Property Viewing Checklist
What to look at, and what to ask, at every viewing.
Free, no sign-up. 7 sections, 40 checks. Edit it to fit your own transaction.
Viewings are short, emotional and easy to get wrong. Most buyers spend twenty minutes in a property, form an opinion in the first three, and then look for reasons to support it. A written list is the simplest correction: it forces the same questions at every property, so the fourth one is judged on the same terms as the first.
Work through it in the property with a phone torch and a tape measure. The items that matter most are the boring ones — where the water comes in, how old the heating is, what the walls feel like behind the furniture.
Before you arrive
Five minutes of preparation changes what you notice inside.
- Walk or drive the street at a different time of day than the viewing
- Check what is directly behind and beside the property, not just in front
- Note the distance to transport, schools and shops yourself rather than trusting the listing
- Look up recent sold prices for the same street or building
- Check for planning applications nearby that could change the outlook or access
Outside the property
- Roof line straight, tiles or covering intact, no visible sagging
- Gutters and downpipes clear, no staining down the walls beneath them
- Brickwork or render free of large cracks, especially around windows and corners
- Window frames sound, double glazing free of misting between panes
- Ground slopes away from the building, drains and gullies clear
- Boundary lines match what is described, fences and walls in usable condition
Damp, water and ventilation
The most expensive problems announce themselves quietly.
- Musty smell on entering, particularly in rooms that have been closed up
- Staining or bubbling at skirting level and in ceiling corners
- Fresh paint in one patch only, or furniture pushed against a single wall
- Black mould around window reveals and in bathroom corners
- Extractor fans present and working in kitchen and bathrooms
- Water pressure at the highest tap in the property, hot and cold
Services and systems
- Age and type of heating system, and when it was last serviced
- Consumer unit or fuse board looks modern, not a rewireable relic
- Enough sockets in each room, positioned where furniture would go
- Water stopcock located, and you know where it is
- Internet connection type actually available at the address
- Any solar, battery or heat pump equipment owned outright rather than leased
Space and layout
- Measure the rooms you care about rather than trusting the floor plan
- Check a bed, sofa or dining table you own would actually fit and turn
- Storage: where would coats, bikes, luggage and cleaning equipment live
- Natural light in the rooms you will use in the daytime
- Which direction the main living space and garden face
- Ceiling height and any awkward low points on stairs and landings
Noise and neighbours
- Stand still and stay silent for a full minute in the main bedroom
- Traffic, flight paths, railway lines, pubs, schools and collection points nearby
- Shared walls, floors and ceilings: what is on the other side of each
- Bin storage and collection arrangements, and where they are relative to windows
- Parking: allocated, permit, or first-come, and how it looks in the evening
Questions to ask before you leave
- How long has it been on the market, and has the price changed
- Why is the seller moving, and how soon do they need to complete
- Have any offers been made and fallen through, and why
- What work has been done, when, and is there paperwork for it
- What are the annual running costs: tax, insurance, service or association charges
- What is included in the sale, in writing, item by item
How to use it
Print one copy per property and score each item rather than ticking it. Marking a row as "fine", "check again" or "priced in" is far more useful a week later than a tick, because by the fourth viewing every property blurs into the others.
Book a second viewing at a different time
Almost every viewing is arranged for when the property looks best. A second visit on a weekday evening or a wet morning tells you about light, noise, parking and heating in a way that a bright Saturday morning never will. Sellers rarely refuse.
What a checklist cannot replace
None of this substitutes for a professional survey or building inspection before you commit. The purpose here is to decide whether a property is worth paying for that inspection, and to arrive at the offer stage knowing what to ask about.
Common questions
How long should a viewing take?
Twenty to thirty minutes for a first viewing is normal, and a second viewing should be longer. If you feel rushed, say so and arrange to come back — a seller who will not allow a proper look is telling you something worth knowing.
Should I point out faults during the viewing?
Note them rather than announcing them. Listing defects in front of the agent invites a prepared answer; raising them later, in writing, at the offer stage gives you a much stronger negotiating position.
Do I still need a survey if the checklist looks clean?
Yes. A checklist catches what is visible in twenty minutes with a torch. Roof structure, drainage, electrics behind walls and movement in the building need equipment and training that a viewing cannot substitute for.
Related templates
Viewing, offering, financing and completing a purchase.
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