Buying your first home in Brighton can feel like a lot at once: finances, viewings, legal steps, surveys and then the move itself. This guide breaks it into ten steps, with the Brighton details that catch first time buyers out, from lease lengths on period flats to stamp duty above £300,000 and parking on completion day.
Every ESV move is fully insured, with £40,000 Goods in Transit per vehicle and £5 million Public Liability backed by Admiral Platinum and included in your quote as standard, and our first time buyer moves are behind many of our hundreds of five star Google reviews.
At A Glance
Know your budget, including stamp duty, before you start viewing: First time buyers in Brighton and Hove paid an average of £344,000 in July 2026, above the £300,000 first time buyer stamp duty threshold, so most now pay 5% on the part above it, roughly £2,200 at that price. A mortgage in principle then tells you what you can borrow and shows sellers you can proceed, which in a competitive city often decides whose offer is taken seriously.
In Brighton the lease matters as much as the price: Much of the city's first time buyer stock is flats, often in converted period houses, so check the lease length, whether it comes with a share of the freehold, and what the service charge and ground rent actually cover. A lease below 85 to 90 years can limit your mortgage options and your resale value, and it costs far less to find that out before you offer than after you exchange.
At ESV we work around completion day, not against it: Keys are only released once the money has arrived, which is rarely first thing, so we plan loading around your solicitor's expected release time and build in a buffer for delays. Peter is your direct contact from first quote to final box on 07552 555 820 or via www.eastsussexvan.com, and you can follow real move days on Instagram.
How Do You Buy Your First Home In Brighton?
You buy your first home in Brighton in ten steps, from checking your credit to collecting the keys, and each step unlocks the next one.
- Check Your Credit: Your credit score shapes which mortgages you are offered, so check it before anything else.
- Save The Deposit: Most lenders want 5 to 10% of the price, and a Lifetime ISA can help if you qualify.
- Get A Mortgage In Principle: It sets your real budget and shows sellers you can proceed.
- Compare Areas: Weigh transport, schools, stairs and parking street by street, not by postcode reputation.
- Make An Offer: Make it subject to a successful survey and mortgage approval.
- Instruct A Solicitor: A conveyancing solicitor checks the contracts, deeds and local authority searches.
- Book A Survey: A Level 2 HomeBuyer Report suits newer homes, a Level 3 Building Survey suits period properties.
- Get Your Mortgage Offer: Once the lender is satisfied with the property, it issues the formal offer.
- Exchange: Contracts are signed, you pay the 10% deposit and the completion date is fixed.
- Complete And Move: Funds transfer, the keys are released and moving day begins.
Check Your Credit And Set A Budget
Start with your credit score, because it shapes which mortgages you are offered and at what rate. Then set a budget that covers more than the deposit: monthly repayments, stamp duty, solicitor fees, a survey and the move itself. Removals are the cost first time buyers most often forget. If you are leaving a rented room with a few boxes, our man and van in Brighton may be all you need, while a whole flat moving on completion day is a planned removal with a key handover to work around.
Save Your Deposit And Budget For Stamp Duty
Most lenders want a deposit of 5 to 10% of the price, and a bigger deposit usually unlocks a better rate. If you are still saving, a Lifetime ISA adds a government bonus to what you put in, if you qualify.
Budget for stamp duty as a separate cost on top. Since April 2025 the first time buyer threshold has been £300,000, down from £425,000, and the relief only applies to homes costing up to £500,000. At the Brighton and Hove average of £344,000, you pay 5% on the £44,000 above the threshold, roughly £2,200, on a purchase that would have been tax free before the change. Our guide to stamp duty for first time buyers in Brighton has worked examples at typical Sussex prices. Check the current thresholds on GOV.UK before you budget, because they can change at fiscal events.
First time buyers in Brighton and Hove paid an average of £344,000 in July 2026, 1.3% lower than the £349,000 average a year earlier, according to the Office for National Statistics house price figures for Brighton and Hove. The figures are provisional and revised through the year, so treat them as a planning benchmark and check the latest month before you budget.
Typical First Time Buyer Costs In Brighton
- Average Price: £344,000 for first time buyers in Brighton and Hove (ONS, July 2026, provisional).
- 10% Deposit: £34,400 at that average price.
- Stamp Duty: £2,200, which is 5% of the £44,000 above the £300,000 first time buyer threshold.
- Removals: Smaller moves are charged hourly, from £60 per hour for one mover, £80 for two and £110 for three, with a two hour minimum. A whole flat moving on completion day is quoted as a planned removal, as a set price or hourly with an overtime clause.
Get A Mortgage In Principle
A Mortgage in Principle (MIP) is a lender's written estimate of how much it would lend you, and most lenders can issue one quickly. It sets your real price range and shows agents you can proceed. With Brighton and Hove first time buyer prices down 1.3% on a year earlier, sellers tend to take a proceedable buyer seriously, even when the offer is not the highest on the table. An MIP is not a guaranteed loan: the formal mortgage offer only comes once the lender has valued the property you want to buy.
Compare Brighton Areas Street By Street
Brighton's first time buyer homes run from flats near The Lanes to Victorian terraces in Hanover and newer apartments in Hove. Compare the commute, schools and green space, and in a city of hills and period conversions, the stairs and parking at each address, because those shape daily life as much as the postcode does. Our complete guide to moving to Brighton covers the city as a whole. For individual areas, our guides to living in Hove, living in Kemptown, living in Portslade and living in Hangleton cover day to day life in each, and our guide to Brighton Marina apartments covers the waterfront blocks.
What Is The Difference Between Leasehold And Freehold?
With a freehold you own the building and the land it stands on, with no ground rent or service charge to pay a landlord. With a leasehold you own the right to live in the property for a set number of years, but not the land, and most flats in Brighton and Hove are leasehold. Leaseholders usually pay a service charge for communal areas, sometimes ground rent too, and need consent for some alterations.
Lease length affects both your mortgage and your resale value. Leases below 85 to 90 years often need attention, and extending early is usually cheaper than waiting. You may also see share of freehold, where the flat owners jointly own the freehold: you still hold a lease, but you get a say in costs and management. The GOV.UK leasehold property guide explains your rights in full.
Local Pro Tip: Measure The Stairs At Your Second Viewing
At your second viewing, measure the narrowest point between the front door and the room your sofa or bed will go in, which is usually the turn on the stairs. Hanover style terraces and converted Brighton flats often have tight half landings and low door heads, and it is far easier to plan around them, or to choose different furniture, before you exchange than on moving day. Send us those measurements with your quote and we will tell you what needs to come apart.
Make An Offer
Make your offer through the estate agent, subject to survey and mortgage, and expect some negotiation. With first time buyer prices in Brighton and Hove slightly down on last year, offering below the asking price can be reasonable, especially where the lease is short or the property clearly needs work. As a first time buyer, your strongest bargaining points are a Mortgage in Principle, a solicitor ready to instruct and no home of your own to sell. Nothing is legally binding until exchange, so keep momentum once your offer is accepted.
What Are The Legal Steps?
The legal steps are instructing a conveyancing solicitor, getting your survey and formal mortgage offer, then exchanging contracts, which is the point the purchase becomes binding.
Instruct A Solicitor
Instruct a conveyancing solicitor or licensed conveyancer as soon as your offer is accepted. They check the contract and title, run the local authority searches and, on a Brighton flat, read the lease closely, including its length, the service charge and any restrictions. A firm that regularly handles Brighton and Hove leasehold flats will spot problems faster. The GOV.UK guide to buying a home covers the process step by step.
Book A Survey And Get Your Mortgage Offer
Book a survey once your offer is accepted, because the lender's valuation is not a survey and tells you nothing about the building's condition. A RICS Level 2 HomeBuyer Report usually suits conventional, newer homes, while Brighton's Victorian and Regency conversions, or anything altered over the years, are better suited to a Level 3 Building Survey. Use RICS Find a Surveyor to find a qualified surveyor locally. Once the lender has carried out its own valuation and is satisfied, it issues your formal mortgage offer.
Exchange Contracts
Exchange is the point the purchase becomes legally binding. You and the seller sign matching contracts, you pay the deposit, usually 10%, and the completion date is fixed. Pull out after exchange and you could lose that deposit, so check how much stamp duty you will pay before you sign. As soon as the date is fixed, confirm your Brighton and Hove house removals, because Fridays, month ends and summer dates between June and September fill first.
What Happens On Completion Day?
Your solicitor sends the purchase money to the seller's solicitor, and once it arrives, the estate agent is told to release the keys. That is often around midday or later, and rarely first thing.
Getting the Keys
Because the key release can drift into the afternoon, we plan completion day removals in Brighton around the handover rather than a fixed clock time, loading at your old address first so the van is ready the moment the call comes. If completion slips altogether, our Lewes to Brighton storage move case study shows how a staged move into storage works. Our guide to what happens on completion day covers timing on the day, and the same week is the time to work through who to notify when you move house, so your post and bills follow you.
…the seller's solicitor will authorise the estate agent to release the keys.
Plan Your Move
Book your removal as soon as you exchange, and tell us your solicitor's expected key release time so the day is planned around it. As a rough guide, a one bedroom flat usually fits in a single van load, while a two bed flat or a terrace with wardrobes and a full kitchen needs a bigger crew and more time, which is what our house removals in Brighton are built for. Our packing service, furniture disassembly and reassembly and storage solutions can be added to any move, and our guide on how to choose a removals company explains what to check before you book.
Local Pro Tip: Send Us A Key Time And A Backup Contact
Before completion day, send us two things: your solicitor's estimated key release time, and a backup contact for the agent, seller or concierge. Timings drift, and waiting outside with a full van is what turns a calm move into a stressful one, so with both in hand we pace loading, arrival and unloading around the real handover. If parking at your new home is controlled, apply for a bay suspension from Brighton & Hove City Council at least seven working days ahead.
Why Use A Local Brighton Removals Team?
Because a Brighton move is decided by parking, stairs and key timing more than distance, and a local team plans those before the day rather than on it. With ESV, the person who quotes your move is the person who runs it, which is the real difference when choosing a local Brighton removals company over a national one. We pay every crew member at least the real Living Wage, because a valued team takes more care, and our guide on how to avoid a stressful house move covers the rest of the planning.
Get A Quote For Your First Home Move
Tell us your dates and a short list of items, and we will confirm access, parking and lift rules and send a clear plan and quote for moving day. Call 07552 555 820, WhatsApp us about your first time buyer move in Brighton or request a quote online, and see recent Brighton move days on Instagram for how a completion day actually runs.
Budget for stamp duty, check the lease, measure the stairs and send us your key release time: those four steps cover the Brighton details that catch most first time buyers out.
Key Terms For First Time House Buyers
Mortgage In Principle
A lender's written estimate of how much it would lend you, used before you make offers to show sellers you can proceed. It is not a guaranteed loan.
Lifetime ISA
A government backed savings route that can top up a first time buyer deposit, often used when aiming for 5 to 10 percent upfront.
First Time Buyers' Relief
The stamp duty relief that means first time buyers pay nothing on the first £300,000 of a purchase, down from £425,000 before April 2025, on homes costing up to £500,000. The ONS first time buyer average for Brighton and Hove sits above that threshold, so most local buyers now have a stamp duty bill to plan for.
Leasehold
Owning the right to live in a property for a set term but not the land, which is how most flats in Brighton and Hove are held. A lease under 85 to 90 years can affect mortgage eligibility and resale value, making early lease checks and extensions important.
Share Of Freehold
A flat ownership setup, common in Brighton's converted houses, where leaseholders jointly own the freehold, giving them more say over management decisions and building costs.
HomeBuyer Report
The RICS Level 2 survey, which suits conventional, newer homes. Older or altered Brighton period properties are a better fit for the Level 3 Building Survey.
Exchange Of Contracts
The moment the purchase becomes legally binding, typically involving a 10 percent deposit and a fixed completion date. Make sure you have reviewed your stamp duty liability before this stage.
Completion
The day funds transfer and keys are released, which directly impacts moving day planning, van arrival and any storage backup plan.
Frequently Asked Questions About Buying Your First Home In Brighton
What should I sort first before I start viewing homes in Brighton?
Sort your budget and a Mortgage in Principle before you view, because together they set your real price range and decide how seriously your offer is taken. Check your credit score first, then budget for the deposit, usually 5 to 10%, plus stamp duty, solicitor fees, a survey, removals and your first month of bills. At the Brighton and Hove first time buyer average of £344,000, stamp duty alone comes to roughly £2,200.
How much are first time buyers paying in Brighton and Hove?
First time buyers in Brighton and Hove paid an average of £344,000 in July 2026, according to the ONS, 1.3% below the £349,000 average a year earlier. At that price a 10% deposit is £34,400 and stamp duty is roughly £2,200. The figures are provisional and revised through the year, so treat them as a planning benchmark rather than a fixed price.
Do first time buyers pay stamp duty in Brighton?
Yes, most now do. The first time buyer threshold dropped from £425,000 to £300,000 in April 2025, and the Brighton and Hove average of £344,000 sits above it, so a typical local buyer pays 5% on the part above £300,000, roughly £2,200. The relief only applies to homes costing up to £500,000. Budget for it separately from your deposit, check the current thresholds on GOV.UK before you commit, and ask your solicitor to claim the relief on your stamp duty return.
What is the difference between leasehold and freehold in Brighton and Hove?
Freehold means you own the building and the land, while leasehold means you own the right to live there for a set number of years but not the land, which is how most Brighton and Hove flats are held. Leaseholders usually pay a service charge and sometimes ground rent, and the years left on the lease affect both your mortgage and your resale, so ask how long remains at the viewing. Share of freehold, common in the city's older conversions, means the flat owners jointly own the freehold and get more say over costs.
Which Brighton areas should I compare before making offers?
Compare areas on how you will actually live rather than postcode reputation, because Brighton changes street by street. Flats around the Lanes, Victorian terraces in Hanover and newer apartments in Hove are three very different ways to live in the same city, and Kemptown, Portslade, Hangleton and Brighton Marina each have their own trade offs. Weigh the commute, schools, green space and noise, then check the practical side: hills, permit zones, shared entrances and stairs shape daily life and moving day alike. Visit at different times of day, including a weekend, before you commit to a street.
What happens at exchange of contracts and completion day?
Exchange is the point your purchase becomes legally binding: you and the seller sign contracts, you pay the deposit, usually 10%, and the completion date is fixed, so backing out after that can cost you the deposit. Completion is the day the money transfers and the seller's solicitor authorises the agent to release the keys, which is why timings often drift into the afternoon. Start the removals conversation once completion looks likely, confirm it when you exchange, and book early if your date is a Friday, a month end or in summer.
What happens if the keys run late on completion day?
If the keys run late, we pace the day around your estimated key time, and if completion slips entirely, we move your belongings into storage the same day and redeliver when you can get in. For a staged handover we use Big Yellow Self Storage in Brighton for short gaps and Henfield Storage for longer ones, and we load so your essentials come off first on redelivery day. Mention storage at quote stage even if you do not expect to need it, because it changes the loading order.
Are my things insured during the move?
Yes. Every ESV move is covered by £40,000 Goods in Transit per vehicle and £5 million Public Liability, backed by Admiral Platinum and included in your quote as standard. Goods in Transit covers your belongings while they are in our care. Public Liability covers damage to property, which is what managing agents and freeholders usually ask about before you move into a managed block, so if your building wants proof of cover, tell us and we will send the certificate across in advance.
Do I need to declare high value items?
Yes, if any single item is worth £500 or more. List it on our valued inventory form before moving day with a rough value and a photo, so it is logged and protected properly. For first time buyers that usually means a large TV, a bike, a desktop and monitor setup, artwork, a piano or keyboard, or an inherited piece of furniture. We wrap and load those separately from the general run, and if something needs a crate or extra hands to lift it safely, we will say so at quote stage rather than on the morning.
About The Author...
Peter Hawes is the director of ESV Removals Ltd, a family run Brighton and Sussex removals team known for calm planning, careful handling and clear prices. Peter first worked in removals in 2019, started running his own van in 2022 and incorporated ESV Removals Ltd in 2025. He holds a 2:1 BA (Hons) in English Literature and Digital Media from the University of Brighton. Peter oversees every job from first message to the last box and brings local know how for permit zones, tight stairwells and seafront buildings. ESV is fully insured with £40,000 Goods in Transit per vehicle and £5 million Public Liability, backed by hundreds of five star Google reviews and a double winner at the SME Southern Enterprise Awards 2025, with a further nomination for 2026. The company's eco pledge covers a Euro 6, ULEZ compliant Luton, Esso Ethos+ renewable diesel where available, box reuse and paperless bookings. ESV is signed up to the Brighton & Hove Living Wage Campaign, led by Brighton Chamber, and pays every crew member at least the real Living Wage, because a valued team takes more care on every move. Learn more at www.eastsussexvan.com or follow real move days on Instagram.
