Home Reports: FAQs

There are some property types that do not need a Home Report, as follows:

Homes already up for sale (and not taken off the market at any point) before 1 December 2008.

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Brand new homes sold ‘off plan’ or recently completed.

Newly converted premises where a property converted to a home has never been used in its converted state.

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Seasonal and holiday accommodation which, legally, can only be lived in for up to 11 months of the year. This does not include second homes or holiday cottages that could be used all year.

A portfolio of residential properties – a group of homes which will be sold in one transaction, to one ‘commercial’ buyer and not as separate homes.

‘Mixed sales’ where the home is sold as part of the business, such as a farmhouse, which is part of a working farm - or a flat above a shop which is sold with the shop.

Dual use of a dwelling house where the home is, or forms part of, a property most recently used for both residential and non-residential purposes, such as a commercial studio where the owner also lives in the home.

Unsafe properties which are obviously dangerous for people to live in.

Properties to be demolished which have the consents needed for demolition and consents obtained for redevelopment.

Home Reports were introduced by the Scottish Government under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006.

Before Home Reports came along, only one in ten buyers had a ‘scheme 2’ survey done on a property before buying it. This meant some buyers got a nasty surprise when they moved in to their new home and discovered the roof needed to be repaired or that there were other expensive problems with the property.

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A Home Report gives potential buyers information upfront about the condition of the property.

Home Reports may encourage owners to take care of their homes and better maintain them.

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The Home Report may also stop sellers setting very low, unrealistic asking prices for their homes, just to get more people interested.

The chartered surveyor will already have stated the value of the property in the Home Report so people interested in buying the property will know in advance what the value is.

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The energy report which offers ways to make your home ‘greener’ could also encourage owners to make their homes more energy efficient, benefitting the environment and possibly reducing their gas, oil and electricity bills.

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Sellers will benefit from having a Home Report available to them when they are buying a house.

First time buyers won’t have to worry about finding the money to pay for surveys and valuations on any of the houses they are interested in buying because they will be provided with a Home Report by the seller.

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The home owner is not legally required to include a generic Mortgage Valuation Report in the Home Report. 

By law, the Home Report documents can be no more than 12 weeks old when the property is put on the market for sale.

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