £15,500 in Sunderland to £52,750 across London — what a deposit is, how much you need, and what it changes.
30 June 2026
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regional-prices
The cheapest postcode areas to buy a home in the UK (2026)
The 15 lowest-priced postcode areas by 2025 median sale — and why the cheapest homes to buy aren't always the cheapest to run.
30 June 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp Duty changes since April 2025: a before-and-after guide
How the 1 April 2025 threshold reversion and the October 2024 surcharge rise changed the bill for movers, first-time buyers and second-home buyers.
29 June 2026
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buyer-guides
Freehold vs leasehold in the UK: what the difference costs (2026)
Almost every flat is leasehold and most houses are freehold — here's what that means for ground rent, service charges and your lease.
29 June 2026
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regional-prices
Mumbles and Gower house prices in 2026: the SA3 coast premium
Why SA3 — Mumbles, the Gower peninsula and Bishopston — trades at nearly double the Swansea median.
29 June 2026
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regional-prices
London flat vs house: the price gap by borough (2026)
The median London house costs 42% more than the median flat — but the gap runs from 1.14x in Newham to 3.3x in Kensington and Chelsea.
28 June 2026
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buyer-guides
Cheapest and most expensive council tax in England 2026-27
The Band D gap between England's cheapest and dearest billing authorities is now £1,737 — here's the full ranking and what drives it.
28 June 2026
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regional-prices
Clifton flats: Bristol's BS8 apartment premium in 2026
Clifton's £357,500 median makes BS8 the dearest flat district in Bristol — but its period stock scores worse on energy than the city's newer cores.
28 June 2026
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buyer-guides
EPC Ratings Explained: What the A–G Scale Means in 2026
The energy badge on every home for sale or rent — what the letter means, who sets it, and why more than half of UK homes sit below band C.
27 June 2026
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buyer-guides
Council Tax Bands Explained: How Your Bill Is Set in 2026
What the A–H bands mean, why they're frozen at 1991 values, and why the same band costs £1,028 in one area and £2,765 in another.
27 June 2026
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market-analysis
Price per square foot: 19 UK cities ranked for 2026
The cost of space itself, ranked across 19 UK cities using Land Registry sale prices and verified EPC floor areas.
27 June 2026
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regional-prices
Bath vs Bristol: the true cost of buying and running a home 2026
Bath costs more to buy; Bristol costs more to run. Here is the full line-item comparison at 2026 prices and rates.
26 June 2026
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regional-prices
Nottingham, Derby and Leicester: buy and run costs in 2026
The median home sold for £200,000 in Nottingham, £220,000 in Derby and £241,500 in Leicester in 2025 — but the cheapest to buy carries the highest council tax.
26 June 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Leicester 2026: a data breakdown
The median Leicester home sold for £241,500 in 2025 — here's the breakdown by district, property type, council tax and monthly cost.
26 June 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Derby 2026: mid-priced, low council tax
Derby's typical home cost £220,000 in 2025 — the middle of the East Midlands trio to buy, and the lightest of the three to run.
25 June 2026
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cost-intelligence
Cost of buying a home: London vs Manchester (2026)
Same buyer, two cities: the median London home costs 2.1x a Manchester one — but the council-tax gap runs the other way.
25 June 2026
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market-analysis
Greenest UK housing stock by city: 13 cities ranked, 2026
Newcastle and Newport top the table, Birmingham trails — and the reason is almost entirely the age of the bricks.
25 June 2026
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regional-prices
Cardiff vs Swansea vs Newport: cost to buy and run a home 2026
Across the three big South Wales cities, the cheapest place to buy is the most expensive to run — here is the full cost split.
24 June 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Newport 2026: districts, tax and cost
Newport's typical home sold for £236,040 in 2025 — between Cardiff and Swansea, and one of the most evenly-priced cities in Wales.
24 June 2026
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cost-intelligence
SDLT surcharge refund: why who sells your old home matters in 2026
The replacement-of-main-residence relief can wipe out the 5% surcharge — but it hinges on who legally owns and disposes of your previous home.
24 June 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Swansea 2026: the £207,000 median
Swansea's typical home sold for £207,000 in 2025 — and at that price a buyer pays no Land Transaction Tax, where an English buyer would owe £1,640.
23 June 2026
-
regional-prices
Average house price in Nottingham 2026: cheap to buy, costly to run
Nottingham's typical home cost £200,000 in 2025 — yet its council tax is the third-highest of any authority in England.
23 June 2026
-
regional-prices
Headingley & Hyde Park flats: the LS6 cost picture in 2026
LS6 is the biggest flat market in Leeds outside the city centre — and one of the priciest. Here is what the Land Registry numbers say.
23 June 2026
-
regional-prices
Average house price in Sheffield 2026: a city of two halves
Sheffield's typical home cost £217,500 in 2025 — but prices stretch more than four-fold between its postcode districts.
22 June 2026
-
regional-prices
Average House Price in Newcastle 2026: Postcode by Postcode
Newcastle upon Tyne's median sale price was £205,000 in 2025 — but it ranges from £150,000 in the city centre to £285,000 in Jesmond.
22 June 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in Liverpool 2026: what buyers actually pay
The typical Liverpool home sold for £181,000 in 2025 — among the most affordable of England's major cities, with a wide gap between its southern suburbs and inner core.
22 June 2026
-
regional-prices
Average house price in Cardiff 2026: what buyers actually pay
The typical Cardiff home sold for £270,000 in 2025 — and Wales taxes the purchase differently from England.
21 June 2026
-
market-analysis
The cheapest way into a UK city centre: flat prices in 2026
A central flat costs £170,000 in Leeds but £530,000 in inner London — here is the 2026 price ladder for five major city centres.
21 June 2026
-
market-analysis
The most expensive postcodes in England and Wales (2026)
One central London district recorded a £2.45m median sale last year — yet pays less council tax than a £900,000 house in Surrey.
21 June 2026
-
market-analysis
City-centre flats hold greener EPC ratings than houses, 2026
Across five major English cities, flats are far more likely to hold an EPC of C or above than the wider housing stock — a structural quirk of when they were built.
20 June 2026
-
regional-prices
Central London flat market 2026: prices, energy and council tax
Flats are now a majority of London sales — here's what a central one costs to buy, tax and heat in 2026.
20 June 2026
-
regional-prices
Bristol City-Centre Flat Market 2026: Prices, Costs, EPC
Central Bristol flats had a 2025 median of £311,250 — and are far more energy-efficient than the city's housing overall.
20 June 2026
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regional-prices
Birmingham city-centre flats: the 2026 cost picture
Birmingham is a house-led city, but its centre is a flat market — the median city-centre apartment sold for £192,500 in 2025.
19 June 2026
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regional-prices
Leeds city-centre flats: the all-in monthly cost in 2026
In a house-led city, the cheapest way in is a central flat — here's what one costs to buy and run, by postcode district.
19 June 2026
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regional-prices
Manchester city-centre flat market: prices and costs (2026)
Flats are the single most-traded property type in Manchester — here is what a city-centre apartment costs to buy, run and own.
19 June 2026
-
regional-prices
Average house price in Bath 2026: what buyers paid
The dearest place to buy in the West of England — and yet its cheapest council tax.
18 June 2026
-
regional-prices
Average house price in Bristol 2026: what buyers paid
The median Bristol home sold for £350,000 in 2025 — the priciest large English city outside London, with a terrace-led market and the region's highest council tax.
18 June 2026
-
regional-prices
Average house price in Leeds 2026: a postcode breakdown
What buyers actually paid across Leeds in 2025 — by borough, LS postcode and property type.
17 June 2026
-
regional-prices
Average house price in Birmingham 2026: by district & type
The median home sold for £237,000 across 9,031 transactions last year — but the spread runs from under £190,000 in Sparkhill to over £550,000 in Knowle.
17 June 2026
-
regional-prices
Average house price in Manchester in 2026: postcode breakdown
The median Manchester home sold for £250,000 in 2025 — but the figure runs from £173,000 to £417,000 depending on the postcode.
17 June 2026
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regional-prices
Average house price in London in 2026: borough breakdown
The median London home sold for £527,500 in 2025 — but the figure ranges from £380,000 to £1.15m depending on the borough.
16 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Chain collapse before exchange: bridge, complete or pull out (2026)
A £350,000 worked example of what each route actually costs — sunk fees, bridging interest, and the reclaimable 5% surcharge.
16 June 2026
-
buyer-guides
JBSP age limits and retirement interest-only mortgages 2026
How a supporting parent's age caps the mortgage term — and why a 10-year term can nearly double the monthly payment.
16 June 2026
-
buyer-guides
Gifted deposit vs savings as security: the IHT fork (2026)
The two ways a parent funds a child's deposit have opposite inheritance-tax and ownership consequences — here's how each works.
15 June 2026
-
buyer-guides
Springboard mortgages: what the parent really risks (2026)
How a parent's savings or home can stand in for a first-time buyer's deposit — where that security sits, when it comes back, and what happens if payments stop.
15 June 2026
-
buyer-guides
JBSP vs guarantor mortgages: how the two structures differ (2026)
One makes the parent a full borrower, the other a backstop — and that difference drives affordability, age caps, stamp duty and the exit route.
10 June 2026
-
buyer-guides
Removing a Parent From a JBSP Mortgage: How It Works in 2026
The two routes that release a parent from a joint borrower sole proprietor mortgage, the one that doesn't apply, and the affordability maths that decides the timing.
9 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The next-fix LTV band penalty from a longer mortgage term (2026)
On a £270,000 Bedford purchase, a 35-year term builds £12,000 less equity by year 5 than a 25-year — sometimes enough to push the remortgage into the next rate band.
9 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Where SDLT actually disappears: UK postcodes below the £125,000 nil-rate (2026)
Across England in 2025, 76,510 sales completed below the £125,000 SDLT threshold — that's roughly one in every ten transactions paying no stamp duty at all. Here's where the threshold actually bites zero.
9 June 2026
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regional-prices
UK postcodes where £100,000 buys the average home (2026)
19 postcode areas where 2025's median sale price was £100k or under — and the council tax and mortgage maths that go with them.
8 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
25-year full-life fix mortgages: the amortisation maths (UK 2026)
Habito One, April Mortgages and Perenna sit roughly 50-100 basis points above the BoE 5-year fix. The premium pays for permanent rate certainty — here is what 25 years of that looks like on a £270,000 loan.
8 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Buy vs rent: the 3-axis sensitivity grid on a £300k UK home (2026)
Rate, rent growth and fix length — what each axis is worth in pounds.
8 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The 26.5% effective CT rate on landlord finance costs (UK 2026)
Corporation tax's marginal-relief curve lifts the effective rate on the £50k-£250k profit band to 26.5% — not the 25% headline.
7 June 2026
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cost-intelligence
FHL abolition: how s272A bites former holiday-let owners (UK 2026)
The Finance (No. 2) Act 2024 ended the furnished holiday lettings regime on 6 April 2025. For higher-rate owners, the mortgage-interest relief change alone costs £1,296 a year on a £150k loan.
7 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Section 24 and the £100,000 income-tax cliff for landlords (UK 2026)
How the s.272A finance-cost restriction can push a buy-to-let landlord's adjusted net income across the £100,000 personal-allowance taper and the £60,000 HICBC threshold.
7 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
ERCs on buy-to-let mortgages: how the tax relief actually works (UK 2026)
An early repayment charge looks like a one-off penalty, but for landlords it's also a finance cost — taxed very differently for individuals than for limited companies.
6 June 2026
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cost-intelligence
The 10% overpayment cap as a free ERC buyback on a 10-year fix (UK 2026)
How using the annual overpayment allowance on a 10-year fixed-rate mortgage mechanically shrinks the Early Repayment Charge — worked on a £270,000 loan.
6 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Remortgage maths: cash in pocket vs net wealth on a falling-rate refinance (UK 2026)
Why the 84-month cash saving and the year-10 outstanding balance can give different answers on the same refinance.
6 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Mortgage product fees and the 10-year fix certainty premium (UK 2026)
Adding £999–£1,995 arrangement fees changes the £7,175 case for locking a 10-year fix — but not always how borrowers expect.
5 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Early Repayment Charges and the falling-rate remortgage (UK 2026)
How a 1-5% sliding ERC on a 10-year fix sets the rate-drop floor before a remortgage actually saves money.
5 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
2, 5 or 10-year mortgage fix: how it shapes buy-vs-rent on £300k UK 2026
BoE-quoted spring-2026 rates run through a £300,000 / £270,000 / 30-year baseline with reset scenarios from -1pp to +3pp.
5 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Mortgage Term Extension: What 30 and 35 Years Actually Cost in 2026
On a £200k loan at 4.32% the 25→30 move saves £99/month and adds £29,754 in lifetime interest. The 25→35 move saves £167/month and adds £60,825.
4 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Rent inflation and the buy-vs-rent breakeven (UK 2026)
Hold the mortgage rate flat at 4.32% and vary the rent escalator: where breakeven lands at 1%, 3% and 5% per year.
4 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Mortgage overpayments: what £100, £200 or £500 a month actually saves you (UK 2026)
Full amortisation table at £50-£1,000/month on a £200k loan, plus equity built, lifetime interest saved, and the 10% annual cap that constrains it.
4 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Remortgage rate shock: the equity curve on a £200k loan (UK 2026)
When the year-5 reset rate moves ±3pp, what actually changes: cashflow, equity, or both?
3 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The 2% non-resident SDLT surcharge: how the spouse rule catches mixed-residency couples (UK 2026)
Paragraph 9 of Schedule 9A FA 2003 treats married couples and civil partners as a single buyer — and the worst residency status applies to the whole purchase.
3 June 2026
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cost-intelligence
SDLT day-counting evidence: what HMRC accepts (UK 2026)
The 183-day non-resident SDLT test stands or falls on a buyer's evidence file — here's what HMRC's published guidance treats as strong, weak, or third-party-verifiable.
3 June 2026
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cost-intelligence
Non-resident SDLT surcharge: companies and partnerships (UK 2026)
How Schedule 9A FA 2003 tests company residence, when a close-company look-through bites, and why one non-resident partner can taint an entire partnership purchase.
2 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Limited-company landlord profit extraction in 2026: the tax stack
The corporation-tax saving only materialises if profit stays in the company. Here's what dividends, salary or retention each cost on the way out.
2 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Incorporation relief (s162 TCGA 1992) on a property portfolio: how it works in 2026
How section 162 defers CGT on transferring a buy-to-let portfolio into a limited company — and why SDLT cannot be deferred at all.
2 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Limited-company landlords at £500,000: the twin SDLT and ATED rules
Schedule 4A FA 2003 and ATED engage on the same purchase, with separate reliefs, returns and clawbacks.
1 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Defending a 20-year SDLT discovery assessment: decision tree (2026)
How the Hicks 'no discovery' and Tooth 'not deliberate' defences sequence when HMRC reaches back two decades.
1 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
SDLT discovery: HMRC's evidence bar for the 6 and 20-year windows
What HMRC must put in front of the tribunal to upgrade a 4-year SDLT discovery window to 6 years (carelessness) or 20 years (deliberate).
1 June 2026
-
cost-intelligence
SDLT partial closure notices: how the 2017 reform split HMRC enquiries
How Schedule 15 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2017 lets HMRC and taxpayers close one matter in a Schedule 10 SDLT enquiry while the rest runs on.
31 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Prompted vs unprompted HMRC disclosure: penalty floors (UK, 2026)
How CC/FS7a's penalty floors shift by behaviour and disclosure timing under Schedule 24 FA 2007, with a £500,000 SDLT worked example.
31 May 2026
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buyer-guides
Judicial review of a tribunal-approved Schedule 36 notice in 2026
When paragraph 30(3) closes the appeal door, the only remaining challenge is JR of the FTT's approval — here's what grounds are available and how the case law shapes them.
31 May 2026
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buyer-guides
Schedule 36 paragraph 32: the 30-day appeal trap (UK 2026)
Three procedural rules in paragraph 32(1)/(2) FA 2008 that quietly dismiss most late or badly-drafted appeals against HMRC information notices.
30 May 2026
-
buyer-guides
Schedule 36 para 32: FTT finality and judicial review (UK 2026)
Why the First-tier Tribunal's decision on a Schedule 36 information-notice appeal is final — and what judicial review can and cannot do about it.
30 May 2026
-
buyer-guides
Schedule 36 carve-outs: the material HMRC cannot demand (UK 2026)
Paragraphs 23-25 of Schedule 36 FA 2008 and the Prudential boundary between legal advice privilege and the narrower statutory tax-adviser carve-out.
30 May 2026
-
buyer-guides
Schedule 36 paragraph 5A: HMRC's identity-ascertainment notice (UK 2026)
How HMRC compels letting agents and short-let platforms to identify landlords — the four-condition test, the statutory output cap, and the paragraph 31 appeal.
29 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Finance Act 2021 s.127: HMRC's tax-debt-collection limb on Schedule 36 (UK 2026)
The 2021 amendment that lets HMRC issue Schedule 36 information notices to recover an established tax debt — not just to check a tax position.
29 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Schedule 36 paragraph 30: the 'unduly onerous' appeal (UK 2026)
The only door out of a third-party information notice — what the test means, the 30-day clock, and why the tribunal's decision is final.
29 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Schedule 36 paragraph 5: HMRC unknown-taxpayer information notices (UK 2026)
The bulk-data and fishing-expedition route: how paragraph 5 and 5A differ from a standard third-party notice — and how to appeal.
28 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Schedule 36 paragraph 2 third party notices: SDLT mechanics 2026
How HMRC's paragraph 2 information notices to conveyancers, lenders and surveyors actually work — and what the taxpayer behind them can and cannot do.
28 May 2026
-
buyer-guides
Schedule 36 paragraph 50: the tax-related penalty above the day-rate stack (UK 2026)
How the Upper Tribunal-imposed, statutorily-uncapped tax-related penalty escalates a Schedule 36 information-notice obstruction into the same range as the underlying SDLT at stake.
28 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
When Article 6 ECHR engages in HMRC penalty proceedings (UK, 2026)
The Engel and Jussila criminal-character test that decides when HMRC tax-penalty proceedings attract Human Rights Act protections.
27 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Tooth v HMRC and the SDLT 20-year discovery window (UK 2026)
How the 2021 Supreme Court ruling narrowed what HMRC must prove to reach beyond the four-year SDLT discovery window.
27 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
HMRC CC/FS factsheet series: what each one means in an SDLT check
A plain-English index of the compliance-check factsheets HMRC encloses with SDLT enquiry letters — what each one says and when it lands.
27 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Schedule 36 information notice penalties for SDLT 2026
What the £300 / £60-a-day / £1,000-a-day penalty stack means when HMRC opens an SDLT compliance check.
26 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
SDLT enquiry windows and HMRC compliance check letters (2026)
The 9-month enquiry window, 4/6/20-year discovery assessments and the Schedule 36 response clock, in plain English.
26 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Welsh LTT higher residential rates for additional dwellings (2026)
Wales sets a parallel band table for second homes — not a surcharge bolted onto the standard table. The structural difference reshapes the price curve.
26 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Cross-border house buying: the SDLT, LBTT and LTT delta in 2026
Identical purchases attract very different transaction tax bills on either side of the England-Scotland and England-Wales borders.
25 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Bare Trusts, Nominees and Family Trusts: SDLT Treatment in 2026
How HMRC tests the chargeable person — and why the £20,000 surcharge often hinges on whether a trust is bare or settled.
25 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Separated spouses and the SDLT additional-property surcharge (2026)
Finance Act 2003 Schedule 4ZA paragraph 9, the three separation routes HMRC accepts, and the evidence each one needs.
25 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Additional-property SDLT surcharge: the 3-year refund route, explained
How Schedule 4ZA paragraph 3 lets you reclaim the 5% surcharge if you sell your previous main residence within three years.
24 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
JBSP Mortgages and Stamp Duty: How Joint Borrower Sole Proprietor Works in 2026
Parent's income lifts affordability, parent's name stays off the title — and SDLT treats it as a sole purchase.
24 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
25 vs 35-Year Mortgage: What Extending the Term Costs You in 2026
On a £200k loan at 4.32% the monthly payment drops £167 — but lifetime interest climbs £60,825.
24 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Monthly cost of a £100,000 mortgage in the UK (2026)
At April 2026's BoE quoted rate, £100,000 borrowed costs roughly £460-£550 a month — depending on the term you pick.
23 May 2026
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buyer-guides
Accidental landlords and CGT: the PRR rule change after 2020
Worked example: a £270k purchase in 2018, sold for £350k in 2026 after 24 months let — what proportion of the £80k gain is taxable.
23 May 2026
-
buyer-guides
Bridging finance cost in a UK property chain (2026)
How short-term lending is priced when an onward purchase has to complete before the old home sells.
23 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Cost of upsizing from a 4-bed to a 5-bed in the UK (2026)
The £278k average step-up, the SDLT jump, and the threshold that catches London upsizers.
22 May 2026
-
market-analysis
Which UK cities are most new-build heavy? 2024 share by city
Salford led the country with 32.7% of 2024 sales being new builds — more than triple the UK average. Full city-by-city ranking from Land Registry data.
22 May 2026
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buyer-guides
New-build flat service charges: what's typical in the UK (2026)
After the 2022 ground rent reforms and the 2024 Leasehold Reform Act, here's what to expect on a new-build flat — with the numbers, the legislation, and the line items.
22 May 2026
-
market-analysis
Do new-builds lose value? 253,000 UK repeat sales, 2010-2025
Quarter-million-pair Land Registry analysis controlling for the local HPI — the depreciation story is largely a flats story.
21 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The £400,000 round-number anchor: bunching without a stamp duty cliff (2026)
6,729 sales at exactly £400k vs 1,152 in the £4,999 above — a 5.8x cliff with no SDLT slab change. What that says about round-number pricing.
21 May 2026
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regional-prices
Where UK First-Time Buyers Can Still Buy Under £300k (2025 Data)
Land Registry data shows 53% of 2025 UK home sales completed under the £300,000 first-time buyer nil-rate threshold — but the regional split is stark.
21 May 2026
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market-analysis
Most expensive London postcodes in 2025: where the £1M+ market clusters
Thirteen postcode districts captured 45% of London's £1M+ trading cash in 2025. The full ranking, with medians, mix, and £/sqft.
20 May 2026
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market-analysis
UK 'just-under' pricing patterns at SDLT thresholds: 2025 findings
Empirical Land Registry analysis: when buyers price below a slab, they pick the round -£5,000 notch, not £xx9,950.
20 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
The £125,000 SDLT threshold: where the bunching effect almost disappears (2026)
27x cliff for the first £1,000 above £125k — but £120k and £130k still outsell it. The smallest SDLT slab boundary, in 2025 Land Registry data.
20 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Why UK house sales bunch at £250,000: 2025 SDLT slab analysis
In 2025, 10,603 sales settled at exactly £250,000 — and just 3,224 in the £5,000 above. What the Land Registry data shows.
19 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Rate stress test: buy-vs-rent breakeven if remortgage rates change (UK 2026)
What happens to the buy-vs-rent maths if the rate at year-6 remortgage moves -1pp to +3pp from today's 4.32%.
19 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Equity built vs rent paid: what £1 of housing actually buys you (UK 2026)
At 4.32%, the first year of a £200,000 mortgage builds £4,545 of equity. A renter on the same monthly outlay builds zero.
19 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
SDLT residency test vs Statutory Residence Test (UK 2026)
Why someone can be UK tax-resident but still pay the 2% non-resident SDLT surcharge — and the other way around.
18 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Reclaiming the 2% non-resident SDLT surcharge: the refund explained (UK 2026)
How the SDLT-specific residence test, the 2-year amendment deadline and HMRC's dedicated refund service fit together.
18 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Corporate vs personal buy-to-let: the 2026 UK cost stack
How SDLT, ATED, Section 24, corporation tax and CGT layer differently for individual landlords and limited-company landlords.
18 May 2026
-
buyer-guides
Why CGT private residence relief claims fail: 5 common reasons (UK 2026)
Lettings relief, the 9-month final-period exemption, garden caps and periods-of-absence rules: how the most common PRR claims get cut down on enquiry.
17 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Amending an SDLT return and claiming a higher-rate refund (UK 2026)
How HMRC's 12-month amendment window, four-year overpayment relief and the dedicated higher-rate surcharge refund service actually work — with the deadlines that catch buyers out.
17 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
SDLT vs LBTT vs LTT: the three UK property taxes compared (2026)
The same £300,000 home produces three different tax bills depending on which side of which border you buy in.
17 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Why SDLT surcharge refund claims fail: 5 common reasons (UK 2026)
The 5% higher-rate surcharge is recoverable when you replace a main residence — but a steady stream of claims are refused on the same recurring legal points.
16 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The joint-buyer stamp duty trap UK 2026: when one co-owner ruins your relief
How the 'one taints all' rule turns a £5,000 stamp duty bill into £25,000 — and the narrow legal escapes that exist.
16 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Cash reserve to hold beyond the deposit, by purchase price (UK 2026)
A practical line-by-line budget for stamp duty, conveyancing, survey, mortgage fees and the first three months, by purchase price.
15 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Monthly cost of a £250,000 mortgage in the UK (2026)
At today's Bank of England quoted rate, £250,000 borrowed costs roughly £1,364 a month on a 25-year repayment term.
15 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Monthly cost of a £150,000 mortgage in the UK (2026)
At today's quoted rate, £150,000 borrowed costs roughly £700-£880 a month — depending on the term you pick.
15 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Cost of upsizing from a 3-bed to a 4-bed in the UK (2026)
What the move actually costs once stamp duty, agent fees, mortgage, conveyancing and removals are added up — by city.
14 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The cost of buying a flat vs a house in the UK (2026)
Tenure, floor area and the service-charge stack — what really separates the two when you compare 2025 Land Registry numbers.
14 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
New-build vs resale: the true cost gap in UK 2026
A £67,000 headline premium, an EPC gap of 90 percentage points, and the line items neither price tag shows.
14 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The cost of a buy-to-let property in the UK in 2026: every line item
5% stamp-duty surcharge, Section 24, void council tax, and the EPC C question — the full year-one stack with worked examples.
13 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The true cost of owning a second home in the UK in 2026
5% SDLT surcharge, 100% council tax premium in coastal authorities, plus mortgage and insurance loading — a £400,000 Cornwall worked example.
13 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
True cost of buying vs renting in London (2026)
Borough-by-borough mortgage + council tax stack, SDLT at every London price point, and a clean breakeven framework against your rent.
13 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Joint-applicant mortgage affordability: LTI maths for £300k+ (UK 2026)
How UK lenders pool two incomes, the LTI multiples that unlock a £300,000 loan, the dependants drag and the stress-test arithmetic at today's 4.32% quoted rate.
12 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Monthly cost of a £350,000 mortgage in the UK (2026)
Payment matrix, deposit at five LTV bands, stamp-duty taper, rate-shock stress test and a Croydon CR0 worked example.
12 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Monthly Cost of a £500,000 Mortgage in the UK (2026)
What a £500k loan actually costs each month at today's rate, the income lenders look for, and how a 2pp rate shock would reshape the budget.
12 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
Monthly cost of a £300,000 mortgage in the UK (2026)
Payment matrix at the current Bank of England 4.32% quoted rate, total interest by term, and what a rate shock looks like.
11 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The true cost of buying a £1 million home in the UK (2026)
Stamp Duty by buyer type, mortgage payments at today's rate, and a W4 Chiswick worked example — plus why the £1M round-number cliff is sharper than the actual SDLT slab.
11 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The true cost of buying a £750,000 home in the UK in 2026
Stamp duty, mortgage, council tax and running costs at £750,000 — and the 12.6× pricing cliff hiding in the Land Registry data.
11 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The true cost of buying a £250,000 home in the UK in 2026
Leicester worked example, SDLT on the standard nil-rate edge, mortgage matrix and a year-one total — all from the public data.
10 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The true cost of buying a £200,000 home in the UK in 2026
Deposit, Stamp Duty, mortgage and running costs on a £200k purchase — with a Sheffield worked example and Leeds comparison.
10 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
True cost of buying a £400,000 home in the UK in 2026
Stamp duty, mortgage at today's BoE rate, council tax and running costs for a £400,000 buyer — with a worked example in Birmingham.
10 May 2026
-
cost-intelligence
The £500,000 stamp duty cliff: why £1 costs FTBs £5,000 (UK 2026)
How a single pound above £500,000 erases first-time buyer relief, and what 4,541 sales-at-£500,000-exactly say about the market response.
9 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Energy cost by EPC rating: what a 3-bed semi costs to run (UK 2026)
From £43/year at band A to £603/year at band G — what 535,664 EPC certificates say about running a typical English 3-bed semi.
9 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Buying vs renting in the UK in 2026: when does the maths flip?
A breakeven framework using current BoE mortgage rates, ONS rent benchmarks, and HM Land Registry data.
9 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp Duty for non-UK residents in 2026: the 2% surcharge
Who pays, how the 183-day test works, two worked examples and how to claim a refund.
8 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Additional property stamp duty surcharge UK 2026: how the 5% works
The 5% SDLT surcharge on second homes, buy-to-let and replacement properties, with worked examples and refund rules.
8 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp Duty first-time buyer relief explained (UK 2026)
Thresholds, taper, the £500,000 cliff edge, and worked examples at every common price point.
8 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Monthly cost of a £200,000 mortgage in the UK (2026)
Payment matrix at the current Bank of England 4.32% quoted rate, total interest by term, and what a rate shock looks like.
8 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Hidden costs of buying a house in the UK (2026): 9 line items buyers forget
Conveyancing, searches, surveys, insurance, removals, maintenance — the £4,000-£8,000 in extra costs most first-time buyers underestimate.
8 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
True cost of buying a £500,000 home in the UK in 2026
Stamp duty, mortgage, council tax, EPC running costs and the £500,001 cliff edge — every line item a UK buyer at £500k actually faces in 2026.
8 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
The true cost of buying a £300,000 home in the UK in 2026
Deposit, stamp duty, mortgage, council tax and the full year-one outgoings on a £300k purchase — with worked examples for first-time buyers, standard buyers and buy-to-let.
7 May 2026