Whilst price is important to customers, new analysis has also found, when it comes to the legal work involved in property transactions, reviews and ratings plus service features were also important.
Over the last year the cost of the legal work for buying and selling a home has increased by 0.1%. With inflation at 3% this means costs have actually fallen in real terms over the past year.
But the reallymoving Conveyancing Costs Index for Q1 2026 shows since the last quarter of 2025, there has been a steeper 2.8% hike in prices.
It analysed over 86,000 conveyancing quotes on its comparison site to find the current average cost of £2,440, which includes VAT, to handle the legal side of a combined property sale and purchase, including expenses and disbursements.
reallymoving founder and CEO, Rob Houghton, said that whilst price was a key factor in decision-making, only 40% of customers using reallymoving opted for the cheapest quote.
“The majority choose to pay more for good reviews and ratings, specific service features such as a live app or portal, or just a better sales process,” he said.
“In comparison, for surveys and removals, around 50% of customers opt for the cheapest quote, highlighting that service carries extra weight in conveyancing.
“Firms that can consistently deliver a high-quality service while investing in technology are best placed for growth in the current market.”
Across the UK, prices varied with the typical cost in Scotland increasing the most by 12.4% over the quarter to £2,319. In the Nort West of England increases were also strong, rising 6.5% to £2,331 – this reflected ‘stronger transaction levels, according to reallymoving.
However, in Wales prices dropped by 1.7% to £2.086, and in the East Midlands there were also reductions over the quarter of 2.1% to £2,088.