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What the area feels like before you step through the door.
Walk the full street, not just to the front door. Notice how well neighbouring homes are kept, parked cars and passing traffic, and any litter or fly-tipping.
Tip: If you see a neighbour, ask how long they have lived on the street. It is a pressure-free opener that leads to honest local views.
Check whether parking is allocated, owned, shared, or first come first served, plus permit rules, dropped kerbs, visitor parking, turning space, and EV charging potential.
Pause outside and listen for roads, rail, schools, pubs, commercial units, aircraft, or building work. Notice smells too. Takeaways, farmland, or sewage works can carry a long way.
Note where the sun falls, whether rooms are overlooked, and if nearby trees or buildings block light.
Tip: South- and west-facing gardens get the most afternoon and evening sun. Check the direction with the compass app on your phone.
Check the walk to transport, food shops, parks, schools, and main roads.
Tip: If a home is promising, view it again at different times of day. Rush hour, evenings, and weekends can feel completely different.
Visible signs that may justify a surveyor question or renegotiation.
Look for slipped tiles, dips in the roofline, leaning chimneys, tired fascia boards, blocked gutters, and staining below downpipes.
Ask: How old is the roof, and has it needed recent repair?
Check for cracks, blown render, spalling bricks, patched areas, and crumbling mortar.
Open and close a sample. Check glazing type, failed panes, draughts, rotten frames, working locks, and whether keys are available.
Check drains, pooling water, blocked gullies, and whether paths or flowerbeds sit above the damp proof course.
Look for signs of movement where old and new structures meet, flat roof condition, and quality of finishes.
Ask: Are building control approvals, planning permissions, and guarantees available?
Common problems that are easy to miss during a quick viewing.
Notice musty smells, condensation on windows, air fresheners, dehumidifiers, freshly painted single walls, and rooms that feel unusually cold.
Tip: Look behind furniture and pictures and inside wardrobes on external walls. Staging sometimes hides problem patches.
Look for tide marks, bubbling paint, staining, fresh patch repairs, mould around corners, and ceiling cracks.
Tip: A crack wider than a 10p coin is worth flagging to a surveyor, especially near extensions, bay windows, or end-of-terrace walls.
Check extractor fans work, windows open, seals are intact, and there is no mould around silicone or grout.
Check for damp smells, springy floors, visible air bricks, and signs that vents have been blocked.
If accessible, look inside. Check for daylight through the roof, leaks, insulation depth, water tanks, signs of pests, and cut or altered timbers.
Ask: Has the loft been boarded or converted, and was any structural work signed off?
Whether the home works day to day, not just in estate agent photos.
Measure key spaces with a tape, including the main bedroom and the fridge and washing machine slots. Watch for wide-angle photos hiding awkward proportions.
Tip: Take photos and videos as you go (ask first). They make comparing homes later much easier.
Check flooring, decoration, light switches, sockets, exposed wiring, and whether any cracks look wider than ordinary hairline movement.
Check cupboards, loft access, bike/pram storage, utility space, and whether wardrobes would block circulation.
Watch for undersized furniture, missing wardrobes, or sparse layouts that make rooms feel more generous than they are.
Ask if you can switch the lights off to judge natural light. Note any particularly dark rooms.
If there is a fireplace or stove, ask whether it works, when it was last swept or serviced, and whether any certificates are available.
Check uneven floors, squeaks, doors that stick, loose bannisters, and changes in level.
Stand by windows and in the garden. Check sightlines from neighbours, pavement, and upper windows nearby.
In semis and terraces, listen from bedrooms and living rooms for footsteps, voices, and plumbing through shared walls. In a flat, listen through floors and ceilings too.
Tip: Check which rooms share a wall with next door. A main bedroom on an outside wall sleeps quieter, and stairs, hallways, or a bathroom in between act as buffers.
The hidden systems that can become expensive after completion.
Check whether heating is gas, electric, radiators, storage heaters, or another setup. Note boiler age, service history, location, noise, controls, and radiator condition.
Tip: Electric-only heating can cost far more to run than gas central heating, depending on the system, insulation, and tariff.
Ask: When was the boiler last serviced, and is there paperwork?
Look at the consumer unit, socket positions, working switches, visible wiring, dated fittings, and whether there are enough outlets.
Ask: Is there a recent Electrical Installation Condition Report?
Run taps and shower if allowed. Look under sinks for leaks, patched pipework, slow drainage, and old lead pipes in pre-1970s homes.
Check toilet flushes, shower type, bath provision, shaver socket, hot water response time, cracked sanitaryware, loose taps, damaged grout, and tired sealant.
Ask about loft access, loft insulation, whether walls are solid or cavity, glazing age, smart meter, typical bills, and whether the loft could realistically be converted.
Tip: Spray foam loft insulation can make a home hard to mortgage or sell. If you spot it, ask when it was installed and whether paperwork exists.
If there are panels, check whether they are owned outright or on a roof lease, the age of the inverter, and any battery storage or export tariff arrangements.
Ask: Are the solar panels owned or leased, and are documents and warranties available?
Check smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, burglar alarm, window locks, door locks, and whether keys exist for everything.
Check mobile signal indoors, available broadband speeds, and current TV connections, especially if you work from home.
Outdoor space, ownership lines, and maintenance liabilities.
Look for waterlogging, cracked patios, retaining walls, fast-spreading plants such as knotweed or bamboo, and whether the space feels private.
Consider how much regular work the outside space would need, including lawns, trees, hedges, hardstanding, and shared access paths.
Check fences, gates, side returns, rights of way, shared paths, and who maintains each boundary. If there is shared outdoor space or parking, confirm what is actually yours.
Tip: You can download the title plan from HM Land Registry for £7 to see exactly what land is included before you offer.
Ask: Which boundaries are the seller responsible for?
Check roof condition, power, water ingress, asbestos risk, security, and whether structures are included.
Look for large trees close to the property, overhanging branches, roots near drains, tree preservation orders, and unmanaged land next door.
Questions that can change cost, risk, or your offer strategy.
Confirm freehold or leasehold, and watch for estate rentcharges on newer developments. If leasehold, check lease length, ground rent, service charge, and who manages the building.
Ask: Are there any annual charges on the property, and what do they cover?
Ask why they are selling, whether they have found their next home, and how flexible timings are.
Ask: How long has it been on the market, and have there been any offers?
Clarify appliances, curtains, blinds, light fittings, sheds, fitted furniture, and any items the seller may remove.
Ask for paperwork for windows, roof, damp treatment, boilers, electrics, structural work, and extensions.
Ask about flooding, subsidence, restrictive covenants, disputes, parking issues, and nuisance complaints. Check the council planning portal for applications on nearby land. Empty plots and field views can change.
Tip: Sellers must answer honestly about disputes, flooding, and known problems on the TA6 property information form, but asking early can save you wasted survey fees.
Confirm council tax band, whether the property is listed or in a conservation area, and whether that limits future changes.
Worth asking at any viewing. The agent should know these, or can find out.
Why is the seller moving?
Their circumstances shape how flexible they will be on price and timing.
How long has it been on the market?
A long listing or price cuts can signal overpricing or hidden issues. Check the listing history on Rightmove too.
Have there been any offers?
Sets how competitive you need to be. Agents are legally required to pass every offer to the seller.
What is included in the sale?
Confirm appliances, curtains, light fittings, sheds, and anything the listing implies is staying.
Worth raising with a surveyor before you commit.
Cracks wider than a 10p coin
Especially near extensions, bay windows, or end-of-terrace walls.
Sloping floors and sticking doors
Doors that no longer close properly can point to movement.
Fresh paint on a single wall
Can hide damp staining. Check behind nearby furniture and pictures.
Sagging rooflines
Dips in the ridge or slipped tiles suggest roof structure problems.
Movement around extensions
Cracks where old and new structures meet need a surveyor opinion.
Standing water
Waterlogged gardens or pooling around the house point to drainage problems.
Knotweed or bamboo
Fast-spreading plants can affect mortgages and cost thousands to treat.
Spray foam loft insulation
Some lenders refuse to mortgage homes that have it.
Suspected asbestos
Common in older garages, sheds, and textured ceiling coatings.
Missing paperwork
No certificates for extensions, windows, or electrics means cost and risk for you.
Street condition
If you see a neighbour, ask how long they have lived on the street. It is a pressure-free opener that leads to honest local views.
Aspect and outlook
South- and west-facing gardens get the most afternoon and evening sun. Check the direction with the compass app on your phone.
Everyday area fit
If a home is promising, view it again at different times of day. Rush hour, evenings, and weekends can feel completely different.
Smell and condensation
Look behind furniture and pictures and inside wardrobes on external walls. Staging sometimes hides problem patches.
Walls and ceilings
A crack wider than a 10p coin is worth flagging to a surveyor, especially near extensions, bay windows, or end-of-terrace walls.
Room sizes and furniture fit
Take photos and videos as you go (ask first). They make comparing homes later much easier.
Neighbour noise
Check which rooms share a wall with next door. A main bedroom on an outside wall sleeps quieter, and stairs, hallways, or a bathroom in between act as buffers.
Heating and boiler
Electric-only heating can cost far more to run than gas central heating, depending on the system, insulation, and tariff.
EPC, insulation, and glazing
Spray foam loft insulation can make a home hard to mortgage or sell. If you spot it, ask when it was installed and whether paperwork exists.
Boundaries and shared access
You can download the title plan from HM Land Registry for £7 to see exactly what land is included before you offer.
Local risks
Sellers must answer honestly about disputes, flooding, and known problems on the TA6 property information form, but asking early can save you wasted survey fees.
Find liveability scores, noise, flood risk, and more for any area at liveable.co.uk