Home Reports in Scotland, explained

A Home Report is a pack of documents that a seller in Scotland must have before putting a home on the market. It tells buyers about the condition of the home, its energy efficiency and its value before they make an offer.

Reviewed by Gavin Pearson, Senior Legal Director

What is a Home Report?

Home Reports were introduced by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 and have been needed since December 2008. Before then, several buyers could each pay for a survey on the same home, even though only one of them could buy it. A Home Report has three parts:

• Single survey. A surveyor’s report on the condition of the home. It rates around 24 parts of the property from 1 to 3, and gives the surveyor’s opinion of the market value and a rebuild (reinstatement) value for insurance.
• Energy report. How energy efficient the home is, including its Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating and suggestions for cutting energy bills and carbon emissions.
• Property questionnaire. The seller’s answers on practical points such as council tax band, parking, alterations, guarantees and factoring.

Most Home Reports also include a mortgage valuation report for lenders. It is not required by law, but it is there so a buyer’s lender can use it.

The surveyor also notes anything the buyer’s solicitor should check. For example, if windows have been replaced or the layout has changed, the solicitor will ask the seller for the building warrant or planning permission.

Do you need a Home Report?

Yes, if you are selling a home in Scotland with vacant possession. The duty starts as soon as you make it public that the home is, or may become, available for sale. In practice that means you need the Home Report before any advert, listing or “coming soon” post goes out.

There are a few exceptions:

• New-build homes that have never been lived in
• Newly converted homes not yet used as a home
• Homes due to be demolished, with the consents in place
• Empty homes that are unsafe to live in
• Seasonal or holiday homes where a planning condition limits their use
• Portfolios of homes sold together, and sales mixed with non-residential property
• Homes sold with a sitting tenant, or sold privately without being put on the market

England and Wales do not have Home Reports. Sellers there only need an Energy Performance Certificate.

Who pays for the Home Report?

The seller. The law puts the duty on whoever is marketing the home, so the seller commissions the Home Report and pays the surveyor. A buyer who asks for a copy gets it free, although the seller can charge the cost of a paper copy.

How much does a Home Report cost?

There is no set fee. Surveyors set their own prices, so the cost varies from home to home. As a guide, The Glasgow Law Practice puts the usual range at £400 to £800 (May 2026).

What affects the price	Why
Value of the home	Most surveyors price the Home Report on the value of the property
Size and type	Larger, older or unusual homes take longer to inspect and write up
Location	Prices tend to be higher in the cities than in rural areas
A later refresh	If the report needs updating, the surveyor charges for that separately

At MOV8 we base the Home Report fee on the value of your home. Book a free valuation and we will give you a full breakdown of the costs of selling, including the Home Report.

How long does a Home Report last?

A Home Report has no legal expiry date. The rule is about when the home goes on the market: the information in it must be no more than 12 weeks old on the day the home is first marketed.

Situation	What the rules say
Putting the home on the market	The Home Report must be no more than 12 weeks old
Taken off the market for up to 4 weeks, then back on	The 12 weeks still count from the first marketing date, so the same report can be used
Taken off the market for longer than 4 weeks	This counts as marketing again, so the report must be no more than 12 weeks old on the new date
Still on the market after a few months	No legal expiry, but most mortgage lenders want the survey refreshed after 3 months
Under offer	The home stays on the market until missives are concluded

What a refresh is

A refresh (sometimes called an update) is a new inspection by the surveyor, who then issues a new single survey with a current date. It is not a legal requirement. Sellers usually need one because buyers’ lenders want a recent valuation. The surveyor invoices it separately, and it usually falls to the seller.

How to get a Home Report

Home Reports are generally prepared by firms of chartered surveyors (members of RICS). Some other companies coordinate the report and instruct each part separately. Your estate agent or solicitor can arrange it, or you can order it yourself. The surveyor visits, inspects the home and writes the single survey and energy report. You fill in the property questionnaire.

With MOV8, a surveyor can usually visit within 2 to 3 days of instruction, and the draft report is generally back the next day. Most sellers have their Home Report in less than a week.

We recommend ordering it through your estate agent or solicitor. They know the local surveyors and can judge how accurate their valuations tend to be. It also helps to use a surveyor on the major lenders’ panels. Buyers can often use the Home Report for their mortgage only if the surveyor is on their lender’s panel, so a report from a panel surveyor can make your home more attractive. Some discount providers use surveyors who are not.

Condition ratings

The single survey gives each part of the home a category:

Category	What it means
3	Urgent repairs or replacement are needed now
2	Repairs or replacement requiring future attention, but estimates are still advised
1	No immediate action or repair is needed

How to prepare for the survey visit

• Find guarantees and paperwork for work done on the home, such as windows, damp treatment or a new boiler
• Gather planning permission and building warrant papers for any extensions or alterations
• Make the loft hatch, meters and boiler easy to reach
• Have your council tax band and factor details to hand for the questionnaire
• Make sure the home is clean and tidy. The surveyor rates what they see, and the inside decoration is part of the survey

The Home Report valuation

The single survey includes the surveyor’s opinion of the home’s market value. Sellers and agents often use it to set the asking price, and many Scottish homes are marketed as “offers over” a figure close to it.

Figure	What it is
Home Report value	The surveyor’s opinion of market value on the date of the survey
Asking price	Set by the seller with their agent, often “offers over” a figure near the Home Report value
Sale price	What a buyer actually agrees to pay. It can be above or below the Home Report value

If the value seems too low or too high

Talk to your agent first. If recent sales of similar homes nearby suggest a different figure, your agent can share them with the surveyor, who may review the valuation. The figure is the surveyor’s professional opinion, so the surveyor decides.

If the buyer’s lender values it lower

A buyer’s lender can value the home below the agreed price. The lender then lends against the lower figure, so the buyer needs to cover the gap, renegotiate or step back before missives are concluded. Read more in offers over explained and achieving over Home Report value.

Home Reports for buyers

If you are interested in a home, you can ask for a copy of its Home Report. The seller or their agent must give it to you within 9 days. On MOV8 listings, use the “Request the Home Report” button on the property page.

The seller can refuse only if they reasonably believe you cannot afford the home, are not genuinely interested, or are not someone they would sell to. They cannot refuse for discriminatory reasons. The only charge allowed is the cost of a paper copy.

Can you use the Home Report for your mortgage?

Most lenders want a valuation by a chartered surveyor. Some accept the one in the Home Report, as long as the surveyor is on their approved panel, and others insist on their own. Your mortgage adviser can tell you which applies. If your lender accepts the Home Report, you can save the cost of a separate valuation.

Do you still need your own survey?

The single survey is written for buyers as well as the seller, so many buyers rely on it. If the home is older or unusual, or something in the report worries you, you can pay for your own survey before you offer. Your solicitor can advise.

For what to look out for, read 5 things to look out for in the Home Report.

Home Report, survey or mortgage valuation?

	Home Report	Buyer’s own survey	Mortgage valuation
Who orders it	The seller	The buyer	The lender (some accept the Home Report’s)
Who it is for	Buyers and the seller	The buyer	The lender
What it covers	Condition, energy, value and the seller’s questionnaire	Condition, in more detail (RICS Level 2 or 3)	Value for lending only
Required by law	Yes, to put a home on the market	No	No

How MOV8 handles your Home Report

We arrange the Home Report for our sellers with expert surveyors, and we base the fee on the value of your home. Because our estate agents and solicitors work under one roof, the same team handles the Home Report, the marketing, the offers and the missives.

Start with a free valuation. We will give you a full breakdown of the costs of selling before you decide.

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