Terms of Engagement for Pre-sale Appraisals

1.1 The purpose of the appraisal is to provide reliable information on the state of condition and repair of the home to the seller, prior to bringing the home to market, or prior to a survey and inspection being carried out by a Building Society approved Chartered Surveyor or Licensed Home Inspector.

1.2 The appraisal is provided for the sole use of the Client in the preparation of bringing the home to the market, and is confidential to the Client. The assessor accepts responsibility to the Client alone and accepts no responsibility whatever to any other third party, person or body. Any third party, person or body who relies upon the appraisal does so at their own risk, and Home Reports UK.com gives no authorisation for the Report to be communicated to any such third party, person or body without having previously obtained the express written authorisation of Home Reports UK.com.

1.3 The main objective of the appraisal is to tell the client about problems that require urgent attention, are of a serious nature, or both. The report will not highlight minor defects.

1.4 The report does not contain a valuation and the inspection does not include matters that are more specifically considered when a valuation is provided, such as the location of the home or the availability of public transport or amenities. A seller requiring a valuation must arrange for one to be separately prepared.

1.5 The assessor carries out a ‘non invasive’ inspection. That means that the assessor does not take up carpets or floor coverings, move furniture or remove the contents of cupboards. Nor, for example, does he lift floorboards, remove secured panels or undo electrical fittings. The assessor will state in the report if it was not possible to inspect any parts of the home that are normally reported on. Where the assessor has reason to be concerned about these parts the report will tell the client about any further investigations that are needed.

1.6 The report does not contain advice on the cost of any remedial work or the methods of repair that should be employed. A seller requiring advice on these subjects must arrange for it to be provided separately.

1.7 The report is not an Asbestos Inspection within the meaning of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002.

The following sections give more detailed information on the extent of the inspection.

2. The exterior of the property:

2.1 The assessor carries out a non-invasive inspection of the outside of the main building and permanent outbuildings, from various vantage points within the boundaries of the property and from public areas such as footpaths and open spaces, using binoculars where necessary. The assessor does not stand on walls or enter adjacent private property. The assessor has a ladder for viewing flat roofs and other features that are up to 3 metres (10 feet) above the adjoining ground level. Features above this level that cannot be seen from any vantage point are not inspected. Because of the risk of causing damage, the assessor does not walk on flat roofs.

2.2 The assessor looks at the overall condition and the state of repair of the exterior parts of the property. The report does not reflect every minor blemish, and by way of example, it does not point out each individual minor defect in the external walls. Where however, there are so many minor defects that taken together they are serious then the report states this.

3. The interior of the property:

3.1 The assessor carries out a non-invasive inspection of all the parts of the home that can be seen without causing damage. In the event, however, that the assessor cannot see a part of the home without the risk of damage, and suspicion exists that there could be a defect, the report states this and includes recommendations on the need for further investigation.

3.2 The assessor checks for damp penetration in vulnerable locations with the use of a moisture-measuring meter.

3.3 The assessor opens a selection of the windows and all the doors, where possible. The assessor enters the roof space, so long as there is safe access. In properties where there are obstructions, for example, where there is a deep thickness of insulation over the ceiling joists, the assessor does not walk around the space, because of the risk to safety, but views the roof from the access point.

The assessor does not comment on the condition or adequacy of chimney flues.

4. Services:

4.1 The assessor is not required to hold the qualifications of a ‘services’ engineer and therefore does not give a comprehensive test report on any of the services. The assessor reports on those parts of the services that can be seen and no formal tests are undertaken. If any services such as the boiler or mains water are turned off the assessor will state that in the report and will not turn them on.

4.2 Otherwise, the assessor turns on a selection of water taps on sanitary appliances and lifts the covers on the drainage inspection chambers where it is safe and practical to do so.

4.3 The assessor reports only on the services expressly stated - Electricity, Gas, Water, Heating and Drainage. All other services and appliances are excluded from the report, for example: security and door answering systems, television, cable, wireless and satellite communication systems, cookers, hobs, washing machines and fridges (even where built in).

5. Flats

5.1 It is frequently difficult to see the entire exterior of the property or block, and its maintenance is seldom the responsibility of a single flat occupier. The assessor will only carry out a non-invasive inspection to the level of detail referred to above, the main walls, windows and roof over the flat. The remainder of the block will not be inspected to this detail. The assessor will form an opinion based on a general inspection of the remainder of the block that is accessed by the entrance to the flat or common parts serving the flat, as to the standard of maintenance and management. Information given about the exterior and common parts is provided so that the conveyancer can check whether the maintenance provisions within the lease or other title documents are adequate.

5.2 The assessor inspects the common access way to the flat, where such exist, and the area where car parking and garaging for the flat are located, together with the access thereto. Other common parts, such as separate halls, stairs and access ways to other flats in the block, the lift motor room and cleaning cupboards are not inspected.

5.3 The interior of the flat is inspected in the same manner as is described under ‘The interior of the property’ above. However, the roof space is only inspected where access can be safely made from within the flat itself. Access to the roof space is not undertaken where it is only possible from the common parts or from within another flat.

6. Grounds

6.1 The assessor walks round the grounds and the report provides an overview of the general condition of any garden (but not the way it is stocked) retaining and other walls, fences, and permanent outbuildings. Conservatories, with translucent or clear roofs, attached to the main buildings are treated as outbuildings, as are garages and permanent store sheds, Buildings containing swimming pools and sports facilities are treated as outbuildings, but the assessor does not report on the leisure facilities, such as the pool itself and its equipment.

7. Re-instatement Cost

7.1 This is not a valuation of the home.

7.2 The report includes a re-instatement cost [except where the property has special features which mean that the services of a specialist are required to assess the cost, in which event the report states that a specialist is required]. This figure represents the sum at which the home should be insured against fire and other risks. It is based on building and other related costs and does not include the value of the land on which the home is built.

8. Hazardous materials and contaminated land

The assessor assumes that the home is not built with, nor does it contain hazardous materials, and that it is not built on contaminated land. If, however, any such materials are found during the inspection, or the assessor finds evidence to suspect that the land may be contaminated, this is stated within the report along with recommendations on the need for further investigation.

9. Health & safety and other risks.

9.1 The assessor draws attention to health and safety issues where, to ensure a safe environment, the homeowner will need to expend money as part of the improvement of the condition of the home.

9.2 The assessor is not required to identify hazards which are inherent, by reason of the age of the property, and which cannot reasonably be changed. By way of example, the assessor will not draw attention to uneven floor surfaces that have existed for decades.

10. Matters that may need to be investigated by conveyancers

10.1 It is not the role of the assessor to act as ‘the conveyancer’. The assessor will carry out a basic environmental check of the property, and if during the home inspection, the assessor identifies matters that may require further investigation by the conveyancers who may be advising on the transaction (frequently a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer) then the assessor will make reference to these in the report. The purpose of this is to draw the matters to the attention of others to improve the speed and quality of the information in the procedure.

10.2 The assessor will not have seen the legal and other documents concerning the home.

11 . What you should do in the event of a query or complaint:

11.1 Should you have any query or complaint about the Report or the assessor, please follow the published complaints procedure. This can be obtained on request from the assessor who undertook the inspection.