Straightforward help for UK home buyers
Buying a home? Let’s take it a step at a time
Clear information about viewings, surveys, legal work, insurance and moving in. Find the stage you have reached and start there.
Where are you in the move?
Jump to what is useful now
What needs your attention first?
The colour of the kitchen can wait. Your budget, survey, legal papers and mortgage cannot. Start with the parts that could change your mind about the house or the price.
Buying for the first time
A calm walk through the process, including the jobs that are easy to miss.
Read the guide →02A checklist to keep
See what needs doing now, and leave later jobs until later.
Read the guide →03Surveys and searches
Find out what the lender checks and what you need checked for yourself.
Read the guide →04Looking at an older house
Questions to ask about the roof, services, alterations and construction.
Read the guide →05A history of subsidence
What the old reports, repairs and insurance position should tell you.
Read the guide →06Could the house flood?
Use the maps, searches, site clues and insurance quotes together.
Read the guide →Do not leave the insurance until moving day
If you are buying a freehold home in England or Wales, your conveyancer may tell you to arrange buildings cover from exchange. Flats, new builds and purchases elsewhere in the UK can work differently. Ask for the date instead of guessing.
Buildings and contents
Which part covers the house, which covers your belongings, and where the awkward gaps can be.
Read the guide →The date cover should begin
Get the property facts together and arrange cover for the date your solicitor gives you.
Read the guide →Moving between two homes
Sort out overlapping ownership, belongings in the van and any time a house will stand empty.
Read the guide →Have the property details and start date?
Compare home insurance quotations, then check the cover, excesses and exclusions before deciding.
Some homes need a little more homework
Previous movement, flood history, an unusual form of construction or a lease can all affect the mortgage and insurance. Find out early. The week before exchange is no time to discover that a report is missing.
Where to check the official detail
Use these links when you need the government rules, impartial money guidance or a regulated surveying firm.
- GOV.UK buying a home guideThe legal stages in England and Wales, with links for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
- MoneyHelper home-buying guidanceFree, impartial help with mortgages, costs and the buying process.
- MoneyHelper: buildings insuranceWhat it covers, how much cover you may need and questions to ask.
- RICS advice for home buyersInformation about surveys and finding a regulated surveying firm.