At a property viewing, check five things: the condition of the building inside and out, whether the space and layout suit the way you live, what the home will cost to run, what the street and area are like at different times, and what the agent can tell you about the sale. Take notes and photographs as you go, ask direct questions, and view again before you make an offer.
A viewing will not tell you everything. It is a way to spot obvious problems, rule out homes that do not work for you and decide which questions to ask. GOV.UK says you "should strongly consider having a survey carried out" before you buy, and an offer in England is not legally binding until contracts are exchanged, so use the viewing to build your list of questions rather than to reach a final verdict. The checklist below covers what to research beforehand, what to look at on the day and what to do before you offer.
Before the Viewing
Half an hour of research before you go makes the viewing far more useful. Most of these checks are free:
- The listing basics. Note the price, tenure (freehold or leasehold) and council tax band. You can confirm the band for any address in England or Wales with the GOV.UK council tax band checker.
- The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Unless the home is exempt, the seller in England or Wales must have a valid EPC and make it available to you free of charge, at the latest when you view or are first sent written details. You can look it up and download it free on GOV.UK's find an energy certificate service.
- Flood risk. GOV.UK's long term flood risk service shows the risk for the area from rivers and the sea, surface water, reservoirs and groundwater. It does not tell you how likely an individual property is to flood.
- Sold prices. HM Land Registry's price paid data shows what homes in the street have sold for, and what the seller paid.
- Planning and restrictions. For homes in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, Greater Cambridge Shared Planning's online planning register lets you see planning applications, and its map search shows conservation areas, listed buildings, Tree Preservation Orders and Article 4 Directions, which remove some permitted development rights. For villages such as Burwell in East Cambridgeshire, use that council's register. Historic England's National Heritage List covers listed buildings across England.
- Broadband and mobile signal. Ofcom's checker shows broadband availability and mobile coverage by network for a postcode.
- Crime and policing. Police.uk publishes area crime data and interactive maps, and tells you which local policing team covers a location.
- Schools. Read Ofsted inspection reports on GOV.UK. In Cambridgeshire, the county council says living in a school's catchment area "does not guarantee your child a place if the school is over-subscribed".
- Your commute. Try the journey to work or school at the time you would make it.
What to take with you
- A printed or saved copy of the floorplan and this checklist
- A tape measure, for the furniture you want to bring
- Your phone, for photographs, notes and a compass to check which way the garden faces
- A small torch, for cupboards, the loft hatch and under sinks
- A second pair of eyes: someone less excited about the house than you are
Outside the Property
Start with the outside, where problems with the roof, walls and drainage can be costly to put right. Stand back from the house before you go in:
- Roof: a dip in the ridge or uneven slopes, missing or slipped tiles, and the condition of the chimney.
- Gutters and downpipes: damaged or blocked pipes and gutters, and staining on the walls beneath them.
- Walls: cracks in brickwork or render, loose pointing, and signs that the damp proof course is bridged, for example by mortar across it or by a path or raised ground built up close to it.
- Windows and doors: rotten frames, broken seals, misted double glazing and windows that do not close fully.
- Trees: large trees close to the house. On clay soils, tree roots can dry out the ground and cause movement in buildings with shallow foundations.
- Boundaries: the state of fences, walls and hedges, and who is responsible for each one.
- Garden: which way it faces, how private it is, whether it is overlooked, any standing water, and any sign of Japanese knotweed on the property or near the boundary.
- Outbuildings: the condition of the garage, shed or garden room, and whether it is included in the sale.
- Parking: whether it is a drive, a garage or on the street. Parts of Cambridge have resident parking schemes, run by Cambridgeshire County Council. The council says permits are specific to the scheme area, do not guarantee a space, and that homes converted or built after a scheme started "are unlikely to be eligible for permits", so check before you rely on one.
Inside: Condition
Look past the fresh flowers and new cushions to the building itself. Open cupboards, look up at ceilings and down at skirting boards, and ask to see the loft if it can be reached safely.
Damp and mould
- A musty smell. Government guidance notes that the smell of mould without visible mould may mean there is mould behind a surface, such as wallpaper, panelling or carpet.
- Visible damp or staining, peeling wallpaper or defective plaster.
- Condensation on windows and black mould in corners or behind furniture.
- Extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom that are missing, broken or switched off.
- A single freshly painted patch on an otherwise tired wall or ceiling. Ask why it was painted.
Cracks and movement
- Cracks in walls and ceilings: note how wide they are, which way they run and whether they show inside and outside the same wall.
- Doors and windows that stick or jam.
- Floors that slope or feel springy.
- Walls that lean or bulge.
Not every crack is serious. The British Geological Survey notes that a building settling under its own weight can crack walls, especially in new homes and extensions. The BGS, citing the Association of British Insurers, lists cracks more than 3 mm wide, cracks that run diagonally or are wider at the top, and cracks near doors and windows among the usual signs of subsidence, so point these out to your surveyor. Photograph them with a ruler alongside. Our guide to signs of structural problems in a house explains what different cracks can mean.
Heating and hot water
- Where the boiler is, how old it is and when it was last serviced. Ask for the service records.
- Whether the radiators are warm when the heating is on, and how long the hot water takes to come through.
- The type of heating: gas boiler, oil, electric or heat pump. This affects running costs and future work.
Electrics
Electrical Safety First says a standard home survey does not cover electrical safety, so these simple checks are worth doing yourself:
- Look at sockets, switches and light fittings for wear, burn marks or discolouration, and listen for crackling.
- Note any sockets mounted in skirting boards, which Electrical Safety First lists among the signs to look for.
- Find the consumer unit (fuse box). A "Test" or "T" button shows it has an RCD. Older units without one are not necessarily unsafe, but an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) will tell you.
- Look for a label on the consumer unit showing when the installation was last inspected.
- Check there is at least one working smoke alarm on each floor.
- Ask whether the electrics have been fully checked in the past ten years and, if so, for a copy of the EICR. Our guide to electrical certificates when buying or selling a home explains what each document shows.
Plumbing and water
- Run the taps and shower to check the water pressure, and flush the toilets.
- Look under sinks and around the bath, shower and toilets for leaks, staining or soft flooring.
- Ask where the stopcock, fuse box and meters are.
Paperwork for past work
GOV.UK lists replacing windows and doors, replacing a fuse box, installing or replacing a heating system, changing electrics near a bath or shower and replacing roof coverings among the work that can need building regulations approval, and warns that without approval a seller will not have the certificates they may need to sell. If you can see a new boiler, new windows, a new kitchen or bathroom, or an extension, ask what certificates and guarantees the seller has.
Space, Layout and Light
Photographs can make rooms look bigger than they are, so judge the space for yourself:
- Measure the rooms and alcoves where your largest furniture will go.
- Check storage: wardrobes, cupboards, the loft and somewhere for bikes, a pram or garden tools.
- Look at the kitchen as a working room: worktop space, appliance space and how it connects to the dining and garden areas.
- Count the bathrooms and check where they are in relation to the bedrooms.
- Notice which rooms get natural light and when. A compass app tells you which way the main rooms face.
- Listen for noise through party walls and floors, and from the road.
- Check your phone signal in the rooms you would use most, especially if you work from home.
- Think about how your needs might change, and whether the home could be extended or the loft converted. If the property is listed or in a conservation area, or covered by an Article 4 Direction, check with the council before assuming you could.
Energy Efficiency and Running Costs
- Look at the EPC rating from A (best) to G (worst), the date of the certificate, the typical energy costs it shows and its recommended improvements.
- Remember that GOV.UK says an EPC is "not the same thing as a home survey". It does not tell you whether the boiler, insulation or windows are in good condition.
- Ask the seller roughly what their energy bills are.
- Factor in the council tax band when you budget.
Our guide to energy efficiency for buyers and sellers covers EPCs, upgrades and grants in more detail.
The Street and the Area
You can change a kitchen but not a location, so give the area as much attention as the house:
- Visit at different times of day and on a weekday and a weekend. GOV.UK notes that traffic may be busier at certain times.
- Walk the street. Look at the condition of neighbouring homes, the parking pressure in the evening and where the noise comes from.
- Note the distance to shops, the GP surgery, schools, green space and public transport.
- Bear in mind GOV.UK's point that homes on busy roads, backing on to railway lines or some distance from shops and transport are often cheaper and may take longer to resell.
- Check the planning register for proposed development nearby. Your solicitor's searches will cover some planning matters later, but GOV.UK notes that they do not tell you about development on a neighbour's land.
If you are comparing parts of the city or nearby villages, our Cambridge area guides are a good starting point.
Questions to Ask the Agent or Seller
Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has prohibited traders, including estate agents, from leaving out "material information" (information the average consumer needs to take an informed decision), where this is likely to change the decision the average consumer would make. GOV.UK's How to buy guide suggests asking:
- Is there anything I should know about the property before I make an offer?
- How long has it been on the market? If it is more than three months, why does the agent think it has not sold?
- Is the seller in a chain, and do they need to find a home of their own?
- How long have the owners lived there?
- Have previous sales fallen through, and if so, why?
- When are the sellers hoping to move?
- Were all the necessary consents obtained for past work?
- Can I speak to the sellers directly?
- Is the property freehold or leasehold?
- What is included in the sale, for example white goods or the garden shed?
Useful additions to that list:
- How old are the roof, boiler, windows and wiring, and is there paperwork for them?
- Has the property ever flooded?
- Have there been any disputes with neighbours?
- Has anyone else made an offer?
Extra questions for a leasehold flat or house
- How many years are left on the lease?
- How much are the ground rent and service charge, and will they change?
- Are any major works planned for the building that you would have to contribute to?
- Who manages the building, and what is included in the service charge?
The seller will answer many of the same questions in writing later, on the Law Society property information form (TA6), the fittings and contents form (TA10) and, for leasehold, the leasehold information form (TA7), which your solicitor reviews. Asking at the viewing means you hear about problems before you have spent money on legal fees and a survey.
The Second Viewing
GOV.UK says you should not feel pressured to make an offer before you are ready and that a second viewing is usually helpful. Use it to look at the things you skipped the first time:
- Go at a different time of day, ideally at rush hour or in the evening.
- Take someone who did not come the first time.
- Measure the rooms properly and check that key furniture will fit.
- Open and close windows, turn on taps and look in the cupboards you did not open.
- Look again at anything you photographed, such as cracks or stains.
- Follow up on the questions the agent could not answer the first time.
After the Viewing: Before You Make an Offer
- Compare the price with what similar homes nearby have actually sold for, using HM Land Registry's sold price data.
- Budget for the work you spotted, from redecorating to a new boiler, and get rough quotes for anything major.
- Decide what is included. GOV.UK suggests checking which fixtures and fittings come with the offer and what will be fixed or inspected before completion, such as a boiler service.
- Make your offer subject to contract. GOV.UK says an offer is not legally binding in England and Wales until you exchange contracts, and an offer made "subject to contract" can still be renegotiated, for example if a survey finds a problem. Our guide to what an estate agent does for buyers explains how offers are passed on.
- Book a survey. A mortgage valuation is not a survey. GOV.UK says it "does not protect you if something goes wrong with the property" and may not even include a physical inspection. It also notes that homes built before 1919 are constructed differently, so make sure your surveyor is qualified to assess them. Our guide on which home survey you need explains the options.
- Consider an EICR if there is no recent electrical report, because the survey will not cover electrical safety.
If the survey finds significant problems, GOV.UK says you can ask the seller to fix them, renegotiate your offer or withdraw it.
This article is general information, not legal or surveying advice. Speak to a solicitor or licensed conveyancer, and a qualified surveyor, about a property you are thinking of buying.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I look for when viewing a house?
Check the condition outside and in (roof, walls, windows, damp, cracks, boiler and electrics), whether the space and storage suit you, the EPC and running costs, and the street and area at different times. Ask the agent how long it has been on the market, whether there is a chain and what is included.
How many times should you view a house before buying?
At least twice if you are serious. GOV.UK says a second viewing is usually helpful, and visiting at a different time of day shows you how the traffic, parking and noise change.
What questions should I ask when viewing a house?
Ask whether there is anything you should know before making an offer, how long it has been on the market, whether the seller is in a chain, why previous sales fell through, whether consents were obtained for past work, and whether it is freehold or leasehold. For leasehold, ask about the lease length, ground rent, service charge and planned major works.
How can you tell if a house has damp at a viewing?
Look for staining, peeling wallpaper, defective plaster, condensation and black mould, and notice any musty smell, which can mean mould is hidden behind a surface. Outside, check for blocked gutters and anything bridging the damp proof course. A surveyor can then assess the cause.
Do I still need a survey if the viewing went well?
It is not a legal requirement, but it is strongly advisable. A viewing cannot show hidden problems, a mortgage valuation is not a survey, and an EPC does not assess condition. GOV.UK advises buyers to strongly consider a survey before they commit.
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