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Read Full Bio >A genuine house buying company charges the seller no fees at all — no commission, no valuation fee, no admin fee — and it usually pays your legal and valuation costs too. The catch is the price, not a fee: you accept roughly 75–85% of market value for a sale in days.
Key takeaways
- A genuine UK cash house buyer charges the seller nothing — no commission, no valuation fee, no admin fee — and most also pay your conveyancing and survey costs.
- The real cost of a cash sale is the discount, not a fee: genuine buyers pay roughly 75–85% of market value (about 80% on average) and complete in 7–28 days.
- On a £200,000 home, an 80% offer is £160,000 — a £40,000 discount, set against agent commission and months of holding costs.
- Any upfront, booking, exclusivity or “admin” fee is a red flag: a company holding the funds has no reason to bill you before completion.
- Around one in four agreed UK sales (roughly 24%) collapse before completion, and money spent on marketing or an EPC by then is gone.
Do house buying companies charge fees?
No — not the genuine ones. A real cash buyer makes its margin by buying below market value and reselling later, so it has no reason to bill you as well; the figure you are offered is the figure that lands in your account.
The company absorbs the stamp duty, refurbishment, holding costs and the agent’s fees when it resells, and recovers all of it from the discount — which is why it can afford to pay your conveyancing.
The distinction that matters is between a company that buys and one that introduces. Direct cash buyers hold their own funds; lead-generation brokers pass your details to third-party investors — and upfront charges come overwhelmingly from that end of the market. Our guide to house buying companies explains the three models, and are cash house buyers legit? covers the model itself.
What does a genuine cash buyer pay for on your behalf?
You pay none of the usual costs of selling, and several are picked up by the buyer:
- Estate agent commission — gone. You sell directly, so there is no agent. A high-street agent typically charges around 1–1.5% plus VAT: roughly £2,400–£3,600 on a £200,000 sale.
- Conveyancing — usually covered. Still instruct your own SRA-regulated solicitor rather than share theirs.
- Valuation and survey — paid by the buyer, which needs the figure for its own underwriting.
- EPC — not needed. An Energy Performance Certificate is legally required to market a property; a direct sale is never marketed. Typically £60–£120 you don’t spend.
- Listing, photography, staging and repairs — none. Cash buyers buy as found.
Note the wording: usually covered. “We pay your legal fees” is a commercial promise, not a legal obligation, so get it into the offer letter. For the mechanics, see how cash home buyers work.
What does a seller actually pay on each route?
Only the cash sale leaves the seller with nothing to pay. An agent sale spreads costs across commission, conveyancing and an EPC; an auction adds an entry fee and legal pack.
| What you pay | Genuine cash buyer | Estate agent | Auction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commission / sale fee | None | Typically ~1–1.5% + VAT | Commission on the sale price |
| Legal fees | Usually covered | You pay | You pay, plus a legal pack |
| Valuation / survey | Paid by the buyer | You pay | You pay |
| EPC | Not required | Required — you pay | Required — you pay |
| Upfront / entry / “admin” fee | None — a red flag if asked | Sometimes, on fixed-fee plans | Entry fee is common |
Those figures are typical ranges, not fixed prices. For the full arithmetic, see our breakdown of the cost to sell a house and our guide to selling without an estate agent.
Which fees do exist in the wild, and which are red flags?
Charges do appear at the shadier end of this market, almost all from brokers rather than buyers. The full playbook is in we buy any house scams and how to avoid them.
Upfront, booking, valuation and “admin” fees
A company with funds in the bank has no reason to take money from you before completion. Any valuation fee, survey fee, “booking” or reservation fee, or admin charge to “process your file” should end the conversation. Never send money to a house buying company; if you have, ask for it back in writing and take it to The Property Ombudsman.
Exclusivity clauses and option agreements
This trap doesn’t look like a fee. You sign an “exclusivity”, “lock-out” or option agreement tying your property to one company for weeks or months, during which you cannot sell to anyone else — and the company is not obliged to buy. Some carry an exit fee. Never sign anything binding without a guaranteed price and date.
The price cut just before exchange
Gazundering — cutting the agreed price at the last moment, when you are committed and have nowhere to go — is a de facto fee, and often a big one. The pattern is consistent: a generous opening offer, weeks of delay, then a “revised valuation” days before exchange. That is why an offer above roughly 90% of market value is a warning sign, not a win: nobody can pay 90%, absorb stamp duty and resale costs and still make a margin. Check any offer against the best house buying companies in the UK.
Isn’t the discount just a fee by another name?
It is a real cost — but a price, not a fee. A fee is money you hand over; a discount is money you never receive.
Take a home worth £200,000. A cash buyer paying 80% offers £160,000, so the discount is £40,000; the 75–85% range puts the offer between £150,000 and £170,000. Against that, the open market costs roughly £2,400–£3,600 in commission plus VAT, conveyancing, an EPC, and the mortgage, council tax and bills for the months it takes — plus a roughly 24% chance, one in four, that the sale collapses and resets the clock.
That doesn’t close a £40,000 gap. If your property is straightforward and you have months to spare, the open market will net you more. But if a deadline drives the decision — a repossession hearing, probate, divorce, a broken chain — the certainty of £160,000 on a date you choose can beat a theoretical £200,000 that may never arrive.
How do you make sure you never pay a penny?
Six checks, each taking minutes. A genuine buyer welcomes all of them.
- Get the offer and the “no fees” promise in writing — price, what the company pays for, and the completion date.
- Ask outright: are you buying my house yourselves, or introducing it to someone else? Most fee problems start with an introducer posing as a buyer.
- Check membership at source — the NAPB register and The Property Ombudsman‘s site, not a logo on a web page.
- Look them up at Companies House: how long trading, accounts filed, directors named.
- Use your own solicitor to read anything called exclusivity, lock-out or an option.
- Never pay any charge before completion. The money moves one way — to you, on the day, with the transfer registered at HM Land Registry.
There is no statutory regulator here. After the Office of Fair Trading’s 2013 study into quick house sales, the sector self-regulated: the National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB) formed in 2013, and The Property Ombudsman introduced a Code of Practice for property buyers on 1 July 2014. The Competition and Markets Authority — the OFT’s successor — and Trading Standards can still act on unfair practices.
Does Springbok charge any fees?
No. Springbok Properties charges sellers nothing: no commission, no valuation fee, no admin fee, nothing payable before completion. We cover your legal, valuation and survey costs, and buy with our own audited funds — no investor to find, no introduction to pay for.
We have helped more than 19,000 UK homeowners since 2012 and hold 11,700+ verified reviews. We are an NAPB member, registered with The Property Ombudsman. We offer three fee-free routes — Cash Sale, Fast Cash Sale and Fixed Price Sale — so you choose speed or price. Read our seller reviews and company reviews first.
Frequently asked questions
Do house buying companies charge fees?
Genuine house buying companies charge the seller nothing. A real cash buyer earns its margin by buying below market value and reselling, so it takes no commission and usually pays your legal, valuation and survey costs. Any firm asking for an upfront valuation, booking or admin fee is a red flag.
Are cash house buyers really free?
Yes — with a genuine cash buyer you pay nothing out of pocket, and your legal and valuation costs are usually covered. The trade-off isn’t a fee; it’s the price. Offers sit at roughly 75–85% of market value, around 80% on average, in exchange for speed and certainty.
Which fees are red flags when selling to a cash buyer?
Upfront valuation, survey, booking or admin fees are all red flags, as are exclusivity clauses and option agreements that tie up your property without guaranteeing a purchase. So is a strong offer quietly cut just before exchange — gazundering. A genuine buyer asks for none of these.
Do you pay estate agent fees when selling to a cash buyer?
No. You sell directly to the buyer, so there is no agent and no commission — typically saving 1–1.5% plus VAT, or roughly £2,400–£3,600 on a £200,000 sale. You also avoid listing, staging and marketing costs, as some estate agents do charge these separately.
How do I make sure I won’t be charged anything?
Get the offer and the no-fee commitment in writing before you commit, use your own SRA-regulated solicitor, check the company on the NAPB register and The Property Ombudsman’s register, verify it at Companies House, and never pay any charge before completion.
The bottom line
A genuine house buying company is free to sell to: no commission, no legal fees, no valuation charge, no EPC, nothing to pay before completion. The only cost is the discount — around 20% of market value — and that buys completion in 7–28 days with no chain and no fall-through risk. Get the no-fee promise in writing, verify the company, use your own solicitor, and you will never pay a penny. Our sell house fast and we buy any house pages explain the fee-free route.
