Tool · viewing register · printable

House viewing checklist. Look like a surveyor.

The checks a building surveyor would make on a viewing, written for buyers. No tools, no ladders and no lifting carpets — just where to look, what to ask, and why it matters. Tick each one as you go, flag anything that worries you, and take the flags to your surveyor.

  1. 01Tick each check as you do it
  2. 02Flag anything that worried you
  3. 03Print it, or bring your phone

The viewing checklist

01Outside — roof & chimneys

0/7 checked

Do this from the pavement opposite and from the garden. You’ll see more of the roof from a distance than from the front door.

  • Why it matters: A sagging ridge or spreading roof can mean tired timbers or a heavier replacement covering than the roof was built for.Roof spread and sagging roofs

  • Why it matters: Every gap lets water in, and a roof covered in patch repairs may be close to needing re-covering.

  • Why it matters: Moss holds water and blocks gutters; a coating hides the slates beneath, so nobody can judge their condition.

  • Why it matters: Leaning stacks, open joints and lifted flashings are a common cause of damp in the rooms below, and repairs need scaffolding.

  • Why it matters: Plants and loose pots mean a stack nobody has maintained. A capped flue still needs ventilating, or it can cause damp inside.

  • Why it matters: Flat roofs wear out sooner than pitched ones and are a frequent source of leaks into the room below.

  • Why it matters: Leased panels on a long roof-space lease can complicate a mortgage, and every panel is fixed through the roof covering.

02Outside — walls, pointing & render

0/6 checked

Walk all the way round if you can. The back and sides are often in worse condition than the front.

  • Why it matters: The direction, width and shape of a crack tell a surveyor a lot. Stepped, tapering or wide cracks deserve a closer look.What crack direction meansCracks in walls checker

  • Why it matters: A bulging wall may be coming away from the floors and roof that hold it in place.

  • Why it matters: Regular horizontal cracking is a classic sign of corroding wall ties, which hold the two leaves of the wall together.Wall tie failure

  • Why it matters: Open joints let rain in. Cement pointing on soft, older brick or stone traps moisture and makes the masonry decay faster.Lime mortar vs cement

  • Why it matters: Both show where a wall is staying wet. The water source needs finding before the masonry gets worse.Spalling bricks and efflorescence

  • Why it matters: Cracked render lets water in and holds it there. A fresh finish may be a genuine improvement, or may cover cracking — ask when and why it was done.

03Outside — gutters, drains & ground levels

0/8 checked

Water is behind most of the defects surveyors find. Follow where the rain goes, from the gutter to the drain.

  • Why it matters: Overflowing gutters are one of the most common causes of damp walls — a cheap fix that’s expensive to ignore.Which kind of damp is it?

  • Why it matters: Water dumped at the base of a wall soaks the masonry and the ground around the foundations.

  • Why it matters: High ground bridges the damp-proof course, and is behind a lot of the “rising damp” that isn’t.Damp checker

  • Why it matters: Suspended timber floors need air moving underneath. Blocked air bricks lead to damp and rot in the floor.

  • Why it matters: Leaking or blocked drains cause damp and smells, and can wash out or soften the ground beneath foundations.

  • Why it matters: On clay soils, trees near a house can cause ground movement, and removing a large tree can make the ground swell.What is subsidence?

  • Why it matters: Lenders ask about knotweed and it needs a professional management plan. It’s far easier to deal with before you buy.Knotweed and buying a house

  • Why it matters: Flood defences fitted to a house are a clue. Check the flood risk for the postcode before you offer.How to check flood risk

04Windows & doors

0/6 checked

Ask if you can open a few windows. Nobody minds, and it tells you more than looking does.

  • Why it matters: The seal has failed. The glass unit needs replacing, though usually not the whole window.

  • Why it matters: Mould around windows usually points to condensation — a ventilation and heating question, not always a building defect.Stopping condensation on windows

  • Why it matters: Uneven sticking can be a sign of movement in the wall, though it is often just swollen timber or worn hinges.

  • Why it matters: Rot starts at the bottom of a frame. Caught early, repair is far cheaper than replacement.

  • Why it matters: A failing lintel shows as cracking that steps up and away from the corners of the opening.

  • Why it matters: It matters for safety, and a loft room without one may never have had building regulations approval.

05Inside — walls & ceilings

0/8 checked

Look up, look low and look behind things. Defects hide at the edges of rooms, not the middle.

  • Why it matters: Fine cracks in plaster are common and often harmless. Wide, tapering or recurring ones are worth asking about.Cracks in ceilings and plaster

  • Why it matters: Damp has several different causes that need different fixes. Name it before anyone sells you a treatment.Types of damp explainedDamp checker

  • Why it matters: Mould usually means condensation, but mould that keeps returning to one wall can mean a cold spot or water getting in.Getting rid of black mould

  • Why it matters: A musty smell suggests damp or rot. Strong scents can be innocent — or masking one.

  • Why it matters: Fresh paint in one spot may be a tidy-up for the sale, or may cover a stain, crack or mould. Ask what was there.

  • Why it matters: A water stain means a leak, past or present. Ask whether it has been traced and fixed.

  • Why it matters: The chimney left above needs proper support and building control sign-off. Ask for the paperwork.Chimney breast removal

  • Why it matters: Some contain asbestos. Usually safe left alone, but it matters if you plan to sand, drill or remove them.Asbestos in houses

06Floors, stairs & loft

0/7 checked

Walk every room rather than standing in the doorway, and ask to see the loft — even from the hatch with your phone torch.

  • Why it matters: A slope may be old settlement that has stopped. Bounce or softness can mean damp or rot in the joists.

  • Why it matters: Gaps can point to floor or wall movement, and their pattern helps a surveyor work out which.

  • Why it matters: Loose stairs are a costly nuisance; missing handrails and wide gaps are a safety issue, especially with children.

  • Why it matters: The loft shows leaks, roof timbers and insulation you can’t see from outside. Cut timbers need to have been properly supported.Roof spread and sagging roofs

  • Why it matters: Some lenders are cautious about spray foam because it hides the roof timbers, so it can affect a mortgage and resale.Spray foam, mortgages and selling

  • Why it matters: Without approval it may not count as a bedroom, and may lack the fire safety a conversion needs.

  • Why it matters: It is often old and inactive. Don’t agree to treatment until someone independent has looked.Woodworm signs and treatment

07Kitchen, bathroom & services

0/7 checked

You won’t test the services on a viewing, but a few minutes with the taps, fans and boiler cupboard tells you what to ask.

  • Why it matters: Boilers wear out. An old or unserviced one may need replacing soon after you move in.

  • Why it matters: Staining can mean the boiler isn’t burning properly. A Gas Safe registered engineer should check it before you rely on it.

  • Why it matters: An old fuse board often goes with old wiring. Ask when the house was last rewired or had an electrical check (EICR).

  • Why it matters: Weak flow or slow hot water can mean an old supply pipe, long pipe runs or a struggling boiler.

  • Why it matters: Working extraction is the first defence against condensation and mould in the wettest rooms.Mould in the bathroom

  • Why it matters: Failed seals let water into the floor. Softness can mean rotten boards or joists underneath.

  • Why it matters: A ten-second look catches slow leaks that otherwise go unnoticed for years.

08Questions to ask the agent or seller

0/8 checked

Write the answers down. The same questions will come back in the conveyancing forms, and you want the answers to match.

  • Why it matters: The ages tell you which big bills may be coming in the next few years.

  • Why it matters: Missing approvals can delay the sale and become your problem once you own the house.

  • Why it matters: Past flooding affects insurance costs and the chance of it happening again.How to check flood risk

  • Why it matters: Sellers are asked this on the property information form. Better to hear the answer before you offer.Knotweed and buying a house

  • Why it matters: Work on or near a party wall may need a party wall agreement. Ask for the paperwork.Party wall agreements

  • Why it matters: Radon is invisible and odourless. A test result, or protection already fitted, answers the question early.Radon and buying a house

  • Why it matters: Not a trick question. A short ownership or a vague answer is a prompt to ask a little more.

  • Why it matters: The chain affects your timing and the risk of the sale falling through.

More on this in our guide to questions to ask before you offer.

Things that worried me0 flagged

Ask your surveyor about these.

Nothing flagged yet. Press Flag on any check that worried you and it will gather here, ready to print or read out when you book a survey.

A viewing shows you where to look; a survey tells you what it means. Mention your flags when you enquire so the inspection pays particular attention to them. A RICS Home Survey Level 2 starts from £335.

Book a Level 2 survey

Or work out what your survey will cost first.

Know the limits

A viewing isn’t a survey.

This checklist makes you a sharper viewer. It doesn’t make the viewing a survey. In half an hour, with the seller’s furniture in place and an agent at your shoulder, there is a lot you simply can’t see:

  • Behind and beneath — what is under fitted carpets, behind wardrobes and inside a freshly decorated wall.
  • Moisture — a wall can look dry and still be damp. Surveyors take readings; your eyes can’t.
  • Whether a crack is moving — one visit can’t tell an old, settled crack from an active one, though its shape and position give clues.
  • The roof space and services — properly, not by torchlight from a hatch.
  • The cost of what you’ve found — and whether it should change your offer.

What to do next

Turn your flags into answers.

Once your offer is accepted, the survey is where the flags get answered. A Level 2 suits most conventional homes in reasonable condition; older, altered or visibly defective buildings usually need a Level 3. Even a Level 2 has limits of its own, so it helps to know what they are before you choose.

Read which home survey level you need,what a Level 2 survey can’t see, the questions to ask before you offer and how to go about using your survey to negotiate.

Common questions · viewings

Asked before viewing.

How long should a house viewing take?

Longer than feels polite. Allow at least half an hour for a first viewing of a typical house, and more for a second — enough to walk round the outside, go into every room, open a few windows and run through this checklist without being hurried. If the agent is rushing you, ask to come back at another time.

Should I view a house twice?

Yes, if you are serious about it. Go back at a different time of day, and ideally in different weather: rain shows up overflowing gutters and leaks, and a weekday evening shows you the parking, traffic and neighbours. Use the second viewing for the outside, the loft and the questions you didn’t get answered the first time.

What questions should I ask the estate agent?

Ask how old the roof, boiler and wiring are, what building work has been done and whether it has planning and building control sign-off, whether the house has ever flooded, whether there is or was Japanese knotweed nearby, about any party wall work, why the seller is moving and how long the chain is. Write the answers down, because you will see the same questions again in the conveyancing forms.

What’s a red flag on a house viewing?

A strong musty smell or heavy air freshener, a single freshly painted patch, wide or tapering cracks, bulging walls, a dipping roof line, mould in several rooms, high ground against the walls, and vague answers about past building work or reluctance to let you see the loft or cellar. None of these is a reason to walk away on its own, but each is worth flagging and asking your surveyor about.

Do I still need a survey if the viewing went well?

Yes. A viewing tells you what is visible in half an hour; a survey is a methodical inspection by someone trained to read buildings, with moisture readings, a look in the roof space and a written report you can use to negotiate. A mortgage valuation is for the lender and is not a survey. A RICS Home Survey Level 2 with us starts from £335.

Found something?

Get it looked at properly.

Send us the address and what worried you. We’ll confirm the right survey level and a fixed fee before you commit — normally the same working day.

Request a survey quote →