What is a HCR?

Government research indicates that almost 30 percent of transactions fail between offer acceptance and exchange of contracts and that in over 40 percent of these cases this is due to survey related problems. That is why the Government wishes to include a Home Condition Report (HCR) in the Home Information Pack.

The Home Condition Report is designed to be an objective report on the condition of the property that can be relied upon by buyers, sellers and mortgage lenders. It will be written in Plain English in a standard format and will describe the general condition of the property taking account of its age, character and location; how energy efficient it is; and any defects or other matters requiring attention.

The Home Condition Report is designed to be a 'mid-range' survey, similar to the current Homebuyer Survey and Valuation - not as detailed as a Building Survey (sometimes known as a 'full structural survey') but a lot more extensive than a mortgage lender's valuation inspection.

What to expect when the Home Inspector (HI) visits the property:

The Home inspector will be taking internal/external measurements of the property, drawing floor plans and making site notes.
It will be necessary to photograph some aspects of the property and appliances for the report.
Access is required to all rooms in the property to assess the methods of heating, lighting and ventilation and condition of construction elements with in the home.
Clear access is required to meter cupboards, heating systems and their controls, i.e. boilers, timers, hot water cylinders, thermostats, etc.
An inspection of loft spaces (if accessible) is required to assess insulation and condition of the roof structure. There is no need to move or remove any items stored in the loft. The Home inspector will use their own ladders where at all possible.
It will be necessary to open windows and doors and to flush toilets and open water taps.
External drain covers may be lifted for internal inspection.
For the average 3 bedroom property, the inspection will take approximately 3-4 hour - longer if the property is larger or of unusual complexity.
The Home inspector is a qualified professional - insured, accredited, licensed and bound by Codes of Conduct under government recognised Accreditation Schemes. Full details, together with a comprehensive complaints procedure, are available upon request from your Home inspector.

To ensure the inspection runs as smoothly as possible:

Please leave clear access to the areas indicated above to facilitate the inspection. The Home inspector must not move furniture or personal items during the inspection. If the Home inspector has to limit their inspection in any way because of obstructions, this might have a detrimental effect on the condition rating(s) and energy rating your property achieves.
If you will not be present for the inspection, please be mindful that the inspection cannot take place if there are juveniles under the age of 16 in sole charge of the property.
The inspector will not enter a property where dogs or other animals that could pose a hazard are unaccompanied or unrestrained.
It is important that the inspector is allowed to carry out the inspection in their own time and without distraction, to ensure none of the data vital to the production of the condition report and energy certificate is missed and that mistakes are not made.
Missed appointments or return visits will attract a fee.

Sample HCR

You can find out more about the HCR at www.homeinformationpack.gov.uk