The Home Report in Scotland is designed to provide potential buyers with more information about a property they are thinking of buying prior to them submitting an offer. You are required to have a copy of the properties Home Report before the property goes on the market for sale and a copy has to be available to potential buyers.
The Home Report includes three separate documents; The Single Survey, Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and the Property Questionnaire.
The Single Survey
The single survey document is a really detailed survey carried out by a qualified surveyor, one who is regulated by RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors). The survey documents the condition of each aspect of your property within the report, broken down into 3 categories.
Category 1 = no immediate report is required
Category 2 = repair or replacement requiring future attention, but estimates are still advised
Category 3 = Urgent repairs or replacement are required now. Failure to deal with the issues may cause further problems to other parts of the property or cause a safety hazards. Estimates for repair or replacements are required now.
A copy of the Single Survey report can be found here.
The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
The EPC or Energy Performance Certificate provides the buyer with information on how efficient your home, much in the same way that most new electrical appliances display an energy rating. The energy performance certificate is also carried out by the surveyor and additional information on how you or the buyer can improve the energy efficiency of the property will be provided.
The Property Questionnaire
The Property Questionnaire is the third and final document that forms part of the Home Report. The property questionnaire is usually complete by the selling, as it contains information that only they are likely to know.
It contains information for the buyer on information such as council tax band, parking, alterations that have been carried out in the property, access right i.e. do your neighbours have the right to cross your property to put their bins out, along with other things such as additional costs that may be incurred while living at the property such as shared costs for cleaning the stairwells/windows etc.
The property questionnaire is designed to be straightforward so that the seller can complete it, but in some cases where there may have been alterations carried out, the seller should consult the surveyor or conveyancing solicitor to avoid any concerns at the conveyancing stage.
Next steps
The first step in selling a property in Scotland is to arrange a Home Report. To arrange your Home Report or if you need any expert advice on how to present your property for selling, do not hesitate to get in touch at office@homereportcompany.co.uk or call us on 0131 608 0175
You may also be interested in reading: Properties in Scotland- Should I Move House Now?
