What to check during the viewing
Ask how the property is being sold: freehold, leasehold, commonhold, shared ownership, or another arrangement. For leasehold, record the stated remaining term, ground rent, service charge, managing agent, freeholder, reserve fund, building insurance, restrictions, and any planned lease extension—but label every answer as unverified until documents arrive. For flats, note shared entrance, lifts, corridors, stores, gardens, parking, roof, windows, and other communal elements that appear relevant to maintenance or use. Do not calculate value or legal effect from the viewing. Give the lease, title, management pack, accounts, notices, and seller forms to a conveyancer.
Reference example
Tenure and lease details
What the seller or agent said, which document supports it, and what remains unseen or unverified.
Agent described the property as leasehold; lease and title documents were not seen at the viewing.
Follow up: Keep the statement separate and ask your conveyancer to verify tenure, term, rights, and restrictions.
Use a consistent sequence
- Capture the stated tenure. Record the exact words used in the listing and by the agent or seller, including share of freehold, commonhold, estate charge, shared ownership percentage, or lease extension claims. These phrases can hide important distinctions. Keep source and date beside each statement instead of merging them into one assumed fact.
- Map spaces to responsibility questions. During the viewing, list communal halls, stairs, lifts, roofs, windows, balconies, gardens, stores, parking, cycle areas, bin areas, roads, and gates that affect use. Ask who is said to maintain each area, then flag the lease, title, transfer, management pack, or estate documents needed for verification.
- Ask about restrictions and control. Record stated rules affecting pets, letting, alterations, floor coverings, commercial use, parking, storage, satellite equipment, or short-term occupation. Do not assume a current practice is permitted because another resident does it. Ask whether consents, breaches, disputes, or enforcement correspondence exist.
- Build a document queue. Request the lease or transfer, official title information, property forms, management pack, current budget, recent accounts, insurance schedule, planned-work notices, meeting minutes where supplied, and lease-extension documents. Record version and period. Your conveyancer determines which documents and enquiries are needed for this transaction.
What to put in the record
- Keep listing claims, spoken answers, seller forms, lease wording, title records, and conveyancer conclusions as separate dated sources.
- Record remaining lease term only as stated until the lease commencement, term, variations, and title position are checked.
- Photograph communal condition only where permitted, avoiding residents, access codes, post, door numbers, and security systems.
- List every restriction or responsibility question beside the document or professional enquiry expected to resolve it.
Questions for the seller or agent
- What tenure is stated, what lease term remains, and are any lease extension, enfranchisement, shared-ownership, or freehold changes underway?
- Who manages and insures the building or estate, what areas are communal, and how are decisions and costs allocated?
- Are there restrictions, consents, breaches, disputes, arrears, tribunal matters, or management changes relevant to intended use?
What this viewing check cannot establish
This checklist does not interpret a lease, title, transfer, restriction, covenant, service-charge liability, statutory right, or mortgage requirement. GOV.UK guidance describes general leasehold responsibilities and recommends professional advice. Rules and transaction processes vary by tenure, document wording, jurisdiction, and circumstances.
Do not rely on “share of freehold,” “peppercorn rent,” “long lease,” “no restrictions,” or “managed by residents” without documentary detail. Do not contact managing agents or other residents using private information obtained during a viewing. Route enquiries through the agent and conveyancer unless authorised otherwise.
When to get professional help
Send your tenure statement log and intended uses to the conveyancer early. Ask them to verify title, lease term, parties, charges, restrictions, repair and insurance responsibility, management information, planned changes, and lender requirements. Where specialist valuation or lease advice is needed, agree scope before relying on informal online estimates.
Continue the property record
Return to the complete UK property viewing checklist or review a connected check:
Use this check in the next decision
Keep the observation attached when you revisit, ask follow-up questions, or compare shortlisted homes:
- Second Viewing Checklist for UK Buyers
- Questions to Ask After a House Viewing
- How to Compare Property Viewings
Apply the same twelve checks with property-specific emphasis:
Primary sources
Last reviewed 9 September 2026. England-focused general information; property, transaction, and professional requirements differ.