A Scottish property is used as both a shop and a home. What may differ about the need for a Home Report, and what must you not assume about the building's condition?

What is the fuller explanation?

Mixed buildings tempt shortcuts. A counter and a flat upstairs look like dual use, and dual use is on the exemption list, with seasonal holiday homes, some new homes, newly converted homes not yet used as such, and property marketed since before 1 December 2008. Looking like the list is not the same as being on it. Ask the solicitor to match this shop and this home to the exemption, and do not announce it yourself because the fascia is commercial. If you are the buyer, do not accept a verbal dual use as a reason there is nothing to read about the structure.

Condition stays a condition question. Exemption does not award a rating, and Scotland's labels are not English ratings 2 and 3 in any event. Where the pack is required, it has three parts and should be provided within nine days of being asked. Where repairs are urgent or need future attention, consider cost and inconvenience and get estimates. Where you do not want to buy, you can walk away without penalty. None of those steps is replaced by noticing that one door says shop. If exempt, still ask for the EPC. Paperwork can shrink. The building does not become uninspected by default.

What should you ask your surveyor?

• Has a solicitor confirmed dual use as the exemption, or is that still a guess?
• If a Home Report exists, which items are urgent or need future attention?
• Which defects are you at risk of ignoring because of the shop?

What are the typical next steps?

1. Ask the solicitor whether the dual-use exemption applies.
2. Do not treat dual use as a statement that the building is sound.
3. Provide or request an EPC even if there is no Home Report.

Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.

Also asked about this

Which pages should you read next?

• A Scottish house has been marketed since before 1 December 2008. What Home Report exemption might apply, and which energy document is still required?
• The buyer says the rating binds you, the seller, to pay. Where does a private English survey actually sit?
• The seller offers an indemnity policy for a missing certificate, and the rating 3 is a crack in the wall. What has that policy not repaired?
• Guide: Should a seller in England or Wales get a survey?
• All UK home survey questions

Sources

• mygov.scot: Buying a home: Home Report
• RICS: House surveys: the costs, types and benefits of an RICS home survey
• RICS: What to do now (consumer PDF linked from the RICS home survey guide)