Questions to Ask When Viewing a House

Start With a Plan, Not a Feeling

Viewings are exciting, which is exactly why they are a poor time to rely on memory. After the third or fourth property, kitchens blur into one another and you convince yourself you will definitely remember which one had the damp patch behind the wardrobe. You will not. Take a written checklist, a tape measure, a phone torch and a note of the asking price or rent, then score every property against the same criteria. It feels slightly clinical at first, but it pays off when you sit down that evening with a cup of tea and an actual shortlist.

Damp, Mould and Signs of Trouble

Damp is the most expensive problem a buyer or tenant can inherit, and it is almost always visible if you know where to look. Be polite, but do move furniture aside, open cupboard doors and look up.

• Check the corners of external walls, especially behind beds, wardrobes and sofas.
• Look for tide marks along skirting boards, bubbling plaster, blown skim or soft, crumbling timber.
• Peer under and around windows for black spotting and condensation streaking on the glass.
• Sniff inside airing cupboards, under-stairs spaces, cellars and loft hatches. A musty smell is a clue; a strong smell of bleach or fresh paint may be masking one.
• Shine a torch across ceilings below bathrooms and in top-floor rooms for staining.
• Ask directly whether the property has ever had damp treatment, and whether any guarantee is transferable.

In a loft, look for daylight through the roof covering and dark staining on rafters. Ten minutes here can save you thousands.

Heating, Hot Water and Running Costs

Ask for the heating to be on when you arrive, and put your hand on the radiators. A cold radiator in a warm room tells you the system is struggling or that room has been switched off deliberately.

• Ask the age of the boiler and when it was last serviced. Anything over fifteen years old should be factored into your budget.
• For a rental, ask to see the current gas safety record and the energy performance certificate.
• Check the EPC rating and read what it says about likely running costs, not just the letter grade.
• Note whether heating is gas, oil, electric storage heaters or a heat pump, and whether there is a hot water cylinder or a combi boiler.
• Run the hot tap for thirty seconds and flush the loo. Weak flow usually means a plumbing problem or low mains pressure.
• Test windows for draughts, check for double glazing and look for trickle vents. Ask about loft and cavity wall insulation.

Ask what the current occupiers pay each month for gas, electricity and water. Real figures beat estimates every time.

Parking and Everyday Practicalities

Parking is the detail that turns a dream home into a daily irritation, so treat it as a deal-breaker question rather than an afterthought.

• Is the street in a controlled parking zone? If so, what does a permit cost and is there a waiting list?
• Are there double yellow lines, dropped kerbs or a residents' scheme with time limits?
• Is the driveway shared, and who maintains the boundary? Is the garage actually wide enough for your car, or is it a storage shed with a door?
• Where do bins live on collection day, and can you reach the front door with shopping and a pushchair?
• For flats, ask about the lease length, service charge, ground rent and any planned major works.
• For rentals, confirm who is responsible for the garden, the boiler service and any repairs.

Also spend thirty seconds checking mobile signal and broadband speed on your phone. It is a small thing right up until you move in.

Noise, Neighbours and the Wider Street

Nobody views a house at 7am on a Tuesday, which is precisely when the traffic, the school run and the bin lorry make themselves known. If you can, visit twice: once during the day and once on a weekday evening.

• Listen for main roads, railway lines, flight paths, bus routes, pubs, takeaways and late-night deliveries.
• In a flat or terraced house, ask about the neighbours above, below and either side, and whether floors are carpeted or hard.
• Ask whether there have been any noise complaints or disputes, and whether any building work or development is planned nearby.
• Walk the street. Look at bins, front gardens, graffiti and shopfronts. They tell you more about an area than any description.

Questions to Ask Before You Leave

Finish every viewing with the same short list of questions so your notes stay comparable.

• How long has the property been on the market or available to let, and has the price or rent changed?
• What is included in the sale or tenancy, and what is the council tax band?
• When could you move in, and is there a chain involved?
• For rentals: how long is the tenancy, is there a break clause, how much is the deposit and which scheme protects it?
• What would the current owner or tenant change about the property if they could?

Score each place on damp, heating, parking and noise, then add your gut feeling on top. When two properties look similar on paper, that last line is usually the one that decides it.