Other costs

This content applies to Scotland only.

Housing laws vary between Scotland and England. This page applies to Scotland only. Get advice relating to England

If you are selling your old home in order to buy a new home, you may need to take out a bridging loan if the sales do not coincide. You may also need to take into account the cost of moving to your new home, and any increase in living expenses that's likely to occur.

Bridging loan

If you are selling your old home in order to buy a new home, you may find that you need to come up with the money for your new home before the sale on your old home is completed. In this case, you may need a bridging loan from your lender or another financial institution.

Moving costs

You will also have to take into account the costs of moving home. This might include:

• hiring a van or a removal firm to move your belongings
• storage
• packing materials.

Read the page on moving costs to find out more about these expenses and how you may be able to get help to pay them. This page also looks at the costs of connecting the gas or electricity supplies and buying furniture and white goods.

Decorating and repairs

If you need to do any decorating or repair work to your new home when you move in, you'll need to add the cost of this to your budget. If you need to hire a builder, decorator, joiner, plumber or electrician to carry out any decorating or repair work, try to get at least three quotes before going ahead with the work. Remember, never DIY with electricity or gas.

Day-to-day expenses

When you're thinking about the costs of buying a new home, don't forget that your day-to-day expenses may increase when you move. For example:

• if you are moving to a bigger place, your insurance, council tax and electricity and gas bills will probably go up
• if you are moving further away from your work, your travel expenses will probably go up
• if you are moving from rented accommodation, you will now be responsible for paying for any repairs that need done to the property or to household appliances such as the fridge and washing machine, so you might want to keep some money back in case of emergencies
• if you are moving to a new area, you may find the cost of living is higher there.

Read the page on other housing costs to find out more about the day-to-day expenses of owning your home.