Why the questions matter more than the tour
Most buyers walk a viewing looking at kitchens and light. But the twenty minutes you get is also your best chance to interrogate the sale itself: why it's on the market, what's wrong with it, who else is interested, and what the paperwork will show weeks from now. The answers shape what you offer — and whether you offer at all.
Remember who you're talking to. The estate agent is paid by the seller and legally works for them, though under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations they must not give false or misleading answers, and must disclose known material information. That makes direct questions powerful: an agent can decline to answer, but can't lawfully lie.
Questions about the property itself
Ask: How old is the boiler, and when was it last serviced? When was the wiring last done? Is there any history of damp, subsidence, movement or flooding? Have there been any insurance claims on the property? What work has been done — and was building regulations sign-off obtained for it? What's the loft insulation like, and what are typical energy bills?
Ask what's included in the sale — fixtures, white goods, sheds, garden structures — and get anything material in writing later. If the property is leasehold, ask the lease length, the ground rent, the service charge, and who the freeholder and managing agent are. Vague answers on any of these are a flag in themselves: every one of them is checkable.
Questions about the sale and the seller
Ask: How long has it been on the market? Has it been under offer before, and if so why did it fall through? Why is the seller moving? Is there an onward chain, and how long is it? Has the price been reduced? What offers have been received? Is the seller looking for a quick sale?
These answers tell you about negotiating position and risk. A sale that has already collapsed once may have a survey or search problem the seller knows about. A long chain multiplies the chance of the whole thing falling through. A seller with no onward purchase can move fast — which suits a buyer who is also ready to move fast.
Questions about the area and the neighbours
Ask about the neighbours — the seller must legally disclose formal neighbour disputes on the TA6 property information form later, so asking early surfaces problems while you can still walk away cheaply. Ask about parking arrangements, planning applications nearby, traffic and noise at different times of day, and local development plans.
Then verify independently. Visit at a different time of day, check the street on a weekday evening, and look at the public record: planning applications, flood zones, crime statistics, school performance and price history are all published data — none of it depends on anyone's sales patter.
Check the answers before you offer, not after
Almost everything a viewing raises can be verified from official sources before you make an offer: price history and fair value from HM Land Registry, flood risk from the Environment Agency, planning and listed-building constraints from the local authority register, EPC and lease details from the government registers.
That's the gap a TrueBrick report closes in minutes: it pulls the public record on the exact property and reads it back in plain English, so you can compare what you were told at the viewing with what the record actually shows — and offer with confidence, or ask harder questions, or walk away.
Frequently asked questions
Can an estate agent refuse to answer my questions?
They can decline to answer some questions, but they must not give false or misleading answers, and under consumer protection law they must disclose known material information about the property. If an agent dodges a checkable question, verify it against the public record.
How many viewings should I do before offering?
At least two, at different times of day, is a sensible minimum for a home you're serious about. Use the second viewing to re-test the answers from the first and to look past the presentation — open cupboards, check for damp smells, look at the roofline and gutters.
Do sellers have to tell me about problems?
Sellers must answer the TA6 property information form honestly during conveyancing, and misrepresentation there can support a legal claim later. But the TA6 arrives weeks after your offer. Asking the same questions at the viewing — and checking the public record — moves that discovery before you commit.