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Seller-side surveys

If a Scottish home is exempt from a Home Report, what must the seller still give you?

An Energy Performance Certificate. mygov.scot says that where a Home Report is not required, the seller must still provide an EPC. The EPC is not a single survey. You do not suddenly have a condition report because the exception applies, and you do not have to pretend the exception is a survey.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.

What is the fuller explanation?

The exceptions on that page include older listings from before 1 December 2008, new homes sold off-plan or to a first occupier, conversions not yet lived in as converted, dual-use homes, and seasonal holiday homes that cannot be used all year. A second home you could use all year is not in that seasonal exception. The survey you may then choose to buy privately is your instruction. It is not the missing Home Report.

Do not accept a brochure in place of the EPC. Do not accept an EPC in place of an inspection if you wanted a survey. RICS levels in England are a different product again. There is no fee stated on the page for the EPC. The certificate is information, valid on its own rules, not a rating of the roof.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • Is this sale one of the exceptions, or has a Home Report simply not been produced?
  • If there is no single survey, what have you not been told about condition?
  • Is the EPC being offered as if it were the inspection?

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Ask for the EPC if the exception is genuine.
  2. If you still want condition advice, instruct a survey. Do not rename the EPC.
  3. Ask your solicitor which exception is being claimed before you chase trading standards.

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

Does a new-build exemption mean there is no snagging?

No. It means a Home Report may not be required. Snags and warranties are separate.

Is a holiday cottage you can use in March exempt?

The page exempts seasonal homes that can only be used at certain times, not homes you could use all year. Ask the solicitor. Do not guess.

Sources