What to Look For When Viewing a House: The 25-Point Inspection
In 6 minutes of viewing, the average UK buyer misses £15,000+ of defects. Here's the 25-point inspection we'd use ourselves, section by section.
Key takeaways
- Always view twice: once at the agent's chosen time, once at a time you choose (evening, rainy day, rush hour).
- Damp, subsidence and dodgy electrics are the three biggest hidden costs. Check every wall, every crack, every socket.
- Ask for the last 3 years of utility bills and council tax — they reveal insulation and running costs faster than anything else.
- Check mobile signal, broadband speed and flood risk before you offer. All three are free to check online in 2 minutes.
Outside: Before You Even Walk In
- ›Roof line — any sagging, missing tiles, or mossy patches? Roofs cost £8,000–£18,000 to replace.
- ›Guttering — leaking, bowed, or with plants growing from it? Signals damp risk.
- ›Window frames — rotten wood, broken seals, condensation inside double-glazed units?
- ›Cracks — vertical hairline = settlement (normal). Stepped/diagonal cracks wider than a £1 coin = potential subsidence.
- ›Boundary walls & fences — who owns which? Check the Land Registry title plan.
- ›Parking — is there off-road parking, and is the driveway on-title or shared?
Inside: The First Five Minutes
Put your hand on every external wall. Cold, damp patches are a tell. Sniff every room — musty smells = damp. Look in every corner at skirting-board level for black or white fuzz.
Open every window. Do they all open cleanly? Are there locks? Windows that stick usually indicate frame movement (bad) or long-term swelling (not great).
Flick every light switch. Any flickering? Any plastic covers warm to touch? Old Wylex fuse boxes need replacing (~£600), plus rewires run £3,500–£7,000 for a typical 3-bed.
Kitchen: Where Hidden Costs Hide
- ›Run all hot taps simultaneously — is the pressure OK at the top of the house?
- ›Check under every sink for water marks, rot, or mould
- ›Open every cupboard door & drawer — smooth or falling apart?
- ›Age of the boiler (should be 0–10 years, not 15+). Ask for the last service certificate.
- ›Flooring — any soft or bouncy spots? Sub-floor rot is £2,000–£5,000 to repair.
Bathrooms & Plumbing
Flush every toilet. Fill and drain every basin. Listen for gurgling (drainage issues) and look at time-to-refill on the cistern (slow = cheap float that needs replacing, fine).
Ask where the stopcock is. If nobody can find it, there's your bargaining chip. Check for tiled-over cracks in showers — regrouting is easy, but a cracked tray is £600+.
Ceiling above the bathroom — stains = historic leak. Worth £500 off the offer immediately.
Loft, Cellar, Garden
Ask to go in the loft. Check insulation depth (should be 270mm+), look for rodent droppings, and crucially, peer inside the ridge — any daylight = missing tiles = roof leak.
Cellar or utility: damp is 3× more common in basement rooms. A tanked cellar (properly waterproofed) is a £10,000+ job if missing.
Garden: any Japanese knotweed? It delays mortgages and costs £3,000–£8,000 to treat. Looks like bamboo with purple stems — if in doubt, Google-image the specific plant before offering.
Online Checks to Run Before Offering
- ›gov.uk/check-long-term-flood-risk — 1% annual flood risk = mortgages get harder
- ›RightMove sold prices — compare against last 18 months of same street
- ›Street View over time — use older imagery to spot cracks, extensions, tree growth
- ›Ofcom broadband checker — fibre available?
- ›Local plans portal — pending developments that might block your view or double traffic
- ›Crime stats on police.uk — 12-month pattern, not just last month
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Frequently asked questions
How long should a first house viewing be?+
At least 30 minutes. 15-minute "rushed" viewings benefit the agent, not you. If a seller refuses longer viewings, ask yourself why.
Should I take photos during a viewing?+
Yes — but ask the agent first. Take shots of every room, problem areas, and the meter/fuse box. You'll forget details within 24 hours otherwise.
What questions should I ask the seller directly?+
Why are you moving? How long have you lived here? Any disputes with neighbours? Any work done without planning/building regs? Their answers (and body language) reveal more than the property itself.
We don't sell houses. We move people in and out of them — which is why we see the problems nobody else talks about.
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