The things that cost real money are dull, physical, and almost nobody checks them. Here they are, in the order to look.
Digital Property Inspector · Updated August 2026
Most viewings are decided on feel. That is fine for a home you will live in and expensive for
one you are buying to let or resell. The things that cost real money are dull, physical and easy
to check, and almost nobody checks them.
The five that cost the most
What
How to spot it
Rough cost if wrong
Roof
Slipped or missing tiles, a dipping ridge line, daylight in the loft
£6,000–£15,000
Damp
Tide marks at skirting level, bubbling paint, a musty smell, fresh paint on one wall
£2,000–£8,000
Movement
Cracks wider than a pencil, especially stepped ones near openings; doors that will not close
£10,000+
Electrics
Old fuse box rather than an RCD consumer unit, round pin sockets, no certificate
£3,000–£6,000
Boiler and heating
No service sticker, no certificate, a boiler over 12 years old
£2,500–£4,500
Fresh paint on one wall
A single freshly painted wall in an otherwise tired room is the most reliable damp signal
there is. Nobody decorates one wall for fun. Put your hand flat on it, low down, and compare
the temperature with the wall beside it.
What to check outside first
Stand at the kerb before you go in. From there you can see the roof line, the chimney, the
gutters, the pointing and the ground levels, and those five things predict most of what you will
find inside.
Staining below a gutter joint means water has been running down the wall,
often for years. Expect damp on the other side of it.
Ground built up above the damp course is one of the commonest causes of
rising damp, and one of the cheapest to fix if caught.
New pointing in one patch means somebody repaired something. Ask what.
Inside, in order
Loft first if you can get in it. Insulation depth, daylight through the
roof, water staining on the timbers, and whether the tank is lagged.
Then top floor down. Water travels down, so damage is worst below the
source.
Every room: measure it. Length, width, and ceiling height where it matters.
Estate agent floor plans are marketing, not measurement.
Behind and under things. Corners, behind wardrobes, under sinks. Nobody
stages the places nobody looks.
Services last, when you know what the rest of the house has told you.
The paperwork to ask for
EPC: and read the recommendations, not just the letter. If you are letting
it, England and Wales require at least an E, with penalties for letting below it.
Gas safety certificate and the boiler service history
EICR: the electrical installation condition report, and its date
Building regulations approval for anything structural, any extension, any
loft conversion, and replacement windows
Guarantees for damp proofing, timber treatment or a new roof, and whether
they transfer to you
This is not a survey
None of this replaces a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. What it does is stop you paying for a
survey on a property you were never going to buy, and tell you which of three properties is
worth the fee.
Leave with evidence, not an impression
An impression fades by the third viewing and cannot be shown to anybody. Dimensions,
photographs attached to the room they came from, condition against each one, and the paperwork
you were shown: that is what you can price, put to a lender, or hand to a partner who was not
there.
Stop writing this up in the car
Record every room on your phone as you walk it, with photographs and measurements against
each one, and leave with the report already finished. Your first inspection is free, with no card needed.
