Conveyancing costs stayed flat in Q2 2025, dropping by just 0.1% after a sharp rise in Q1 when homemovers rushed to beat the Stamp Duty deadline, according to data from reallymoving.
Research found it cost £2,435 to handle the legal side of a combined property sale and purchase in Q2, up 2.3% on the same period last year.
When inflation was taken into account, however, costs actually fell by 1.9% compared to the start of the year and were down 1.2% year on year.
Across the regions, conveyancing costs went up in seven out of 12 areas.
The biggest increases were in the East of England, up 3.3%, and the West Midlands, up 3.1%.
Prices dropped in Wales by 3.2%, the North East by 2.8%, the North West by 2.2%, the East Midlands by 1.5% and London by 0.2%.
Rob Houghton, founder and CEO at reallymoving, said: “Following a rush of completions in Q1 ahead of the Stamp Duty deadline, conveyancing costs have now stabilised, dipping only fractionally in Q2.
“While firms have managed to sustain most of the price gains made earlier this year against a backdrop of softening demand, home movers are actually paying slightly less in real terms than they were 12 months ago.
“Home movers continue to be cautious and price-sensitive, but transactions have steadily recovered since the disruption caused by changes to Stamp Duty in the spring.”
Houghton added: “That said, speculation around property tax reform could slow momentum leading up to the Autumn Budget if homebuyers adopt a wait-and-see approach, putting conveyancing costs under pressure again.”
