The Home Report: what it covers, and what it doesn’t
In Scotland, the seller has to provide a Home Report before a home goes on the market. It tells you a lot about the building. It says much less about what’s around it.
Free to start with a postcode. No account needed. See an example report.
How to use a Home Report when you buy
Get a copy
Ask the selling agent. Sellers must provide one for most homes marketed in Scotland, and agents often offer it to download from the listing.
Read the single survey
A chartered surveyor rates each part of the building from 1 to 3, where 3 means urgent repair or replacement is needed, and gives a market value and a rebuilding cost for insurance.
Read the energy report
The home’s energy rating, its running costs, and the improvements the assessor recommends.
Check the questionnaire against the records
The property questionnaire is the seller’s own answers about council tax, alterations, flooding and more. Our report sets the official records beside them, so you can compare.
Check what’s around the home
Flood maps, planning applications nearby, ground hazards, radon, noise and schools aren’t covered in the Home Report. Start with the postcode above.
The Home Report and a HomeDueDiligence report
| What | Home Report | HomeDueDiligence report |
|---|---|---|
| Condition of the building | Yes, from a surveyor’s inspection | No |
| Value | Yes, the surveyor’s valuation | Recent sales nearby and price per square metre, not a valuation |
| Energy certificate | Yes | Yes, with how it has changed over the years |
| Flooding | The seller’s answer about past flooding | SEPA river, coastal and surface water flood maps |
| Planning | The seller’s answers about alterations to the home | Applications within 1 km and their decisions, and vacant and derelict land nearby |
| Listed building or conservation area | The seller’s answer | Historic Environment Scotland records |
| Ground, radon and mining | Not covered in detail | British Geological Survey ground hazards, non-coal mining and radon potential |
| Noise | No | Road and rail noise maps |
| Schools and crime | No | Schools and catchments, and crime in the area |
Coverage: The Home Report applies in Scotland only. Our reports cover England, Scotland and Wales.
Sources: SEPA flood maps; Historic Environment Scotland; British Geological Survey; Scottish Government noise maps, via SEPA; Scottish EPC Register. All data sources
Why the Home Report isn’t the whole picture
The surveyor inspects the building. They don’t look up flood maps, planning applications or ground records for you, and the questionnaire is the seller’s own account.
A Home Report can also be weeks or months old by the time you read it. A planning application lodged next door since then won’t be in it.
Questions to ask the seller, your solicitor or surveyor
- When was the Home Report done, and has anything changed since?
- Did each alteration have planning permission and a building warrant, with a completion certificate?
- Has the home, the garden or the access flooded, and was an insurance claim made?
- Will your lender accept the Home Report valuation?
The full report ties questions like these to what it finds at the house.
Common questions
What is in a Home Report?
Three parts: a single survey by a chartered surveyor, including a valuation; an energy report; and a property questionnaire completed by the seller. Many also include a mortgage valuation report for lenders.
Who pays for the Home Report?
The seller. As a buyer, you can ask the selling agent for a copy.
How old can a Home Report be?
It must be no more than 12 weeks old when the home is first put on the market. If a home has been for sale a long time, ask whether anything has changed since.
Does a Home Report check flood risk?
Not from the flood maps. The questionnaire asks the seller about past flooding, so check SEPA’s maps yourself or in our report.
Is there a Home Report in England or Wales?
No. Home Information Packs were suspended in 2010. In England and Wales, buyers arrange their own survey, and the seller answers a property information form through their solicitor. Our report covers flooding, planning and the ground in all three countries.
Official records, not advice. We never score properties or tell you whether to buy. Check a postcode