37 questions to ask at a property viewing
Estate agents are in a tricky position: they are paid by the seller but they need you to keep coming back. Most will answer almost any question if you ask it directly. The trick is knowing what to ask. These are the 37 questions we wish we had had on our phones for our own viewings.
About the seller and the chain
- Why is the seller moving?
- How long have they lived here?
- Have they accepted an offer somewhere already, or are they still looking?
- How long has this property been on the market?
- Has the price been reduced? When and by how much?
- Have any offers fallen through? If so, why?
- Is the seller open to negotiation, or is the asking price firm?
- How quickly can the seller move?
About the property itself
- When was the property last redecorated, rewired or replumbed?
- How old is the boiler? When was it last serviced?
- What heating fuel does the property use, and what is the average annual heating cost?
- Is there any history of subsidence, flooding or fire?
- Have any extensions or conversions been done? Are the building regulation certificates available?
- Are there any guarantees still in force (damp, timber, double glazing, roof)?
- Is the loft insulated? To what depth?
- Is there a garage/outbuilding with planning permission?
About running costs
- What council tax band is it?
- What is the EPC rating, and what would improve it?
- Are there any service charges, ground rent or estate management fees?
- Are the windows uPVC, timber, aluminium? When were they last replaced?
- How is the water supplied (mains, borehole)? Is the property metered?
About the area and the neighbours
- What are the neighbours like? Have there been any disputes?
- What is the parking situation on this street, especially in the evening?
- How is broadband here? What speed do you actually get?
- What is the noise like — at rush hour, at night, at weekends?
- Is the area in a conservation area or any other planning restriction zone?
- Are there any planned developments nearby (housing, roads, retail)?
- What are the local schools like for this catchment?
- How long does the bin/recycling collection take to arrive after Christmas, after a Bank Holiday?
About the legal bits
- Is the property freehold or leasehold? If leasehold, how many years remain?
- Is there a shared driveway, right of way, or any other easement?
- Are any of the boundaries disputed? Who owns each fence?
- Have any major neighbour disputes been formally recorded with the council?
About the sale process
- Are any furnishings or appliances included? Which?
- If we offer below asking, what would you advise the seller?
- Are there other interested parties at the moment?
- What is the seller’s ideal completion date?
How to use these on the day
You are not going to ask all 37 in one viewing — and you should not. Pick the 10 that matter most for this specific property and have them ready on your phone. SeenHouse lets you build your own custom question list and tick them off in real time at the viewing.
Then write the answers down (or dictate them into your phone) before you leave the driveway. Within an hour you will have forgotten half of them. Use our viewing checklist alongside this.