Estate Agent Fees & Solicitor Costs Calculator

Estimate only

Estate agent commission and conveyancing are the two biggest professional fees in a UK move, and both are negotiable. Compare what the same sale would cost under sole agency, multi agency and a fixed online fee, then add your solicitor's quote, VAT and disbursements to see the full bill.

Buyers pay conveyancing but not agent commission — switch the transaction type below to reflect your side of the move.

Estate agent and legal costs

£5,646

Agent £3,960 + legal £1,586 + extras £100, all VAT included.

Agent fee (inc. VAT)

£3,960

£3,300 + £660 VAT

Effective agent rate

1.44%

Of the sale price, VAT included

Solicitor fee (inc. VAT)

£1,286

£1,072 + £214 VAT

Disbursements

£300

Total legal cost

£1,586

Spread across agent models

£7,250

Cheapest to dearest typical quote

Same sale, three agent models

Typical market ranges applied to £275,000, VAT included.

Estate agent fee comparison by agency model, VAT included
Arrangement	Low	Typical	High
High street — sole agency	£3,300	£3,960	£5,940
High street — multi agency	£6,600	£8,250	£11,550
Online / hybrid — fixed fee	£500	£1,000	£1,500

High street — sole agency: One agent markets the property on a no sale, no fee basis. The UK average is about 1.2% + VAT (roughly 1.42% including VAT).
High street — multi agency: Several agents compete and only the one that sells is paid — wider reach, but a much higher commission rate.
Online / hybrid — fixed fee: A set fee regardless of sale price. Some packages are payable whether or not the property sells — check before signing.

Typical conveyancing costs

Typical solicitor legal fees and disbursements by transaction type
Transaction	Legal fee (ex. VAT)	Disbursements
Buying — freehold	£800–£1,800	£350–£800
Buying — leasehold	£1,100–£2,300	£450–£1,100
Selling — freehold	£700–£1,800	£200–£350
Selling — leasehold	£1,000–£2,400	£400–£1,200

Estimate only

These are market ranges, not quotes. Fees vary by firm, region, property value and tenure, and leasehold work costs more. Always get at least three written quotes and compare the total including VAT and every disbursement.

How this calculation works

Percentage agent fees are the sale price multiplied by the commission rate, with VAT at 20% added. Fixed fees are taken as quoted including VAT. The solicitor's legal fee also has VAT added; disbursements are passed through unchanged because they are third-party charges. The comparison table applies published market ranges for each agency model to the price you entered.

agent fee inc VAT = price × commission % × (1 + VAT)
effective rate = agent fee inc VAT ÷ price
legal total = (solicitor fee × (1 + VAT)) + disbursements
total = agent fee inc VAT + legal total + other costs

Assumptions

VAT is charged at 20% on agent commission and solicitor legal fees.
Sole agency averages around 1.2% + VAT; multi agency 2.0%–3.5% + VAT; online agents £500–£1,500 fixed.
Disbursements are third-party costs and are not marked up or VAT-rated here.
Conveyancing benchmarks reflect England and Wales.

Limitations

Not a quote — individual firms price on value, tenure, region and complexity.
Excludes stamp duty, survey fees, mortgage product fees and removals — use the buying costs calculator for those.
Scotland uses solicitors and a Home Report, and Northern Ireland differs again; local costs may not match these ranges.
Some online agent packages are payable whether or not the property sells.

Sources

Last reviewed: 1 September 2026 · Calculation version 1.0.0

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