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Read Full Bio >A genuine “we buy any house” company charges the seller no fees at all: no valuation fee, no legal fee, no commission. It makes its money on the discount instead, buying at roughly 75%–85% of market value rather than billing you.
Key takeaways
- Reputable UK “we buy any house” companies charge sellers £0 in fees and pay your conveyancing and valuation costs themselves.
- The real cost is the discount: cash offers in the UK sector typically land between 75% and 85% of market value, so on a £200,000 home that is £30,000–£50,000 below the open-market price.
- On a £200,000 house, an estate agent sale nets roughly £194,800 after fees, versus £164,000 from a cash buyer at 82% — a real gap of about £24,300 once five months of carrying costs are counted.
- Any company asking for an upfront fee, a booking fee or a “valuation deposit” is not a genuine cash buyer — genuine buyers are paying you, not the other way round.
- Members of the National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB) must also register with The Property Ombudsman (TPO), which gives you free, independent redress if a charge appears that was never disclosed.
Do “we buy any house” companies charge fees?
No. A legitimate “we buy any house” company buys your property with its own money, so it has no reason to invoice you. It is the buyer in the transaction, and buyers do not charge sellers. Every mainstream UK operator advertising under this banner in 2026 states the same position: zero seller-side fees, with legal costs and valuation covered by the buyer.
There is one exception worth understanding. Not every website advertising “we buy any house” is a buyer. Some are lead generators — introducers that collect your details and sell them on to investors, landlords or smaller buying firms. Because an introducer never owns the property, it has no discount to profit from, so its revenue has to come from somewhere else: an introduction fee, an “admin” charge, or a slice of the final price. That is where almost every genuine fee complaint in this market originates. Our wider guide to house buying company fees covers how to tell the two business models apart.
What does a “we buy any house” sale actually cost you?
The cost is the gap between the cash offer and what the property would fetch on the open market, and it is the only cost that matters. Everything else in a cash sale is genuinely free to the seller, so the discount is the whole price of speed and certainty.
Here is the arithmetic on a £200,000 home, with a cash offer at 82% of market value — a mid-range figure for the sector. The estate agent column is deliberately generous: it assumes the house sells for the full £200,000 and that the sale does not fall through.
| Line item | “We buy any house” sale | Estate agent sale |
|---|---|---|
| Price achieved | £164,000 (82%) | £200,000 |
| Agent commission (1.5% + VAT) | £0 | −£3,600 |
| Your conveyancing + disbursements | £0 (buyer pays) | −£1,500 |
| EPC | £0 (buyer pays) | −£90 |
| Valuation / survey | £0 (buyer pays) | £0 |
| Net before carrying costs | £164,000 | £194,810 |
| Time to completion | 7 days to 4 weeks | 5–6 months typical |
| Extra carrying costs (5 months at ~£1,300/mth) | £0 | −£6,500 |
| Net in your pocket | £164,000 | £188,310 |
The honest conclusion is that the fast sale costs you around £24,300 on a £200,000 house, or roughly 12% of the price, once mortgage payments, council tax, utilities and insurance during a five-month agent sale are taken into account. Pages that claim the two routes come out level are not being straight with you. What you are buying for that £24,300 is a completion date you control and a buyer who cannot be gazundered, lose a mortgage offer or be pulled out of a chain — and around one in four agreed UK sales still falls through before completion. Our guide to how much below market value cash buyers offer breaks the discount down further.
What does the buyer pay for that you would otherwise pay yourself?
In a genuine cash purchase the buyer absorbs the transaction costs that would normally land on the seller. On a typical sale that is £1,500–£2,000 of real money you never have to find upfront, which matters if the reason you are selling quickly is that cash is tight.
- Your conveyancing. Seller legal fees usually run £800–£1,500 plus disbursements. A reputable cash buyer pays these, and the good ones let you appoint your own solicitor rather than forcing a panel firm on you.
- The valuation and any survey. The buyer commissions and pays for its own valuation, often through a RICS-registered surveyor.
- The Energy Performance Certificate. An EPC costs £60–£120 and is legally required to market a property. In a direct sale there is no marketing, so it is handled by the buyer.
- Estate agent commission. There is no agent, so there is no 1%–3% plus VAT. This is the single biggest saved cost, and it is why selling without an estate agent appeals to sellers with thin equity.
- Marketing, photography and listing costs. None, because the property is never advertised.
Which charges do exist in the “we buy any house” market, and which are red flags?
Five charges genuinely circulate in this market. Two are legitimate in narrow circumstances; three should end the conversation. The table below is the quickest way to place any charge you are quoted.
| Charge | Typical amount | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront or “booking” fee | £99–£500 | Red flag — a real buyer never asks a seller for money |
| Valuation or survey “deposit” | £200–£600 | Red flag — the buyer’s own due diligence is the buyer’s cost |
| Introducer / lead-generation fee | 1%–3% of the price | Red flag — you are dealing with a broker, not a buyer |
| Panel solicitor top-up | £150–£400 | Question it — legitimate only if disclosed in writing before you instruct |
| Your own independent legal advice | £500–£1,000 | Legitimate — optional, and money well spent on a lock-in contract |
The charge that never looks like a charge
The most expensive thing in this market is not a fee at all — it is the eleventh-hour price cut. A company offers 90% of market value, ties you up for six weeks, then drops to 72% days before exchange, knowing you have already given notice or committed to a purchase. That reduction costs far more than any admin fee, and it is why an option agreement or exclusivity clause deserves a solicitor’s eyes before you sign. NAPB members are bound by The Property Ombudsman code and cannot reduce an offer without a genuine, evidenced reason found at survey or in searches.
How do you check a “we buy any house” company before you commit?
Six checks, all free, all doable in about fifteen minutes. Run them before you accept anything and before you sign a document that ties you to one buyer.
- Ask the one question in writing: “Will I be asked to pay any fee, deduction or charge at any point in this sale?” Keep the reply. A written “no” is enforceable in a way a phone call is not.
- Check NAPB membership at napb.co.uk. Members must be registered with an ombudsman scheme and buy with their own funds.
- Check redress registration with The Property Ombudsman. If a firm is not registered with an approved redress scheme, you have nowhere to escalate.
- Look the company up at Companies House. Check incorporation date, filed accounts and whether the trading name matches the legal entity making the offer.
- Ask for proof of funds. A direct buyer produces bank statements or a solicitor’s undertaking on request. Deflection, or evidence from a “partner”, means you are talking to an introducer.
- Read the contract for tie-ins. Look specifically for exclusivity periods, option agreements and any clause allowing the price to be varied. If one exists, take independent legal advice.
If a company clears all six, the fee question is effectively settled. For the wider trust checks, see are cash house buyers legit? and our comparison of a cash buyer versus an estate agent.
Does Springbok Properties charge any fees?
No. Springbok Properties charges sellers nothing on its fast cash purchase route: no valuation fee, no legal fee, no commission and no deduction at completion. Springbok is regulated by The Property Ombudsman and is a member of the NAPB, and the offer you accept in writing is the figure that reaches your account.
Springbok also runs a slower fixed-price route for sellers who want closer to open-market value and can wait longer. It is a different trade-off — more money, more time — and it is set out alongside our other options in the ways to sell a house fast. You can also read what our sellers say in is Springbok Properties legit?
Frequently asked questions
Do “we buy any house” companies charge fees?
No. Genuine UK “we buy any house” companies charge sellers nothing and pay your conveyancing, valuation and EPC costs themselves. They profit from buying below market value, typically at 70%–85% of the open-market price, rather than from invoicing the seller.
What is the real cost of selling to a “we buy any house” company?
The discount. On a £200,000 home, a cash offer at 82% is £164,000, against roughly £188,300 net from an estate agent sale after commission, conveyancing and five months of carrying costs. The fast sale therefore costs around £24,300, or about 12% of the price.
Should I ever pay an upfront fee to a cash house buyer?
No. A company buying your house with its own money has no reason to ask you for money first. An upfront fee, booking fee or valuation deposit means you are dealing with a lead generator or a broker rather than a buyer. Walk away and report it to Action Fraud if pressed.
Do I have to use the buyer’s solicitor?
No, and you should be cautious of any firm that insists. Reputable buyers cover your legal fees whether you use their panel solicitor or appoint your own. Independent representation matters most where a contract contains an exclusivity clause or option agreement.
Are “we buy any house” fees regulated?
Partly. Members of the NAPB must register with an approved redress scheme such as The Property Ombudsman and follow its code of practice, which requires charges to be disclosed clearly and upfront. Non-members are outside that framework, which is why membership is worth checking first.
The bottom line
Fees are the wrong thing to worry about in this market. A genuine “we buy any house” company will not charge you a penny, and if one tries, that alone tells you it is not a real buyer. The number that deserves your attention is the discount — around £24,300 on a £200,000 house once every cost on both routes is counted. Get that figure in writing, check the company against the NAPB and The Property Ombudsman, and decide whether the speed is worth the money to you. For most sellers facing a deadline, it is; for sellers with time on their side, it usually is not.
