Selling · 3 minute read
Preparing your home for a valuation visit
What a valuer looks at, what to have ready, and why a tidy home helps more than an expensive makeover.
A valuation visit is a conversation as much as an inspection. The valuer wants to understand your home well enough to give a realistic opinion of how it might sit in the current market, and you want to understand how they reached that view. A little preparation makes both easier.
What the valuer looks at
Expect them to walk through every room, measure or check the floor area, and look at the layout, condition, light and outside space. They will ask about the age of the boiler, the windows and the roof, and about any extensions or alterations. They will also think about how your home compares with others that have sold or are on the market nearby. None of this is a test; it simply helps them form a fair opinion.
What to have ready
- Your tenure details, and for leasehold homes the lease length, ground rent and service charge
- Any guarantees or certificates for work carried out, such as electrical, gas, windows or damp treatment
- Planning permissions or building regulations sign-off for extensions or loft conversions
- Your current Energy Performance Certificate, if you have one
- A rough idea of your own timing and any onward plans
If you can't find a document, mention it. It is much better to know early than to discover a gap when a buyer's solicitor asks for it.
Presentation, not renovation
There is rarely a need to redecorate before a valuation. Clear surfaces, open curtains, switch on lamps in darker rooms and make sure the valuer can reach the loft hatch, the boiler and the garden. Fix small, obvious things like a dripping tap or a blown bulb. Large projects are a decision for later, once you know how buyers are likely to see your home.
Questions worth asking
Ask the valuer how they arrived at their figure, which recent sales they compared it with, and how they would suggest marketing your home. Ask what fees and contract terms apply and how long any agreement lasts. A good valuation leaves you with a clear explanation, not just a number, and with no obligation to go further.
Remember that a valuation is a professional opinion, not a guarantee of the price a buyer will pay. The final figure depends on the buyers who come forward and the offers they make.
Written by Hannah Moreton (fictional). General information only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Back to the list of articles
Buying · 3 minute read
How to read a floor plan and an EPC
Two documents on almost every listing, and how to get real value from them before you book a viewing.
Photos show you how a home looks. Floor plans and Energy Performance Certificates tell you how it works. Spending five minutes on each can save you a wasted viewing, or help you spot a home that photographs undersell.
Floor plans: start with the flow
Before you look at room sizes, trace your route through the home. Where does the front door open? Is the kitchen next to the dining space or at the far end? Do bedrooms open straight off a living room? A plan makes these relationships obvious in a way photos rarely do.
Then check the measurements. Plans usually give the maximum dimensions of each room, sometimes into a bay or an alcove, so a room may feel smaller than its numbers suggest. Compare a bedroom with one you know: a typical double bed is about 1.35 to 1.5 metres wide, which helps you picture the space. Most plans are labelled as not to scale, so treat them as a guide and measure anything critical on a viewing.
EPCs: the rating and the recommendations
The Energy Performance Certificate rates a home from A, the most efficient, to G. You will usually see two figures: the current rating and the potential rating if suggested improvements were made. The gap between them is often more useful than the rating itself, because it shows how much could be improved.
Read the recommendations section. It lists measures such as loft insulation, wall insulation or a different heating system, each with an indicative cost range. These are general estimates, but they help you think about what you might want to do and in what order.
Questions to take to a viewing
- Has anything changed since the floor plan or EPC was produced?
- Which way does the garden or main living space face?
- How old is the heating system, and when was it last serviced?
- Are any of the recommended improvements already in place?
You can look up any registered EPC for free on the official government register. If a listing does not show one, ask the agent for it.
Written by Daniel Ashworth (fictional). General information only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Back to the list of articles
Buying and renting · 3 minute read
Why listings now include more facts up front, and how to use them to ask better questions earlier.
Property listings in the UK are expected to include information that could affect your decision to view, offer or rent. This is often called material information. The idea is simple: you should know the important facts before you spend time and money, not discover them halfway through a purchase.
What you can expect to see
Most listings now show the price or rent, the tenure, and the council tax band or rate. For leasehold homes, you should see the remaining lease length, ground rent and service charge. Many listings also cover the type of construction, the heating and utilities, broadband and mobile coverage, parking, and any known restrictions, rights of way or flood risk.
On our own listings, we mark sample or unconfirmed details clearly, and we would rather show a gap than guess.
How to use it
Treat material information as a starting point for questions. If a lease has 80 years left, ask what extending it might involve and talk to a solicitor. If a home has oil heating, ask about typical fuel use. If flood risk is mentioned, check the official long-term flood-risk service for the exact address, and ask whether the home has ever flooded or had an insurance claim.
- Check broadband and mobile coverage for the specific address using an official checker
- Confirm parking arrangements, including any permits or allocated spaces
- Ask whether there are any planning applications nearby
- For rentals, ask for the deposit amount, any permitted payments and the tenancy length in writing
What it does not replace
Material information on a listing does not replace a survey, legal searches or independent advice. It helps you decide whether a home is worth pursuing; the formal checks come later. Rules and terminology also differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so ask your solicitor or conveyancer what applies to you.
If something on a listing is unclear or missing, ask. A good agent will either answer or tell you plainly that they need to find out.
Written by Priya Lal (fictional). General information only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Back to the list of articles
Renting · 3 minute read
Renting: questions to ask before and during a viewing
A calm checklist so you leave a rental viewing with the facts you need, not just a feeling.
Rental homes can move quickly, which makes it tempting to decide on the spot. A short list of questions helps you stay calm, compare homes fairly and avoid surprises after you move in.
Before the viewing
Check the listing for the rent, the deposit, the length of tenancy offered and when the home is available. Look at the council tax band, the EPC rating and whether bills are included. If anything is missing, ask the agent before you go. It saves everyone time.
During the viewing
- Run the taps and the shower, and look for signs of damp or condensation around windows and in corners
- Ask how the heating and hot water work, and how old the boiler or heat pump is
- Check where the meters, stopcock and fuse box are
- Test the mobile signal in the rooms you will use most
- Ask what furniture, if any, stays, and whether anything listed is being replaced
- Ask who manages repairs: the landlord or the agent, and how to report them
Take photos if you are allowed, and make brief notes straight afterwards. After three viewings in a row, details blur.
Money and paperwork
Ask for the full list of payments in writing: holding deposit, tenancy deposit and any permitted fees, and when each is due. Ask which deposit protection scheme will be used. Rules on fees, deposits and tenancy types differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so check what applies where the home is.
Making a decision
If the home feels right, say so, but you don't have to commit in the room. Ask how the landlord will decide between applicants and what the next steps and timings are. A clear, friendly process is usually a good sign of how the tenancy itself will be managed.
This article is general information and not legal advice. If you are unsure of your rights, contact an independent advice service.
Written by Marcus Bell (fictional). General information only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Back to the list of articles