Conveyancing costs stable as house prices rise – Mortgage Strategy

Conveyancing costs have stayed steady as house prices rise, according to research from Lyons Bowe solicitors.

Lyons Bowe found that the average cost of buying a freehold property increased from £1,383 in April 2025 to £1,439 in April 2026, according to government house price figures.

Over the same period, the average UK house price rose from £260,162 to £270,080.

As a result, conveyancing continued to account for 0.53% of the average property’s value, unchanged year-on-year.

The research analysed average conveyancing fees for freehold purchases alongside average house prices across every UK region between April 2025 and April 2026.

The analysis compared annual changes in both legal fees and property values to assess how conveyancing costs have changed relative to the wider housing market.

In the East Midlands, East of England, North West, South West and across the UK as a whole, conveyancing represented exactly the same proportion of the average house price in both years.

Even where regional variations occurred, the changes were modest. London saw average house prices fall by -2.1% while conveyancing fees remained virtually unchanged, resulting in conveyancing accounting for just 0.32% of the average property value.

In Scotland, conveyancing costs increased more quickly than average house prices, with fees rising from 0.62% to 0.69% of the average property’s value.

Meanwhile, in the North East and Northern Ireland, stronger house price growth meant conveyancing represented a slightly smaller share of the average purchase price than a year earlier.

Lyons Bowe managing director Paul Lyons said: “Buying a home will always involve factors that none of us can control. Interest rates move, house prices change, markets fluctuate and confidence shifts. What buyers and estate agents need is certainty wherever it can be found.

“Our analysis shows that conveyancing continues to be one of the most stable and predictable costs involved in purchasing a property, accounting for little more than half of one percent of the average house price.”