Home Reports
It is a legal requirement for vendors in Scotland to provide a Home Report for potential buyers. The Home Report is prepared prior to marketing and made available to potential buyers on request. Please see our Fixed Fee Page for pricing details.
What is a Home Report?
A home report provides buyers with clear and transparent information on everything they need to know about your property in order to make an informed purchasing decision.
There are three elements to a Home Report:
Single Survey and Valuation
A single survey is a visual inspection of your property and must be carried out by a fully qualified chartered surveyor, and tells potential buyers about the property, its condition, its accessibility and any repairs that may need to be carried out.
It also has a mortgage valuation, which can be used by mortgage providers.
Property Questionnaire
A property questionnaire gives potential buyers a full picture of your property and details anything that could impact them as future owners.
This includes information on:
- Council Tax band
- Previous issues and events such as fire or storm damage or asbestos
- Any alterations or extensions that have been made to the property
- Details of any specialist works or guarantees
- Details of any notices that might affect the property
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
An EPC provides information on the home’s energy efficiency.
It tells potential buyers about energy use and roughly how much it will cost on average for heating, lighting and hot water, as well as its environmental impact in terms of carbon dioxide emissions.
It also provides information on ways to increase the property’s energy efficiency and save fuel costs.
Exceptions
A Home Report may not be required under certain circumstances.
These include:
- New homes that are being sold off-plan or to the first occupier
- Newly converted homes that haven’t been used in their converted state yet
- Dual-use homes used for both residential and non-residential purposes
- Seasonal holiday homes that can only be used at certain times of the year (not second or holiday homes you could use all year if you wanted)
However, the vendor must still provide buyers with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) even if a Home Report is not required.
Should you require an EPC, we can arrange this for you. Please ask us for a quote.
