Guides · 6 min
The house-buying checklist
What to check before you offer, so you do not pay for a house that cannot take the extension.
Before the offer
Enter the address and read the report. Look at the verdict for the job you actually want: a rear extension, a loft, a side extension, a garage conversion.
Ask the seller what has already been built, whether the rights were taken away, and whether the garage must stay for a car. Ask for completion certificates for older work.
Check flood risk, trees, a conservation area, and whether the house or a neighbour is listed. These change the answer more than the brochure photos.
Price the realistic plan
If the nearby yeses are single-storey rear extensions, do not bid as if a two-storey side extension is already allowed.
You can still try for the bigger plan later. The offer should make sense without it.
Questions
Is this instead of a survey?
No. A survey looks at the condition of the building. This report looks at what you could probably build.
Should my solicitor see it?
Yes. Ask them to match it against the seller’s planning history.
Check with your council. Rules change, and every house is different.