Buyer guides
Know what you're buying. Before you offer.
Clear, practical guides to the things that catch buyers out — covenants, flood risk, leasehold traps, searches and more. No jargon, no scaremongering, just what to check and why.
Title & legal
Title & legalRestrictive covenants explained: what they mean when you buy a houseWhat a restrictive covenant is, why it can limit what you do with a property, and how to check for them before you make an offer.Title & legalLeasehold explained: ground rent, service charges and the trapsWhat leasehold means, how ground rent and service charges work, why short leases are a problem, and the questions to ask before buying a leasehold home.Title & legalHow to read a Land Registry title registerA plain-English walkthrough of the official copy of the title register: the Property, Proprietorship and Charges registers, and what to look for in each.Title & legalBuying a listed building or in a conservation area: what to knowWhat listing, conservation areas and Article 4 directions mean for what you can change, the consents you'll need, and the costs and risks for buyers.Title & legalGround rent and service charges explained: the costs that come with a leaseholdWhat ground rent and service charges are, what's changed under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act, the red flags that stop mortgages, and how to check before you offer on a flat.
Risk & environment
Risk & environmentFlood risk when buying a house: how to check before you offerHow to assess a property's flood risk before making an offer — the free sources to check, what affects insurance, and when to commission a full flood report.Risk & environmentJapanese knotweed and your mortgage: what buyers need to knowHow Japanese knotweed affects a house purchase and mortgage, how to spot it, what a management plan involves, and your legal position as a buyer.Risk & environmentEPC ratings explained: what the energy certificate tells a buyerWhat an Energy Performance Certificate measures, what the A–G rating means for running costs and value, and why the EPC matters when you buy.Risk & environmentSubsidence when buying a house: signs, surveys and mortgagesWhat subsidence is, how to spot the warning signs, how it affects mortgages and insurance, and how to check ground-stability risk before you offer.Risk & environmentHouse survey types explained: which RICS survey do you need?The difference between a mortgage valuation and a survey, the RICS Home Survey levels 1, 2 and 3, what each covers, typical costs, and how to choose.
Process & money
Process & moneyWhat do conveyancing searches cost — and what do they actually check?A plain-English guide to conveyancing searches: the local authority, water, environmental and other searches, what they reveal, and typical costs.Process & moneyBinding contracts are coming: the UK home-buying reform explainedOn 19 June 2026 the government announced major home-buying reforms for England — sales packs, earlier binding agreements and digital tools — aiming to cut buying times by ~4 weeks and save first-time buyers ~£650. What the reform means and how to prepare.Process & moneyGazumping and gazundering: how to protect your purchaseWhat gazumping and gazundering are, why they happen in the English and Welsh system, and practical steps to reduce the risk on your purchase.Process & moneyWhat to check before you make an offer on a houseA pre-offer checklist for UK buyers: the property, legal, risk and money checks worth doing before you commit — and which you can do for free.Process & moneyHow to make an offer on a house (and how much to offer)How the offer process works in England and Wales, how to decide how much to offer, and how to use evidence to negotiate with confidence.Process & moneyMortgage agreement in principle: why to get one before you offerWhat an agreement in principle (AIP/DIP) is, how it differs from a full mortgage offer, how long it lasts, and why having one strengthens your offer.Process & moneyHow long does it take to buy a house in the UK?A realistic timeline for buying a house in England and Wales, the stages from offer to completion, what causes delays, and how to speed things up.Process & moneyBuying a new-build house: what to check before you commitThe things to check when buying a new-build home — snagging and warranties, estate charges and leasehold traps, valuations and incentives, and reservation fees.Process & moneyQuestions to ask when viewing a house: the checklist that finds problems earlyThe questions to ask the estate agent and seller at a viewing — about the property, the sale, the area and the paperwork — and which answers to verify against the public record.Process & moneyHouse sale fell through? What it costs, why it happens, and how buyers avoid itAround one in three property sales in England collapses before completion. What a fall-through costs buyers, the most common causes, and how to protect your purchase.
Stop reading, start checking
Guides tell you what matters in general. A TrueBrick report tells you what's true for the specific home you're buying — the public record, read back in plain English, before you offer.