The National Trading Standards Material Information Disclosure Parts A, B and C serve as a route to provide home buyers with further property details to assist their decision-making. We embrace this ideology, and where specific information isn't available, we signpost buyers to the many useful resources to explore points of interest further and establish additional peace of mind.
When a buyer commits to buying a property, they will receive comfort, information, and definitive answers from the professionals they instruct to act on their behalf. Conveyancing solicitors, mortgage lenders, surveyors, and valuers provide contractual details and clarification on material information that estate agents don't readily access.
As estate agents, we view thousands of properties yearly. When marketing, we can often comment on the property's physical characteristics and type, the number of rooms contained and sometimes the construction materials of buildings. Qualified RICS Surveyors or Structural Engineers have construction expertise and knowledge of EWS (External Wall System) safety and the Building Safety Act. Sellers provide the property's asking price and initial information about the property's tenure, service charge, estate charges and ground rent. The government's property information service and Council Tax Checker are informative national registers. They respectively provide tenure details and up-to-date Council Tax information when entering a property's postcode. Historic England allows you to check if a property is a Listed Building.
Sellers provide us with accessibility details, parking arrangements, restrictions and easements that buyers can check online, and their solicitor will seek confirmation via the property's deeds and Local Searches. Many properties have allocated parking and visitor car park areas. Council resources display information about local area parking and permit schemes: Tower Hamlets Parking, Newham Parking, Hackney Parking, Southwark Parking, Lewisham Parking, Croydon Parking, Royal Greenwich Parking and Bromley Parking. Buyers are wise to consider local development and neighbouring properties. Planning offices have informative online resources: Tower Hamlets Planning, Newham Planning, Hackney Planning, Southwark Planning, Lewisham Planning, Croydon Planning, Royal Greenwich Planning and Bromley Planning.
A new homeowner is rarely obligated to stay with existing utility and broadband suppliers. Shopping around is strongly advised. Ofgem is the energy regulator for Great Britain, guiding choices for domestic gas and electricity supply. There is abundant choice in the energy, broadband and mobile phone markets. You can establish the existing energy supplier, view the EPC Energy Certificate, and consider new gas, electric, water and sewerage providers. Utilise Ofcom's broadband and mobile phone network checker or view the London Connectivity Map. Everyone's energy, data and broadband needs are different, so making comparisons using websites like uSwitch and finding the best deals for your circumstances is an excellent strategy.
Some concerns and risks when buying a property aren't apparent immediately. Proximity to historical coal mining, rivers and coastlines can increase purchasers' risk, and the government flood risk and coal mining checkers provide valuable information. There are many checks that buyers, their mortgage lenders, conveyancers, and surveyors undertake during any property purchase. We provide information in good faith, but our property descriptions are subjective opinions rather than statements of fact. As we have alluded to, we recommend exploring the resources in this guide and making specific enquiries to ensure that your property expectations are met. If you have further questions or queries about a particular property, please get in touch using 020 3941 9966, and we will endeavour to assist.
