Questions to Ask When Viewing a House: The Complete UK Checklist

The essential questions to ask when viewing a house are: why is the owner selling, how long has it been on the market, has the asking price changed, have any offers or sales fallen through, is it freehold or leasehold, what exactly is included in the sale, and are you aware of any problems with the property? Those seven cover the ground every buyer should ask the estate agent on a first viewing.

But the questions that actually protect your money – has it flooded, is the ground stable, is there coal mining underneath, what is planned next door – are ones the agent often genuinely cannot answer, and the seller may prefer you did not ask. The good news: free government data answers nearly all of them before you even book the viewing. This guide organises every question by who can answer it best – the agent, the vendor, or you, armed with a public dataset.

The stakes are real. 41% of property purchases fell through before completion in April to June 2025, according to Quick Move Now figures cited by the HomeOwners Alliance, and UK property insurance payouts hit a record £6.1 billion in 2025 amid extreme weather, according to the Association of British Insurers. England and Wales runs on caveat emptor – buyer beware – and your survey only happens after your offer is accepted. Viewing questions are your first, and cheapest, layer of due diligence.

The question bank at a glance: who to ask what

Most guides hand you a flat list of 25 questions. The problem is that an estate agent cannot reliably answer half of them, the vendor will put a shine on a few more, and the most expensive ones can only be answered with data. Here is the question bank mapped to the best source – the rest of this article walks through each group in detail.

Screenshot this table or print it before the viewing. The left two columns are conversations; the right column is homework you can finish before you get in the car.

Questions to ask the estate agent

Estate agents are legally obliged not to withhold or misrepresent material information they know about – flooding history, structural problems, disputes. That duty only has teeth if you ask specific questions, so be precise, and follow up anything that matters in writing.

Why is the owner selling?

The answer shapes your offer. Relocation, probate or divorce usually means a motivated seller who values speed over squeezing the last pound; "testing the market" means the opposite. Follow up with the question agents expect less: have the sellers found their next home? A seller with no onward purchase agreed is a chain delay waiting to happen.

How long has it been on the market – and has the price dropped?

Three months or more without a sale deserves a direct "why do you think it hasn't sold?". Then verify the answer yourself: portal listing histories show price cuts and relistings, and sold-price records show what the street actually achieves – more on that below. An agent who volunteers the full history is one you can work with.

Have there been offers – or a sale that fell through?

With 41% of purchases collapsing before completion in mid-2025, a previous fall-through is common – but the reason matters enormously. If the last buyer withdrew after the survey, ask directly what the survey found. The agent must not misrepresent it, and a vague answer here is a signal in itself.

Is it freehold or leasehold?

For a house this is usually quick; for a flat it changes everything. If leasehold, ask immediately: how many years remain on the lease, what is the ground rent and how does it review, what did the service charge cost over the last three years, and who is the managing agent? Lease length directly affects mortgageability – the leasehold section below has the full list.

What exactly is included in the sale?

Fixtures and fittings are formally confirmed later on the TA10 form, but asking now avoids moving-day surprises – and some sellers will throw in white goods, curtains or even furniture as part of the negotiation. While you are talking running costs, ask the council tax band too, then verify it for free on GOV.UK's council tax band checker.

Are you aware of any problems with the property?

The catch-all. Asked plainly, it obliges the agent to share anything material they know – damp treatment, an insurance claim, a boundary dispute. Watch how the question is answered as much as what is said.

Questions to ask the vendor (if you get the chance)

Many buyers never realise you can ask to speak to the seller directly – agents will usually pass on the request, and plenty of viewings are vendor-led anyway. Sellers know the house; agents know the listing. Four questions earn their place:

• What work have you done, and do you have the certificates? Planning permission, building regulations completion certificates, FENSA certificates for replacement windows, and a boiler service record – gas boilers should be serviced annually. Missing paperwork becomes your problem after completion, and indemnity insurance is a sticking plaster, not a fix.
• What are the neighbours like? Formal disputes must be declared on the TA6 form, so a face-to-face answer is harder to fudge. Listen for hesitation as much as words.
• Can I see a recent utility bill? Real bills beat the EPC's modelled estimates for what the house actually costs to run.
• What would you change about living here? Disarmingly effective. Most sellers answer honestly, and the answer is often the thing the listing photos were framed to avoid.

What to check with your own eyes while you walk round

No question replaces your own senses. This takes ten minutes per viewing and catches the issues sellers stage around:

• Smell for damp. A musty odour is the giveaway – and strong air freshener or fresh coffee can be deliberate masking. Sniff in corners, under the stairs and inside built-in cupboards.
• Look behind furniture and under rugs. Damp patches, tide marks and stains hide behind strategically placed sofas.
• Read the cracks. Hairline cracks in plaster are normal. Stepped, diagonal cracks around windows and doors are not – note them for the survey.
• Step outside and look up. Slipped or missing roof tiles, sagging gutters, cracked render and blocked drains are visible from the pavement and expensive to fix.
• Run the taps and flush the loo. Weak pressure upstairs hints at plumbing or pump issues.
• Check the double glazing. Misting between panes means failed seals – each unit is a replacement cost.
• Find the boiler. Note its age and look for a service sticker; ask when it was last serviced.
• Check the garden orientation. Use your phone's compass – south- or west-facing gardens get afternoon and evening sun, and it genuinely affects resale.
• Open the fuse box. An old-style fuse board with no RCD protection suggests dated wiring – a rewire is a major cost.

Prioritise findings by cost, not by how visible they are. Peeling paint is a weekend job; roof, wiring and movement issues run to five figures and belong in your survey brief and your negotiation.

The questions most buyers never ask – and the free data that answers them

Ask an agent about flood history or coal mining and the honest answer is usually "not that I'm aware of" – which is not the same as "no". Every check below uses free, official data and takes a few minutes per address. HouseDossier runs all of them in a single report if you would rather not do it by hand, but each one is genuinely doable yourself – here is how.

Has this house ever flooded?

6.3 million properties in England are in areas at risk of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water, according to the Environment Agency's National Assessment of Flood Risk (December 2024) – projected to reach around 8 million by mid-century as the climate changes. Surface water is the fastest-growing threat: 4.6 million properties at risk, up 43% on the previous assessment. Sellers must declare past flooding on the TA6, but you need not wait: enter the postcode into the government's free check your long-term flood risk service before you book the viewing, and see our guide to running a flood risk check on any address.

Is the ground stable?

UK domestic subsidence payouts hit a record £307 million in 2025 – the highest since the Association of British Insurers began records in 2017, and up 10% year on year. The average claim paid out £17,264, with almost 9,000 households supported in the first half of 2025 alone. Clay-rich soils shrink in hot, dry summers and swell when the rain returns; the British Geological Survey's GeoSure data maps shrink-swell risk by location, and our subsidence and mining check reads it for any address.

Is there coal mining underneath?

Roughly 1 in 4 properties in Great Britain sits above coal mining areas, and the Mining Remediation Authority (formerly the Coal Authority) holds records of more than 173,500 mine entries, supporting around 315,000 mining reports a year. In coalfield areas your conveyancer will order a CON29M search – but that happens after your offer. The Authority's interactive map data is free, so you can check for recorded shafts and workings before you decide what the house is worth to you.

What is planned next door?

No agent will volunteer the four-storey HMO application behind the garden fence. Search the local council's planning portal for the street name – every live and historic application is public, including neighbours' extensions and nearby developments. Check the same portal, or our planning permission history lookup, for the property itself: an extension without permission or building regs sign-off is your liability once you own it. And ask whether the property is listed, in a conservation area, or under an Article 4 direction – all three restrict what you can do to it later.

What is crime actually like on this street?

Police.uk publishes free street-level crime and anti-social behaviour data, by month and by category, for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Check the specific street, not the town average – two roads five minutes apart can have completely different profiles. Our crime statistics by postcode guide shows how to read the categories sensibly.

Will the broadband actually cope?

87% of UK homes – 26.4 million premises – could get gigabit-capable broadband by July 2025, according to Ofcom's Connected Nations report. That still leaves roughly 1 in 8 that cannot, and "fibre broadband available" on a listing tells you nothing about the speed at this address. Ofcom's free postcode checker gives predicted speeds and mobile coverage by operator; our broadband speed checker guide walks through it. If you work from home, this question outranks the kitchen.

What does the EPC really tell you?

Every listing must show an EPC rating, but the letter alone hides the useful part. The median EPC score in England is 68 – band D – and 55% of homes in England and Wales are rated D or below, according to the ONS. Pull the full certificate free from the open EPC register: it lists the recommended improvements with indicative costs and the rating the property could achieve. Our EPC rating check explains what each field means for your bills.

What did the seller pay – and what is the street really worth?

HM Land Registry's Price Paid data is free and public, covering every registered residential sale in England and Wales since 1995. Look up sold house prices for the address and the street: you will see what the seller paid, how long ago, and what comparable homes actually achieved – which tells you whether the asking price is evidence or ambition. Go one step further and check the street's ceiling price: the highest price ever paid nearby caps what surveyors and lenders will support, and HouseDossier's Ceiling Price Analysis calculates it within a quarter, half and one mile of any address across five years of Land Registry data. While you are doing desk research, do not take "great schools nearby" on trust either – Ofsted reports and school performance tables are free to search.

Extra questions for leasehold flats

Leasehold adds a second layer of due diligence, because you are buying a contract as much as a flat:

• How many years are left on the lease? Below roughly 80 years, extending gets significantly more expensive and some lenders pull back – factor the extension cost into your offer.
• What has the service charge been for the last three years? A rising trend, or a thin reserve fund, predicts your future bills.
• Are any major works planned? A roof replacement or cladding remediation can land each leaseholder with a five-figure demand.
• What are the ground rent terms? Ask how and when it reviews – doubling clauses caused real mortgage problems for past buyers.
• Who is the managing agent, and how responsive are they? Ask the vendor for an honest answer; ask other residents if you can.
• What do the lease rules say about pets, subletting and alterations? Plenty of buyers discover the no-pets clause after completion.

Extra questions for new-builds

• What structural warranty is provided, and who backs it? A 10-year warranty (NHBC or equivalent) is standard – check the provider, not just the promise.
• What exactly is in the specification I am buying? The show home is a marketing asset; get the spec for your plot in writing.
• What is your snagging policy? Ask whether you can commission an independent snagging inspection before completion.
• Are there estate management charges? Many freehold new-build estates carry annual charges for shared areas, with weaker protections than leasehold service charges – ask for the figure and what it covers.
• What is the realistic completion date? Pin down "anticipated" versus contractual long-stop dates, and what compensation applies to delays.
• What incentives are available? Developers often move on upgrades, legal fees or stamp duty contributions before they move on price.

The second viewing: what to do differently

Everyone tells you to view twice; almost nobody says what the second viewing is for. It is not a repeat – it is a different test:

1. Go at a different time of day and a different day of the week. Saturday-morning quiet says nothing about Monday rush hour, school-run parking or Friday-night noise.
2. Re-test everything that niggled first time: that corner that smelled musty, the upstairs water pressure, the crack you photographed.
3. Bring someone with a builder's eye – a trades-savvy friend or relative spots in minutes what you would miss.
4. Ask the agent for an update on the seller's position: any new offers, progress on their onward purchase, ideal exchange timeline.
5. Walk the street. Check parking pressure, look at how neighbouring houses are kept, and if a neighbour is out front, ask them what the road is like to live on – the one source with no incentive to spin.
6. Time the journeys that will shape your life: the commute, the station walk, the school run.

Red-flag answers and what they really mean

The answers you get are data too. Decode the common ones:

• "The sellers are flexible on price." The listing is stale or overpriced. Check the price-cut history and the street's sold prices before deciding how flexible.
• "It's been on and off the market." Relisting resets the days-on-market counter. Ask for the full history, including with previous agents.
• Vague answers on why they are selling. Probe the chain. No onward purchase agreed often means months of delay – or a seller not fully committed.
• "I don't know" on flooding, subsidence or disputes. Fair in person – so email the question afterwards. A written reply engages the agent's duty to disclose material information.
• Fresh paint on a single wall, a humming dehumidifier, overpowering air freshener. Inspect that area for damp, and ask directly whether there has been any damp treatment.
• Being hurried through, or resistance to a second viewing. Ask yourself what a slower look might have shown – then insist on one.

Before you offer: turn answers into evidence

Three groups of questions, three standards of proof. The agent's answers should be specific and confirmed in writing. The vendor's answers should come with certificates. And the data questions – flooding, subsidence, mining, planning, crime, broadband, EPC, sold prices – should be answered before you book the viewing, because they are the ones that save five-figure mistakes: the average subsidence claim alone pays out £17,264, according to the ABI. Once your offer is accepted, our house buying checklist covers everything that comes next, from surveys to searches.

Frequently asked questions