Sellers

A Home Condition Report contains information about the physical condition of a property, which sellers, buyers and lenders will be able to rely on legally as an accurate report and is an optional (but a very informative and useful) part of the Home Information Pack.

Communities and Local Government is working with stakeholders to facilitate the voluntary take-up of the full Report, and has invested resources in promoting and developing it for consumers. You can see a sample of a Home Condition Report on the CLG Publications page.

The report:

· must be carried out by a certified Home Inspector
· must be written in plain English and not include technical jargon
· means you can have a claim against insurance if something goes wrong

Benefits of a Home Condition Report:

If the seller has included a Home Condition Report, you can use it at the beginning of the home-buying process to reduce the risk of being faced with unexpected repair bills and other surprises when you buy the property.

Buyers and their mortgage lenders have a legal right to rely on the report, so you can give the report to lenders when they make their valuation. This means they may not have to repeat a detailed site inspection at your cost.