Cost Intelligence
UK property cost research — written from the data, not the marketing brochure.
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cost-intelligence
Corporate vs personal buy-to-let: the 2026 UK cost stack
How SDLT, ATED, Section 24, corporation tax and CGT layer differently for individual landlords and limited-company landlords.
18 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Amending an SDLT return and claiming a higher-rate refund (UK 2026)
How HMRC's 12-month amendment window, four-year overpayment relief and the dedicated higher-rate surcharge refund service actually work — with the deadlines that catch buyers out.
17 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
SDLT vs LBTT vs LTT: the three UK property taxes compared (2026)
The same £300,000 home produces three different tax bills depending on which side of which border you buy in.
17 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Why SDLT surcharge refund claims fail: 5 common reasons (UK 2026)
The 5% higher-rate surcharge is recoverable when you replace a main residence — but a steady stream of claims are refused on the same recurring legal points.
16 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
The joint-buyer stamp duty trap UK 2026: when one co-owner ruins your relief
How the 'one taints all' rule turns a £5,000 stamp duty bill into £25,000 — and the narrow legal escapes that exist.
16 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Cash reserve to hold beyond the deposit, by purchase price (UK 2026)
A practical line-by-line budget for stamp duty, conveyancing, survey, mortgage fees and the first three months, by purchase price.
15 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Monthly cost of a £250,000 mortgage in the UK (2026)
At today's Bank of England quoted rate, £250,000 borrowed costs roughly £1,364 a month on a 25-year repayment term.
15 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Monthly cost of a £150,000 mortgage in the UK (2026)
At today's quoted rate, £150,000 borrowed costs roughly £700-£880 a month — depending on the term you pick.
15 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Cost of upsizing from a 3-bed to a 4-bed in the UK (2026)
What the move actually costs once stamp duty, agent fees, mortgage, conveyancing and removals are added up — by city.
14 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
The cost of buying a flat vs a house in the UK (2026)
Tenure, floor area and the service-charge stack — what really separates the two when you compare 2025 Land Registry numbers.
14 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
New-build vs resale: the true cost gap in UK 2026
A £67,000 headline premium, an EPC gap of 90 percentage points, and the line items neither price tag shows.
14 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
The cost of a buy-to-let property in the UK in 2026: every line item
5% stamp-duty surcharge, Section 24, void council tax, and the EPC C question — the full year-one stack with worked examples.
13 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
The true cost of owning a second home in the UK in 2026
5% SDLT surcharge, 100% council tax premium in coastal authorities, plus mortgage and insurance loading — a £400,000 Cornwall worked example.
13 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
True cost of buying vs renting in London (2026)
Borough-by-borough mortgage + council tax stack, SDLT at every London price point, and a clean breakeven framework against your rent.
13 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Joint-applicant mortgage affordability: LTI maths for £300k+ (UK 2026)
How UK lenders pool two incomes, the LTI multiples that unlock a £300,000 loan, the dependants drag and the stress-test arithmetic at today's 4.32% quoted rate.
12 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Monthly cost of a £350,000 mortgage in the UK (2026)
Payment matrix, deposit at five LTV bands, stamp-duty taper, rate-shock stress test and a Croydon CR0 worked example.
12 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Monthly Cost of a £500,000 Mortgage in the UK (2026)
What a £500k loan actually costs each month at today's rate, the income lenders look for, and how a 2pp rate shock would reshape the budget.
12 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Monthly cost of a £300,000 mortgage in the UK (2026)
Payment matrix at the current Bank of England 4.32% quoted rate, total interest by term, and what a rate shock looks like.
11 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
The true cost of buying a £1 million home in the UK (2026)
Stamp Duty by buyer type, mortgage payments at today's rate, and a W4 Chiswick worked example — plus why the £1M round-number cliff is sharper than the actual SDLT slab.
11 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
The true cost of buying a £750,000 home in the UK in 2026
Stamp duty, mortgage, council tax and running costs at £750,000 — and the 12.6× pricing cliff hiding in the Land Registry data.
11 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
The true cost of buying a £250,000 home in the UK in 2026
Leicester worked example, SDLT on the standard nil-rate edge, mortgage matrix and a year-one total — all from the public data.
10 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
The true cost of buying a £200,000 home in the UK in 2026
Deposit, Stamp Duty, mortgage and running costs on a £200k purchase — with a Sheffield worked example and Leeds comparison.
10 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
True cost of buying a £400,000 home in the UK in 2026
Stamp duty, mortgage at today's BoE rate, council tax and running costs for a £400,000 buyer — with a worked example in Birmingham.
10 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
The £500,000 stamp duty cliff: why £1 costs FTBs £5,000 (UK 2026)
How a single pound above £500,000 erases first-time buyer relief, and what 4,541 sales-at-£500,000-exactly say about the market response.
9 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Energy cost by EPC rating: what a 3-bed semi costs to run (UK 2026)
From £43/year at band A to £603/year at band G — what 535,664 EPC certificates say about running a typical English 3-bed semi.
9 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Buying vs renting in the UK in 2026: when does the maths flip?
A breakeven framework using current BoE mortgage rates, ONS rent benchmarks, and HM Land Registry data.
9 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp Duty for non-UK residents in 2026: the 2% surcharge
Who pays, how the 183-day test works, two worked examples and how to claim a refund.
8 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Additional property stamp duty surcharge UK 2026: how the 5% works
The 5% SDLT surcharge on second homes, buy-to-let and replacement properties, with worked examples and refund rules.
8 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Stamp Duty first-time buyer relief explained (UK 2026)
Thresholds, taper, the £500,000 cliff edge, and worked examples at every common price point.
8 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Monthly cost of a £200,000 mortgage in the UK (2026)
Payment matrix at the current Bank of England 4.32% quoted rate, total interest by term, and what a rate shock looks like.
8 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
Hidden costs of buying a house in the UK (2026): 9 line items buyers forget
Conveyancing, searches, surveys, insurance, removals, maintenance — the £4,000-£8,000 in extra costs most first-time buyers underestimate.
8 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
True cost of buying a £500,000 home in the UK in 2026
Stamp duty, mortgage, council tax, EPC running costs and the £500,001 cliff edge — every line item a UK buyer at £500k actually faces in 2026.
8 May 2026
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cost-intelligence
The true cost of buying a £300,000 home in the UK in 2026
Deposit, stamp duty, mortgage, council tax and the full year-one outgoings on a £300k purchase — with worked examples for first-time buyers, standard buyers and buy-to-let.
7 May 2026