This guide sets out the steps in a sensible order. It is general information, not legal or financial advice. Your lender, insurer and conveyancer will advise on your own purchase.
Step 1: Identify the construction early
Find out how the home is built before you spend money. Read the listing carefully and ask the agent directly whether it is of standard construction and, if not, what system it is. Look up the energy performance certificate (EPC) on GOV.UK: a wall description such as "system built" or "timber frame" is a clue, though not proof. Look at neighbouring houses of the same design, and use our guides to each construction type to help tell them apart.
If the home was bought from a council under the Right to Buy, ask whether the seller still has the council's offer notice and other sale papers. Under current government guidance, the offer notice describes any structural defects known to the council.
Step 2: Ask for the paperwork
Ask the seller, through the agent, for:
- any repair certificate, such as a PRC Homes Ltd certificate for a repaired PRC house
- engineer's reports and any monitoring records
- guarantees and installer details for insulation, re-cladding, wall tie replacement or structural repairs
- building control records and planning approvals for alterations and extensions
- for a flat, the block's structural and fire safety information from the freeholder or managing agent
Paperwork can go missing over the years, but it is better to know early what exists.
Step 3: Check with your lender or broker
Before you pay for a survey, confirm that your lender will consider this construction type and what it needs. Some lenders ask for a structural engineer's report, a repair certificate or other evidence, and some will not lend on certain types at all. The lender will also arrange its own valuation. That is for the lender's benefit and is not a survey of the home's condition.
Step 4: Check buildings insurance
Get buildings insurance quotes early, giving accurate details of the construction. Some insurers charge more for non-standard construction or decline certain types, while others specialise in it. Make sure you can get suitable cover before you are committed to buy.
Step 5: Book a Level 3 survey
For most non-standard homes we recommend a Level 3 Building Survey. It is a detailed visual inspection. It does not open up the structure, but it identifies the construction as far as possible, reports on its condition, looks for signs of past repairs and alterations, and says where further investigation is needed. Our Level 3 includes a drone view of the roof where flight is permitted. It does not include a valuation.
Step 6: Bring in a structural engineer where needed
Instruct a structural engineer if your lender requires a report, if the survey recommends one, or if you plan alterations that affect the structure. Choose one with experience of the system, and check that the report will meet your lender's requirements. Any opening up needs the seller's permission.
Step 7: Other specialist checks
Depending on the home, these may include a wall tie inspection, a timber specialist's inspection, an asbestos survey before any building work or, for a flat, enquiries by your conveyancer about the block's structural and fire safety records.
Questions to ask the seller or agent
- What is the construction, and how do you know?
- Has the home been repaired, strengthened, re-clad or insulated? When, by whom, and is there paperwork?
- For a PRC house, is there a PRC Homes Ltd certificate, and can I see the original?
- Has a previous sale fallen through, or a lender declined to lend, because of the construction?
- Have there been any insurance claims, for example for subsidence or water damage?
- Have any walls been removed, openings made or extensions added, and were approvals obtained?
- For a flat, has the block been structurally appraised, does it have piped gas, and what major works are planned?
Checklist
- Construction type identified from the listing, the agent, the EPC and the neighbouring houses
- Lender has confirmed it will consider the construction, and what it needs
- Buildings insurance quotes obtained with accurate construction details
- Repair certificates, guarantees and approvals requested from the seller
- Level 3 Building Survey booked
- Structural engineer instructed, if the lender or the survey calls for one
- Conveyancer asked to check the paperwork, including any designation or repair history
- Cost of recommended repairs and further investigations considered before you exchange contracts
Sources
- RICS: House surveys (UK): the costs, types and benefits of an RICS Home Survey
- RICS: Home Survey Standard
- GOV.UK: Find an energy certificate
- GOV.UK: Right to Buy: a guide for local authorities
- BRE: SAP 10 and RdSAP 10 specifications, which define the wall types used on EPCs
- Civil Aviation Authority: Drones