Rates & sources
SDLT/LTT/LBTT bands vary between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Use the appropriate calculator.
Source: HMRC / Welsh Revenue / Revenue Scotland — figures refreshed at the start of each tax year.
When to use this calculator
- Before buying, renting, refinancing, or reviewing a property investment.
- When you want to compare cash flow, yield, growth, and ownership costs side by side.
- When you need a fast estimate before speaking to an agent, lender, or adviser.
- When you are assessing whether a rental property still makes financial sense after a mortgage rate change.
- When you want to compare the total cost of renting against owning over a five- or ten-year horizon.
A realistic South Africa planning example
Use these sample inputs as a quick scenario test, then change one variable at a time to compare outcomes.
Purchase Price (R)
R2,000,000
Buyer Type
Natural person (standard rates)
After entering these figures, review transfer duty, effective rate and est. conveyancing fees together rather than in isolation — each metric tells a different part of the story. Then rerun the tool with one input adjusted to see which variable has the biggest effect on all three outputs before you settle on a plan.
How to read your results
Transfer Duty
Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.
Effective Rate
The effective rate lets you compare options on a true like-for-like basis rather than being misled by different compounding periods or fee structures. Use it to cut through headline marketing rates when shortlisting providers or products.
Est. Conveyancing Fees
Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.
Total Upfront Costs
This is the headline outcome of the calculation, but it is most useful when read alongside the supporting metrics below it rather than in isolation. Try changing one input at a time and watching how this total moves to understand which driver has the biggest impact.
Method & assumptionsAuthoritative sources
Transfer duty is a mandatory government tax administered by SARS that must be paid whenever ownership of South African property changes hands between parties not subject to VAT. For natural persons buying in the 2024/25 tax year, properties up to R1,100,000 attract no transfer duty at all — a meaningful relief for first-time buyers and those purchasing in the affordable housing segment. Above this threshold, a sliding scale of rates applies, reaching a maximum marginal rate of 13% on the portion of any purchase price exceeding R12,100,000. The duty is calculated on the actual purchase price declared to SARS, and any undervaluation can attract penalties. The buyer is legally responsible for payment, and no transfer can be registered at the Deeds Office until SARS has issued a transfer duty receipt confirming that the tax has been settled or that the transaction is exempt.
Beyond transfer duty itself, buying property in South Africa involves several additional upfront costs that buyers often underestimate. Conveyancing attorney fees, charged for the legal work involved in transferring the property into your name, are payable to the seller's nominated attorney and are based on a Law Society tariff. If you are financing the purchase with a home loan, you will also pay bond registration fees to a separate attorney appointed by the bank. Combined, these costs — transfer duty, conveyancing, and bond registration — can add 3% to 8% to the total outlay above the purchase price, depending on the value and financing structure. This calculator provides an estimate of these costs to help you plan your full budget before signing an offer to purchase.
Common mistakes
- !Comparing rent and ownership costs without including taxes, fees, and maintenance.
- !Using purchase price alone without testing the impact of financing or vacancy assumptions.
- !Relying on yield or growth in isolation instead of reviewing the full property case.
- !Forgetting Stamp Duty Land Tax (or its Scottish and Welsh equivalents), which can add thousands to the true cost of purchase.
- !Using optimistic rental growth figures without also testing a flat or declining rent scenario to check downside resilience.
What to do next
- Run a second scenario with a higher rate or lower rental yield to check downside resilience.
- Compare the result with a buy-versus-rent or stamp duty calculator before making an offer.
- Use the related guides below to understand agent fees, legal costs, and ongoing maintenance budgets.
- If you are assessing a buy-to-let, check the gross yield against the net yield after mortgage interest, voids, and management fees.
- Note down the key figures from this scenario to share with your solicitor or mortgage broker so they are working from the same assumptions.
Frequently asked
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End-of-article next steps
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