Buying a home, explained straight.

A house purchase runs on paperwork. Here's every document that changes hands, who produces it, and what each one is really for.

With a leasehold flat you own the space, not the building or the ground under it. The years left on the lease matter more than almost anything else about the flat.

Your mortgage lender runs its own valuation. If it comes in below the price you agreed, the gap is yours to cover in cash.

Stamp Duty Land Tax is one of the biggest costs on top of the price. It's tiered, first-time buyers get relief, and second homes carry a surcharge.

The lender's valuation is not a survey. A survey is for you, to find the problems before they become your problems.

The Energy Performance Certificate rates efficiency, but it also quietly confirms the floor area, the construction, and how many rooms a home really has.

Your band is frozen at what the property was worth in 1991, not today. It's a big monthly cost, and the same band costs different amounts depending on the council.

You buy a share of the home and pay rent on the rest. It gets people onto the ladder with a smaller deposit, but the catches are real and every shared-ownership home is leasehold.

Being in a flood area is one thing. Getting affordable insurance is the thing that actually bites, and the safety net that keeps it affordable has a catch for newer homes.