buying

Questions to ask when viewing a house, and the official source that checks each answer

Questions to ask when viewing a house, why each one matters and the official source you can use to check the answer, from flood risk to tenure.

4 min read
Last reviewed 4 November 2026
By Your Property Check team

Part 1 of 5

Ask, then verify

General information, not advice. The questions to ask when viewing a house are only half the job, because a spoken answer is only a starting point. A viewing is a chance to ask, and to look. Estate agents and sellers can be mistaken, or may not know. A government consultation document we read on 4 November 2026 says the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits traders from omitting, or providing unclear or untimely, material information to consumers, and that a misleading omission is unlawful. We do not say an agent has to answer every question. We do say you should not rely on the answer alone, and that you can check most of them for free or for a few pounds.

Part 2 of 5

The questions, and where to verify the answers

Question	Why ask it	Where to verify it
Is it freehold or leasehold? If leasehold, how many years are left?	Tenure affects cost, lending and resale. The consultation lists tenure, including time remaining on a lease, as an indicative category of material information.	The title register from HM Land Registry, which GOV.UK lists at £7
What council tax band is it in?	It is a running cost. The consultation lists council tax as an indicative category.	GOV.UK Council Tax band checker (England and Wales), or the Scottish Assessors in Scotland
What is the energy rating?	It tells you about running costs and may affect plans to improve the home.	GOV.UK "Find an energy certificate" (England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland has a separate service)
Has it ever flooded, and is the area at risk?	Flood risk is on the consultation's indicative list.	GOV.UK long term flood risk service (England only), or the separate services for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Where exactly are the boundaries, and who owns the fences?	Citizens Advice lists boundaries among the standard enquiries your solicitor puts to the seller.	The title plan (£7 on GOV.UK) shows general boundaries only; ask your solicitor
Any disputes with neighbours, noise or building works nearby?	Citizens Advice lists neighbour disputes among the standard enquiries.	Your solicitor's enquiries; local planning applications on the council website
What is included in the sale: fixtures, fittings, appliances?	Avoids disagreement after exchange.	Your solicitor's enquiries to the seller; Citizens Advice lists fixtures and fittings among them
Has any building work been done, and is the paperwork available?	Work may have needed approval, so ask for the paperwork.	Council planning and building control records, via your solicitor's local search
Why is the seller moving, and how long has it been on the market?	Gives context on timing and chains.	Not verifiable from an official source; treat as background
Any problems with damp, subsidence or mining?	The consultation lists damp, subsidence and coalfield or mining areas among the indicative categories.	A survey; see below

Part 3 of 5

What to look for with your own eyes

Bring a list and go through it room by room, rather than relying on memory afterwards. Take photographs of anything that concerns you, including the meter, the boiler, the loft hatch and the outside of the building, so you can show them to your surveyor and compare them against what you were told. A second viewing, at a different time of day, often shows more than the first.

Signs of damp or water damage: stains on ceilings, musty smells, peeling paint around windows.
Cracks: note where they are and how wide. Our article on subsidence explains why that matters.
The roof, gutters and windows from the street and the garden.
Phone signal and broadband where you will work or sleep.
The street at different times of day, if you can.

Part 4 of 5

Red flags worth a second look

Answers that change between the agent and the seller.
Reluctance to confirm tenure, lease length or service charges in writing.
Recent cosmetic work covering one wall or ceiling only.
A flood risk answer that does not match the GOV.UK service.

None of these proves a problem. Each is a reason to ask for evidence or a survey.

Part 5 of 5

Verifying with free tools

Use our flood risk checker, crime rate by postcode tool, EPC finder and planning applications tool before or just after a viewing. They point you to the underlying official data. Keep your own notes of what was said and by whom. For the full pre-offer routine, read our checks before buying a house.

This page is general information, not advice. A surveyor and a solicitor or licensed conveyancer can advise on a specific property.

Our take

Treat every viewing answer as a claim to verify

An answer at a viewing is not proof. Tenure, council tax band, energy rating, flood risk and boundaries can all be checked against official sources, and we think that is the right habit: ask the question, then check the answer yourself. The common mistake is to rely on what you were told in the room.

OfferCheck does much of that checking in one place. It is a plain-English risk report on any UK address before you offer, covering crime, flood, planning, tenure and more, with every figure sourced. Start with the free snapshot, and take it with you to a second viewing.

Get OfferCheck

Our opinion, drawn from the facts on this page: not advice and not a forecast. We earn from OfferCheck reports and from introducing sellers to cash buyers, so weigh it with that in mind (see our disclosure). We are not authorised or regulated by the FCA.

Questions, answered

Frequently asked questions

What should I ask at a viewing?

Ask about tenure and lease length, council tax band, energy rating, flood risk, boundaries, neighbour disputes, building work and what is included in the sale. Then verify each answer with an official source.

What should I look for when viewing a house?

Look for damp or water stains, cracks, the condition of the roof and windows, and the surroundings at different times of day. Photograph anything that concerns you and raise it with your surveyor.

What are the red flags at a viewing?

Answers that differ between agent and seller, reluctance to confirm tenure or charges in writing, and recent cosmetic work covering one area only. None proves a problem, but each justifies asking for evidence.

Who can verify the answers?

Official services cover much of it: the Land Registry for tenure and boundaries, GOV.UK for flood risk, energy certificates and council tax bands, and your solicitor's enquiries and searches for the rest.

Does an estate agent have to answer my questions?

We do not say agents must answer every question. A government consultation says the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits omitting material information to consumers, so an agent should not mislead you.

Where this comes from

Sources

Last reviewed 4 November 2026 by the Your Property Check team. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. For your own situation, speak to a conveyancing solicitor or another qualified professional.