Most people leave a viewing having asked three questions: how long has it been on the market, why are they selling, and is there anything wrong with it. All three get the same rehearsed answers, and none of them tells you much. The questions that actually change a decision are duller and more specific, and they mostly concern running costs, what has been done to the building, and how quickly the seller can move.
Below is the full list worth working through, grouped so you can take it in on a phone screen while walking round. Each group includes what a useful answer sounds like and what should make you pause, because the wording of the reply usually carries more information than its content.
Quick answer: Prioritise five things at a first viewing: the boiler’s age and last service, what the annual energy and council tax bills actually are, what work has been done and whether it had building regulations sign-off, why the seller is moving and where they are going, and how long the property has been listed including any earlier fall-throughs. Everything else can wait for a second visit.
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The five that matter most on a first visit
| Ask this | A good answer sounds like | Treat this as a flag |
|---|---|---|
| How old is the boiler and when was it last serviced? | A year, a make, and a service record they can produce | “It has always been fine” with no date |
| What do the energy bills and council tax come to annually? | A figure, or an offer to dig out statements | A monthly figure only, which hides the winter peak |
| What work has been done, and was it signed off? | Named trades, dates, and paperwork available | “The previous owner did it” with no detail |
| Why are you moving, and have you found somewhere? | A specific reason and a clear onward position | Vagueness, or a chain they will not describe |
| How long has it been listed, and has a sale fallen through? | A date and a straight account of any collapse | Relisting that resets the clock on the portals |
The building regulations question is the one that most often saves money later. Unsigned structural work, a removed wall without a building notice, or a loft conversion that was never certified all surface during conveyancing, and each can stall a purchase or require indemnity insurance. Asking at the viewing gives you weeks of warning rather than days.
Running costs and the bills nobody volunteers
Ask for annual figures rather than monthly ones. Monthly energy averages smooth away a January bill that may be three times the summer figure, and a property that is expensive to heat reveals itself in the winter number rather than the average.
- What is the annual spend on gas and electricity, and which supplier?
- Which council tax band, and what does that come to this year?
- Is the water metered or on rateable value?
- What is the EPC rating, and when was the certificate issued?
- Is there a service charge or ground rent, and what has it been for the last three years?
- Are there any known planned major works or a section 20 notice?
- What broadband speeds are actually achieved here, not advertised?
- Is there any ongoing maintenance contract, alarm subscription or similar the buyer inherits?
The service charge trend is more revealing than the current figure. A charge that has risen from £1,200 to £2,400 over three years is telling you something about the building that this year’s number alone does not. For flats, ask specifically whether a major works consultation has been issued, because those bills routinely run into five figures per leaseholder.
Council tax band is worth checking independently rather than taking on trust, since bands are public and occasionally wrong. Bills are then calculated pro rata from the date you take occupancy, which our guide to council tax when moving home covers in detail.
The building itself: damp, roof, windows and drains
You are not trying to diagnose anything at a viewing. You are trying to generate a list of things to point a surveyor at, because a surveyor briefed on specific concerns produces a far more useful report than one walking in cold.
- Has there ever been damp, and was anything treated? Is there a guarantee?
- How old is the roof covering, and has it been repaired?
- When were the windows fitted, and are they under any guarantee?
- Has the property ever flooded, or is it in a flood risk area?
- Any history of subsidence, movement or structural work?
- Has the property been underpinned, and were insurers involved?
- Is the electrical installation certified, and when was the last EICR?
- Where do the drains run, and have there been blockages?
- Is there asbestos anywhere, in garage roofing or artex for instance?
- What is the loft insulation situation, and is the loft boarded?
A previous subsidence claim is not automatically a reason to walk away, but it is a reason to speak to an insurer before you offer. Cover for a property with claim history can be restricted to the insurer who handled the original claim, and quotes elsewhere can be difficult or expensive. Find that out at the viewing stage, not after exchange.
Anything raised here should go straight into the brief for your surveyor. Which level of survey suits the property is set out in our guide to house survey costs, and older or altered properties generally justify the deeper inspection.
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Neighbours, noise and the things agents need not mention
A seller must disclose known disputes with neighbours on the property information form during conveyancing. An estate agent is not obliged to raise it unprompted at a viewing, and will not. Ask directly and the answer becomes something they cannot later contradict.
- Have there been any disputes with neighbours, formal or informal?
- Who lives either side, and how long have they been there?
- What is the noise like in the evenings and at weekends?
- Is there any planning application pending nearby?
- Where exactly do the boundaries run, and who maintains which fence?
- Are there shared access rights, a shared drive or a right of way?
- What is parking like at eight in the evening?
- Is the road adopted by the council or privately maintained?
Boundary and access questions are worth asking even when the answer seems obvious. Shared driveways and unadopted roads generate a disproportionate share of neighbour disputes and can complicate a mortgage, because a lender wants to know who is responsible for maintaining the route to the front door.
The parking question is deliberately specific about the time. A street that is half empty at eleven on a Saturday morning viewing can be full by seven that evening. If you are moving to a city, also check whether a removal van can get access and whether a bay suspension will be needed, which is covered in our guide to parking suspensions for a house move in London.
Reading the seller’s position
The seller’s onward position determines your timeline more than anything else. Someone who has already found a property and is in a short chain can complete in eight to twelve weeks. Someone who has not started looking can add months, and no amount of pressure from your side changes that.
- Where are you moving to, and have you had an offer accepted?
- How long is the chain above you?
- Is there a date you need to complete by?
- Would you consider a delayed completion, or need one?
- Are you selling with a mortgage still on the property?
- What is included in the sale, and what are you taking?
- Has the property been surveyed by a previous buyer, and what did it find?
That last question is underused. If an earlier sale collapsed after a survey, a report already exists and the seller knows what is in it. They are not obliged to share it, but asking whether a previous buyer surveyed the property, and what happened, sometimes produces a very informative pause.
Fixtures and fittings cause more late friction than almost anything else. Confirm at the viewing whether the curtains, appliances, garden shed and light fittings are staying, then check it matches the fittings form during conveyancing. Assuming an integrated dishwasher is included has ruined a lot of otherwise smooth completions, and it also affects how much you actually need moved on the day. Our guide to reading a removals quote explains why an accurate inventory matters for pricing.
What a second viewing is actually for
We compared what buyers typically check on a first viewing against what causes problems after completion, and the gap is almost entirely made up of things you can only observe at a different time of day or in different weather.
| Check | First viewing | Second viewing | Why the timing changes the answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural light | Usually midday | Late afternoon | North-facing rooms look very different at 4pm |
| Traffic and street noise | Weekend, quiet | Weekday rush hour | School runs and commuter routes are invisible on a Sunday |
| Parking pressure | Mid-morning | After 7pm | Residential streets fill when people get home |
| Water pressure | Rarely tested | Run taps and flush | Poor pressure upstairs is expensive to resolve |
| Mobile signal | Not checked | Test in every room | Thick walls and rural areas produce dead rooms |
| Damp smell | Windows open, candles lit | Arrive early, before airing | A closed-up house smells honest |
The two findings that came out of it. First, sellers prepare for viewings, and preparation is legitimate, so arriving at a different hour is the only reliable way to see the property in its normal state. Ask for a second viewing at a deliberately awkward time and note whether that request is accommodated.
Second, almost nobody turns a tap on. Running the hot water upstairs for two minutes tells you about the boiler, the pressure and the pipework in a way that no question can, and it takes less time than admiring the kitchen.
Bring a phone torch for the loft hatch and under the sink, and check the meter locations while you are there.
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When the answers should stop you making an offer
Three answers justify walking away rather than negotiating: unsigned structural alterations the seller cannot document, a short lease under about 80 years with no extension started, and a seller who will not describe their onward position after being asked twice.
Most property advice frames every problem as a negotiating opportunity. Some are not.
A lease with fewer than roughly 80 years remaining crosses a threshold where extension costs rise sharply, and lenders become cautious below that point. It is solvable, but it is a legal process with its own cost and timescale, and it belongs in the price rather than in your optimism. Establish the exact number of years remaining at the viewing, not the approximate one.
Undocumented structural work is the other one. Removed walls, converted lofts and rear extensions without building regulations completion certificates can usually be covered by indemnity insurance, but indemnity covers the enforcement risk rather than the workmanship. If nobody can tell you who did the work or whether it was inspected, you are buying an unknown.
And if a seller is evasive about where they are going, believe the evasion. It usually means they have not started, and a purchase tied to a seller with nowhere to go can absorb six months before collapsing.
How EcoGreen Movers fits in after the offer
The access questions from a viewing feed directly into a removals quote. Narrow stairs, a shared drive, restricted parking and a third-floor flat without a lift all change what a move costs and how long it takes, which is why EcoGreen Movers surveys access before quoting rather than pricing off a room count and adjusting on the day.
We handle residential moves across the UK, including house moves in London, removals in Manchester and removals in Edinburgh. Once you have a date, get in touch for a quote.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a viewing take?
Twenty to thirty minutes for a first visit is normal and enough to cover the priority questions. A second viewing should run longer, closer to an hour, because that is when you test taps, check signal, look in the loft and sit in a room long enough to hear the street.
Do sellers have to answer honestly?
At the viewing there is no formal obligation, though misrepresentation is actionable. The binding disclosure happens during conveyancing on the property information form, which covers disputes, alterations, guarantees and flooding. Asking at the viewing is useful because it creates an account that the form must later match.
Is it rude to ask about neighbours or bills?
No, and an agent will expect it from a serious buyer. Questions about running costs and the seller’s timeline signal that you are progressing rather than browsing, which tends to improve how your eventual offer is received rather than harming it.
Should photographs be taken during a viewing?
Ask first. Most sellers agree, and photographs of the boiler data plate, the consumer unit, the meter positions and any crack or damp patch are far more useful afterwards than pictures of the rooms, which are already in the listing.
How many viewings before making an offer?
Two is the sensible minimum, at different times of day. A third is worth it if the property is unusual, has been altered substantially, or if you are bringing someone with trade experience to look at something specific.
In summary: fewer, better questions
Cover the boiler, the annual bills, the work that has been done and whether it was signed off, the seller’s onward position, and the listing history. Those five shape both the price and the timeline. Everything else is second-viewing material.
Write down the answers before you drive away, because by the third property of the day they blur together. Then hand the concerns to your surveyor as a brief. A surveyor told to look closely at the rear extension and the upstairs pressure produces a better report than one given no steer at all.
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