Home Reports: Five Things To Look Out For

Ignoring all the paperwork and processes; looking for a new home is exciting. You’re making a fresh start in a brand-new location, and the possibilities are endless.

However, you can’t ignore the more formal and essential elements forever as they are important and can make a big impact on life in your new home. One important element is a Home Report.

A Home Report consists of a selection of documents about a property that a seller has to provide to potential buyers to examine. It’s a good way of planning ahead and spotting potential issues and is also a legal requirement in Scotland. However, if you’re a first-time buyer, it can be difficult to know what to look for in a home report.

To offer you some extra assistance, Allied Surveyors Scotland has made a list of five alerts for buyers to look out for in a Home Report.

1. Roof Issues

Trust us when we say this is a big one to look for. If the single survey of your Home Report lists the roof condition rating as a 3 or 2, you need to be careful how you proceed. Many online forums will state that this is normal, and people sometimes do go ahead with the purchase anyway. All we will say is that roofs are, obviously, a crucial aspect to the structural integrity and safety of a home as well as the obvious wind and watertight basic requirement. Roofs are expensive and awkward to repair. Don’t chance it…get further investigations and costs of repair prior to making an offer.

 2. Asbestos

At one point asbestos was known for being useful in construction due to its properties as a great electrical insulator and its resistance to heat; however, it is now known to be an extremely hazardous material that can be lethal to humans. Consequently, it was banned in the UK in 1999. If a Home Report notes the presence of asbestos, you have to be aware that any repairs or work done on the house will be significantly more expensive. Asbestos removal requires a specialist so you can’t opt for a cheaper option.

3. Old Wiring

Of all the things that we have listed in our ‘five alerts to look for in a Home Report,’ at first glance ‘wiring’ may seem a lot less important than asbestos or roof issues. However, a home with outdated electrics and wiring can be just as problematic in terms of expense and potential for danger. Defective wiring has to be updated before any other repairs in the house can begin as the remedial work can be very disruptive.

 4. Rot

Dry rot is a defect that many buyers dread seeing on the report of their dream home. This is for good reason. Dry rot is a type of fungus that can weaken the structure of timber in a property and it can spread very quickly. Rot is an issue that needs addressing immediately and it can be very expensive to sort depending on the extent of the problem. It is often difficult to know how serious the issue is without extensive exposure works.

5. Structural Issues

So, the final item on our list of five alerts to look for in a Home Report is structural issues. Naturally, the foundations are a crucial aspect of a home. Large cracks on walls, lintels or sloping door frames can be a sign of structural movement and may require extensive repairs. Not all structural movement however is ongoing and may be the result of historic settlement. Purchasers need to be alert and aware if comments of this nature are in the Home Report

While this is by no means a comprehensive list of alerts to look for in a Home Report, it is at least a start. If you have any questions or want more anymore detailed information, please feel free to get in contact with a member of our team.

Allied Surveyors Scotland have years’ worth of experience in delivering residential Home Reports, so we have the expertise and knowledge available to assist you!