What's in a Home Report: the three parts explained
The short answer
A Home Report has three parts: the Single Survey (a RICS surveyor's condition ratings and valuation), the Energy Report (EPC rating plus improvement recommendations), and the Property Questionnaire (the seller's own answers about the home's history). Read it in that order, translate the 1-2-3 ratings honestly - a 3 means "costs money now" - and pay as much attention to what the surveyor recommends investigating as to what they rated.
The three parts, in reading order
- 1
The Single Survey
The heart of the report: a RICS surveyor's inspection rating every element - roof, walls, damp, timber, services - as 1 (no action), 2 (repair or maintenance needed) or 3 (urgent or serious), plus a market valuation and an accessibility audit. Broadly a Level 2 survey in depth: thorough on what's visible, not invasive.
- 2
The Energy Report
The EPC rating (A to G) with estimated running costs and the upgrades that would improve them. In older stone stock, treat it as a heat-loss to-do list priced in future bills - and increasingly, in mortgage products that reward efficiency.
- 3
The Property Questionnaire
The seller's own declarations: council tax band, alterations and their consents, notices, flooding history, factoring arrangements for flats, parking, guarantees. Legally the seller's answers, not the surveyor's - read it for what has paperwork and what conspicuously doesn't.
What it isn't
The Single Survey is standardised and surface-level by design: no lifted floorboards, no opened electrics, no drain tests. On an extended Victorian tenement flat or a house with visible alterations, a buyer can and sometimes should add their own deeper survey or specialist checks on top. The valuation inside is also a single professional's figure, and when the market disagrees with it, the low-valuation guide covers what happens next. What the report certainly is: the shared factual floor every offer in a Scottish sale is built on - which is why getting it done well matters more than getting it done cheap.
Commissioning a Home Report?
Verified RICS surveyors quote for Home Reports across Scotland - compare fees, turnaround and lender acceptance, free.
Compare Home Report quotesCommon questions
Is a Category 3 rating a reason to walk away?
It's a reason to price, not necessarily to run: a 3 means urgent attention - anything from a £300 flashing repair to £15,000 of roof. The quote you get for the specific item is the decision; the rating alone is just the flag.
How does the Single Survey compare to an English Level 2 survey?
Same family: visual inspection, element-by-element condition ratings, no invasive work - with a valuation always included, which English Level 2s often add separately. Buyers wanting Level 3 building-survey depth on an old or altered property still commission that themselves.
Can I trust the Property Questionnaire?
It's the seller's legal declaration, so deliberate falsehood has consequences - but its real value is the paper trail. 'Alterations: yes' should come with consents and completion certificates; answers without documents are your solicitor's first enquiry.
Does the Energy Report affect my mortgage?
Increasingly at the margins: several lenders price green products by EPC band, and running-cost estimates feed affordability arithmetic in a high-energy-price world. A poor rating won't block a loan, but the recommended upgrades list is worth costing before you offer.
Sources and further reading