Independent surveyors should play a central role in the Government’s home-buying reforms to ensure buyers receive reliable information about a property’s condition before committing to a purchase, Houzecheck says.
The PropTech surveying firm has backed plans to move more information upfront but warned that the quality of property condition reports – and the industry’s capacity to deliver them – will be critical to the success of the reforms.
Government proposals would require sellers to prepare property sales packs before marketing a home, bringing information including searches and a property condition report forward in the transaction.
The precise scope and requirements of the proposed condition assessment have yet to be established.
QUALITY OF INFORMATION ‘CRITICAL’
Houzecheck says that assessments should be carried out by qualified, independent surveyors with the expertise to identify problems that could materially affect a buyer’s decision.
Richard Sexton (main picture), Commercial Director at Houzecheck, says: “Giving buyers better information earlier in the process is absolutely the right direction of travel, but the quality of that information will be critical.
“If we’re asking buyers to make one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives based on a property’s condition, that assessment needs to come from a professional with the expertise to identify the issues that really matter.”
The reforms are intended to address longstanding problems with the buying and selling process by providing important information before an offer is accepted rather than allowing issues to emerge later.
BOTTLENECK WARNING
However, Houzecheck warns that making condition assessments a standard element of property sales could substantially increase demand for surveying services.
Sexton says: “The last thing we should do is create a bottleneck in the homebuying process that only slows sales down. If condition assessments become a standard part of every sale, the surveying industry needs the capacity to deliver them quickly and consistently without compromising professional judgement or quality.
“That means making full use of the independent surveying sector, including firms that already have national coverage, established surveyor networks and technology-enabled processes. There is capacity in the market, but the reforms need to make sure that capacity can be deployed effectively.”
INDEPENDENT SECTOR
Houzecheck currently has more than 160 surveyors operating across England and Wales and completes around 21,000 surveys annually.
The firm uses digital instruction and structured reporting alongside AI-assisted quality assurance, which it said enables surveys to be delivered at scale while retaining professional oversight.
Further details on the requirements for property condition reports are expected as the Government progresses its wider reforms to the home-buying and selling process.
