First time buyers

You can get an independent surveyor out to look for potential problems. They’ll look at things like rot, damp, and structural issues. If you think it’s unlikely there are any major problems, you don’t need to get one.

Searches, on the other hand, are necessary if you are getting a mortgage. These include:

• Local Authority searches: Looking at anything local that might affect the property’s value in future, like plans for new roads or buildings
• Water and Drainage searches: Checking if the property is connected to the main water supply, where the water mains are, whether foul water and surface drainage are connected to the public sewer, and whether there’s a public sewer within the boundaries of the property (which could affect your ability to extend it)
• Environmental searches: Looking at flood risk, ground stability, nearby landfill sites, and other environmental factors nearby.

Some rural properties could have old rights of way or footpaths across them. There could be pipelines or common land nearby. You could be on ‘Crown land’ which requires a fee. We can advise you whether to run searches for these things as well.

The standard fees are…

• Land registry
• Survey fees
• Search fees
• Stamp Duty Land Tax
• Solicitors’ fees…

But some amounts can vary for each situation. Use our calculator to get a quick idea of yours.

When you first instruct us, we'll ask for a ‘payment on account’ to cover your search fees.

If you or your seller decides not to go ahead, and searches haven’t yet been paid for, we’ll refund this payment and only invoice you for any work we’ve done up to that point.

Yes, there are a few different mortgage types for new buyers. Some might suit your finances and future plans better than others. We can help you look at mortgages and alternative buying options (like shared ownership, Help to Buy/Help to Buy ISA, and the Help to Buy equity mortgage).

Three quick tips:

• If your parents are helping with your deposit, tell your mortgage lender early on - them having to deal with a ‘third party’ investment further down the line might cause delays
• If you are buying over the £125,000 threshold, you will have to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax. More on stamp duty here
• Are you buying a leasehold or freehold? This will seriously affect your expected costs, and what you can and can’t do with the place. More on this below.

If you are buying your house with someone else, you will need to think about whether you want to be a joint tenant or a tenant in common.

Joint tenants (sometimes called 'beneficial joint tenants')...

• Have equal rights to the whole property
• Will automatically inherit the property if the other dies
• Can't pass on the property in their Will.

Tenants in common…

• Can own different shares of the property (e.g. a 30/70 split)
• Don't automatically inherit the property if the other person dies
• Can choose to pass on their share of the property in their Will.

As you can imagine, the wrong decision can cause serious problems for couples who separate (or friends/family who fall out). We can advise on how to split your ownership, and what happens in the event of a break up.

A freeholder owns a property outright. They also own the land it’s built on. So, if you buy a freehold (which most houses are), you are responsible for repairing and maintaining it.

A leaseholder owns a property, or part of a property, for a set length of time. New flats often come with 125 or 999 years on the lease. With older flats, the lease may have started to run low, in which case the flat can drop dramatically in value. More on extending leases

Most flats are leasehold. You will have a landlord (the freeholder) and there may be a Managing Company. The landlord is responsible for repairing and maintaining the outside and common areas, like gardens, hallways, and the roof.

This doesn’t mean the landlord pays - the cost gets passed onto you in the form of service charges. These can go up and down depending on work needed. You will also need to pay for “inside” maintenance - like appliances, boiler breakdowns, and sometimes windows.

It’s also possible to own a share of the freehold. Usually, this is where flat owners come together and buy it. You will still own the leasehold but will have more control - as the residents will decide how repairs are managed. More on buying a freehold

‘Caveat emptor' is a Latin phrase that means 'let the buyer beware'.

It means it’s the buyer’s job to look for any problems, not necessarily the seller’s job to make them clear (although in an ideal world, they should). You will often hear this phrase in property because, unfortunately, people can be dishonest in trying to get their property sold or get more money than it’s worth. In short: always get a good solicitor!