Before the appointment
Save the listing, floor plan, Energy Performance Certificate, asking price, tenure description, and appointment details before you arrive. Write down personal deal-breakers and practical requirements: commute, accessibility, outside space, parking, room use, storage, or school and care needs. This keeps important checks visible when a property makes a strong first impression.
Ask the agent or seller whether photographs and short notes are allowed. Do not photograph people, private documents, security details, or neighbouring property without permission. A viewing record should be useful without collecting unnecessary personal information.
Twelve checks · one visual language
What to notice—and how to record it
Viewing Ledger uses the same twelve labels for each home. Each item can be marked clear, follow up, concern, or not checked. “Not checked” is a useful result: it prevents silence from becoming false reassurance. These original 3D scenes are reference cues based on real visible signs and viewing contexts, not diagnoses or surveys.
Visible fabric and drainage signs
Roof and exterior
Roof covering, gutter joints, staining, and repair patches visible from permitted ground-level areas.
One slate sits out of line above the front bay; dark staining runs below the right gutter joint.
Follow up: Ask what was repaired and whether invoices, reports, or guarantees exist.
Walls and movement
Crack position and shape, bulges, and openings that do not appear square.
Stepped crack follows mortar joints from the upper window corner; front door frame appears out of square.
Follow up: Record the exact location and ask what reports or repairs exist; leave cause to a qualified surveyor.
Damp and drainage
Smells, marks, mould, condensation, outside ground levels, gullies, and standing water.
Brown mark runs above the skirting; lower pane is wet; leaves and shallow water sit around the outside gully.
Follow up: Note weather and room conditions, then ask about treatment, leaks, drainage work, and supporting reports.
Permitted tests and records to request
Electrics
Visible consumer-unit condition, damaged socket faces, heat marks, temporary wiring, and overloaded extensions.
Socket face is cracked with a brown mark above the switch; loose cable ends beside the consumer unit.
Follow up: Do not touch damaged fittings. Ask for current electrical records and use a qualified electrician for safety checks.
Heating and hot water
Heat source and controls, radiator response, corrosion, water marks, and service evidence actually seen.
Radiator valve is corroded with a mark below; top section stayed cool during the permitted test; service record not seen.
Follow up: Ask when system last ran, what is serviced, and which records or warranties can be provided.
Plumbing and water pressure
Tap flow, drainage speed, visible joints, stains, drips, accessible pipes, and stopcock location.
Kitchen tap flow was weak; basin drained slowly; one drip and a fresh-looking mark were visible below the sink joint.
Follow up: Ask whether water was isolated or work is planned, and arrange a plumbing check where needed.
Operation, comfort, and practical fit
Windows and doors
Operation, locks, seals, condensation position, frame condition, glazing, and draught gaps.
Condensation appears between the front bay panes; lower frame is weathered; light is visible beneath the front door.
Follow up: Open permitted examples and ask what is included, warranted, repaired, or awaiting replacement.
Noise and daylight
Sound source, time of visit, room, outlook, shading, and natural light with artificial lights off.
Road traffic was audible in the front room at 16:30; inner corner remained dim with the room lights off.
Follow up: Pause in several rooms and, if important, revisit at another day or time.
Layout and storage
Furniture routes, door swings, usable dimensions, storage depth, circulation, stairs, and awkward access.
Double-bed footprint leaves a narrow route to the wardrobe; stair turn may restrict larger furniture.
Follow up: Measure critical spaces and compare them with furniture and accessibility needs.
Statements kept separate from evidence
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.
Charges and planned works
Amount source and date, statement period, reserve fund, planned works, notices, and documents not yet received.
Agent quoted a service charge verbally; current statement, reserve-fund position, and planned-works notice were not seen.
Follow up: Request dated documents and have your conveyancer check liabilities and planned works.
Access and parking
Observed boundaries, shared routes, gates, bay layout, turning space, bins, cycles, and delivery access.
Drive appears shared; one bay is marked; bin route crosses the narrow entrance between boundary walls.
Follow up: Record the arrangement, then ask your conveyancer to verify ownership, rights, restrictions, and allocated parking.
Keep observation separate from conclusion
Write “brown mark below rear bedroom window” rather than “roof leak.” Write “agent said boiler serviced last year; certificate not seen” rather than “boiler serviced.” Precise observations help a surveyor, conveyancer, tradesperson, lender, insurer, or seller understand what needs checking. An unsupported diagnosis can send comparison in the wrong direction.
Government guidance says buyers should consider an independent survey. Survey type should fit the property and circumstances. Your record can focus later questions, but it cannot reveal concealed defects or replace inspection by a suitably qualified professional.
After the viewing
Add a short follow-up beside every uncertain item: request a document, revisit at another time, ask a professional, measure a space, or confirm what remains in the sale. Then enter only cost figures you control or have obtained. Keep purchase tax, legal work, survey, mortgage costs, removals, urgent work, furnishings, and reserve as separate lines.
Do not turn an estimate into a fact. Label its source and date. Tax, lending, insurance, service charges, and repair costs can depend on personal circumstances and can change. Confirm current figures with official guidance and relevant professionals before committing.
Compare records, then verify
Compare the same categories across shortlisted homes. Count unresolved follow-ups. Look at the difference between asking price and your entered first-year cash requirement. Revisit emotional judgements after the factual record is complete. A lower-priced home can still carry more immediate work or uncertainty; a polished home can still have missing documents or unsuitable ongoing costs.
Before making an offer, read our questions to ask at a house viewing and create a first-year home-buying cost record.
Primary sources
- GOV.UK: deciding on a home, surveys, EPCs, and property checks
- GOV.UK: How to buy a home
- RICS: damp and mould consumer guide
- Electrical Safety First: RCDs and visible electrical context
Last reviewed 29 August 2026. England-focused; processes differ elsewhere in the UK.