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The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Team

Closed petition PE2152: Review and update the Home Report system to ensure it protects both the seller and the buyer

Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review and update the Home Report system to –

  • require Home Reports to be updated every three months while a property remains for sale

  • ensure surveyors are held accountable where they are found to have assessed a property inaccurately.

Background information

In 2023, I bought a house valued in excess of £300,000. Very quickly I noticed that there were inaccuracies within the Home Report that were going to be costly to fix. Evidence provided to all showcased that the problems were there long before the Home Report was provided, yet there was no recourse to challenge the surveyor. The repairs are going to be costly and I have decided to sell at a loss simply to get rid of the problematic property.

Whilst a rented house must be watertight and safe, there is no recourse to ensure that the same can be said for a purchased property. This puts the buyer at complete and utter risk, which in my view is inappropriate. There needs to be adequate scrutiny over the content of survey reports and the information provided to buyers, which would create accountability within the profession.

  • Created by Lesley Roberts
  • Date closed 18 June 2025

This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament

Find out about the decisions taken on this petition

22 signatures