Since 1 December 2008, almost every home marketed for sale in Scotland has had to carry a Home Report before the first advert appears (Housing (Scotland) Act 2006). England and Wales have nothing like it: there, every interested buyer pays for their own survey after offering. Here, the seller pays once and every buyer reads the same pack before offering, which changes how both sides should use it.
What is in the pack
| Document | What it tells you | Who produces it |
|---|---|---|
| Single Survey and valuation | The home's condition room by room, repairs graded 1 to 3, an accessibility audit, a market valuation and a rebuild cost for insurance | A chartered surveyor registered with RICS |
| Energy Report | The EPC band from A to G, estimated running costs for heating, lighting and hot water, and the improvements that would raise the rating | The same surveyor |
| Property Questionnaire | Sixteen sections in the seller's own words: council tax band, alterations, past damage, guarantees, factoring arrangements, notices and more | The seller |
The Single Survey and its categories
| Category | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1 | No immediate action or repair needed. |
| 2 | Repair or replacement requiring future attention. Estimates advised. |
| 3 | Urgent repair or replacement needed now. Failure to deal with it may cause problems to other parts of the property, or a safety hazard. |
Two things temper the grades. The inspection is visual: the surveyor does not lift carpets, drain systems or open walls, so 'not inspected' notes matter as much as the numbers. And a category 3 is not a verdict on the purchase; it is an instruction to price the works before you decide what the home is worth to you. Sellers can attend to cheap category 2s and 3s before marketing rather than watch every buyer deduct three times their cost.
The valuation is the load-bearing number
Offers in Scotland are made and judged against the Home Report valuation, not the asking price. 'Offers over £230,000' with a £250,000 valuation is a very different proposition from the same label with a £230,000 valuation. Lenders lend against it too: most will accept the Home Report valuation, obtained as a transcript from the surveyor, while some instruct their own. Any bid above the valuation is funded from the buyer's own cash, which is why the valuation, not the asking figure, should anchor every budget.
The Energy Report
The Energy Report carries the Energy Performance Certificate: the A-to-G band that must appear in the advert itself, estimated annual costs for heating, lighting and hot water, and a list of improvements with their likely impact. Treat the running-cost figures as standardised estimates for comparing homes rather than a prediction of your bills, since they assume standard occupancy and standard tariffs.
The Property Questionnaire
The questionnaire is the seller speaking: the council tax band, alterations and whether consents were obtained, any history of fire, storm or flood damage, treatments for damp or rot and their guarantees, the factoring arrangement and its charges on a shared building, and any notices served on the property. Buyers should read it for what is missing as much as what is there. An attic conversion with no mention of a building warrant is a question for your solicitor before you offer, not a discovery for afterwards.
The rules a seller must follow
- The Home Report must be no more than 12 weeks old when the home first goes on the market.
- A copy must be provided within nine days of a potential buyer asking for it. Only a reasonable copying charge may be made; digital copies are normally free, and ours always are.
- A home can come off the market for up to four weeks without the report needing to be refreshed before relisting.
- Trading Standards enforce the duty and can issue a penalty charge notice for non-compliance.
Those rules come from the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 and its regulations, checked against mygov.scot and Trading Standards guidance in August 2026. The report does not lapse while the home stays continuously on the market, but a buyer's lender may want the valuation refreshed if months have passed, so a long marketing period eventually circles back to the surveyor.
Who pays, and what it costs
The seller commissions and pays for the Home Report; buyers never pay for it. Surveyors set their own prices, typically £350 to £600 depending on the home's size and value. When we are the selling agent, we arrange the surveyor at their own price, with nothing added.
Homes that do not need one
- New homes sold off-plan, and newly converted homes not yet lived in since conversion.
- Homes bought under right-to-buy.
- Seasonal holiday homes whose use is restricted to less than 11 months a year.
- Mixed residential and commercial premises, and portfolios of homes sold as one lot.
An Energy Performance Certificate is still required in every one of those cases. The exemption is from the Home Report, not from the EPC.
When a buyer should still get their own advice
- The report is several months old and the market has moved since.
- Category 2 or 3 repairs need real quotes from a contractor before you can price your offer.
- The construction is unusual, such as thatch, timber frame or a converted steading, and merits a full building survey.
- Your lender declines the transcript and instructs its own valuation. You pay their surveyor, not the seller's.
Frequently asked
- Is the Home Report valuation the same as the asking price?
- No, and the gap between them is information. 'Offers over' figures are commonly set below the valuation to invite competition; a fixed price may sit at or above it. Judge every asking figure against the valuation, because the valuation is what a lender will lend against.
- How old can a Home Report be?
- No more than 12 weeks old when the home first goes on the market. It does not expire while the home remains continuously marketed, though a lender may ask for a refreshed valuation on an old report, and a home off the market for more than four weeks may need the report updated before relisting.
- Do buyers ever pay for the Home Report?
- No. The seller commissions and pays for it, and must provide a copy within nine days of a request, at most a reasonable copying charge for paper copies. Any agent seriously marketing a home sends it to viewers free; we send it before the viewing.
- Do new-build homes have a Home Report?
- Homes sold off-plan or newly converted are exempt, so there is no Single Survey or valuation to read. An Energy Performance Certificate is still required, and your lender will value the home as a condition of the mortgage.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Law and practice change, and individual circumstances vary. Check current guidance at mygov.scot and take professional advice on anything affecting your specific position.
