Home Report Peebles

Allied Surveyors Scotland Peebles office is located within Cavalry Park, a business park at the edge of the town, having relocated from their Eastgate office, where they had been established in the town for over thirty years.

The picturesque town of Peebles attracts many visitors, particularly during the summer months, when tourists from both home and abroad enjoy walks along the River Tweed and the town centre, which has a blend of many independent retail businesses as well as some of the better known High Street chains.

The Peebles office covers the postcode areas EH43 to EH46 and ML12, which includes the towns of Innerleithen and Biggar, as well as villages including West Linton, Walkerburn, Skirling and Blyth Bridge.   As our postcode area coverage includes part of the Scottish Borders and Lanarkshire, a substantial proportion of those living within the area choose to commute to the nearby cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.   Given the popularity of the area, new development has seen the towns expand in recent years and there is a wide range of property types and styles within the towns, villages and countryside locations.

Selling A Property in Peebles 

It is now a legal requirement in Scotland, subject to a few limited exceptions, that a Home Report must be obtained on a property before it can be marketed. The Home Report must be carried out by a Chartered Surveyor who holds professional qualifications with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.  

The Home Report comprises four main documents, as follows:

1. Single Survey

The single survey describes the various elements of the building, including the construction of the walls, roof and windows and goes on to describe the services. The second part of the report gives a condition rating to each of these elements, either 1, 2 or 3, dependent upon the severity of any defects which are observed. The single survey includes a building insurance reinstatement figure and a valuation.

2. Mortgage Valuation Certificate

This is a shortened version of the report, which provides an overview of the property and includes the information necessary to a Lending Institution for them to make a decision, in principle, whether they will provide mortgage finance.   In most cases, the Lender will require a transcription report to be prepared over the property, in their own format, which the inspecting Surveyor will normally provide at no additional cost.

3. Energy Performance Certificate

As part of their inspection, the Chartered Surveyor will provide an Energy Performance Certificate. In assessing the property, the Surveyor will take into account levels of insulation within the property, whether double glazing is installed, the type of heating and type of construction of the property.   Detailed measurements are required to calculate the heat loss of the property through external walls, floors and ceilings.

4. Property Questionnaire

This is completed by the home owner and gives details of any alterations they have made to the property and what services are connected, along with the name of the supplier.  

The Home Report has no shelf life, as such, although the Energy Performance Certificate is valid for ten years. The property can, therefore, be marketed with the same report until such time as it sells.   Some mortgage lenders will, however, insist on a replacement Home Report being carried out if, at the point of sale, more than three months have elapsed since the original inspection.

Home Report Costs

The cost of a Home Report prepared by this office starts at £390 including VAT, based on a property with a valuation not exceeding £100,000.   Thereafter, the fees gradually increase, based on market value, on £100,000 price bands.

Our staff are more than happy to provide fee quotations by email or telephone, to give an indication of the potential cost.

Peeblesshire and South Lanarkshire Property Market

The property market in the region has improved significantly within the last six months, with properties selling much quicker than in the preceding years.   This has also led to a modest increase in property prices fuelled by the growth in the Edinburgh and Glasgow markets.   The new housing development at Kittlegairy by Taylor Wimpey has now been completed and fully sold.   There are, however, some new developments still ongoing, including developments in Peebles, Biggar and West Linton, where sales would appear to be going generally very well.

The previous over supply of properties in the area has now been addressed and purchasers point to a lack of supply in some sectors of the market, including family homes, bungalows and starter flats.  

Instructing A Home Report in Peebles

We would be delighted to assist you further in any queries you may have regarding Home Reports.  Please do not hesitate to contact us, either through our main Allied Surveyors Scotland website, or, alternatively, by telephone 01721 722 728 or email peebles@alliedsurveyorsscotland.com. Fill in this form for a quote.