Concerns grow over seller's survey

Estate agents, surveyors and solicitors all query Executive's plans in evidence to parliament

News, 20 April 2005

Surveyors and estate agents yesterday spoke out against the Scottish Executive's plans for a compulsory seller's survey in domestic property transactions.

In a written submission to the Scottish Parliament's Communities Committee, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors claims that some properties could become unsaleable if they have to be marketed with the proposed survey - and that surveyors could come under pressure from both buyers and sellers to alter their valuations.

The Institute favours a central databank of surveys to prevent the public shopping sround for the most favourable report, without suggesting who should fund or run it.

It also expresses the fear that sellers would not undertake repairs to a high standard since they would not benefit.

Meanwhile the National Association of Estate Agents voices its concern that a survey's limited shelf life meant that surveys might have to be revised at additional cost, and that the proposals as they stand could have the effect of lowering house prices.

The Law Society of Scotland's written submission raises the question of conflict of interest, especially if prospective purchasers are unable to question the surveyor over the contents of the survey report. It does not share the Executive's belief that the compulsory scheme will improve the quality of Scotland's housing stock, and also raises the other bodies' concerns over surveys becoming out of date, and poor quality repairs.

In a further paper, the Council of Mortgage Lenders stresses the danger of concentrating on the seller's survey at the expense of the puchaser's information pack - "the bigger picture", it says. "They are both inextricably linked and there is a lot of detail which needs to be worked out before implementation."

Each organisation will give oral evidence before the Committee when it begins hearings on the Housing Bill next month.