What will it cost to run?
The mortgage is not the monthly cost. This adds the bills a buyer commits to on completion day: your area's actual council tax, energy at the current price cap, water, and the leasehold lines if they apply, with the source of every figure stated.
Every line above is public. The building's condition isn't.
Council tax, energy and water can be looked up. What the roof, the wiring and the damp-proof course will cost you cannot. It has to be inspected. That is the line that decides whether a purchase is affordable, and it is the one a survey exists to fill in.
Common questions
What does it cost to run a house per month?
For a typical band D three-bed on current figures: council tax around £180 to £220 a month depending on the borough, energy around £144 on the price cap, water around £53 on the national average — roughly £400 a month before broadband, insurance and maintenance. The spread between areas and property sizes is wide, which is what this estimator is for.
What running costs do buyers most often miss?
Maintenance is the big one: industry rules of thumb put it at around 1% of the property’s value a year averaged over time, and it arrives in lumps, not instalments. On flats, the service charge and what the reserve fund does or does not hold; on older houses, the difference between a maintained roof and a neglected one. A survey is how the maintenance line stops being a guess.
Why is my energy estimate different from the seller’s bills?
This estimate uses Ofgem’s standard consumption profiles at the current price cap. Real usage varies with insulation, heating habits and occupancy — the EPC’s consumption figures for the specific property, adjusted to current unit rates, are the better property-specific guide.
Do leasehold flats really cost more to run?
Often, once the service charge is counted — £100 to £300+ a month in many blocks, more with lifts and concierges. Against that, buildings insurance and external maintenance are usually inside it. The two years of service charge accounts and the reserve fund position are as important to read as the lease itself.