Seller-side surveys

What does mygov.scot say you can do if a seller does not give you a Home Report within nine days?

Contact the local council’s trading standards service. The page says a seller or selling agent must provide the Home Report within nine days of you asking, where one is required, and points you to trading standards if they do not. That is not a right to a private Level 3, and it is not the remedy for an English seller.

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?

Some homes do not need a Home Report at all: the page lists homes on the market since before 1 December 2008, new homes off-plan or to a first occupier, newly converted homes not yet used as converted, dual-use homes, and seasonal holiday lets that cannot be used all year. If no report is required, the seller must still give an EPC. Trading standards are not a survey firm.

A late report is still worth reading. Do not make an offer with no papers because nine days feel slow, unless your solicitor agrees you understand the gap. There is no mygov fee stated for the chase. Do not invent a penalty beyond what the page says.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Is this a sale that needs a Home Report?
If a report exists but is thin, which part is missing?
Are you able to provide the pack yourself? You are not the seller’s agent.

What are the typical next steps?

Ask in writing, and keep the date.
If the nine days pass, use the trading standards route the page names.
If the home is exempt, ask for the EPC instead of a fake 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

Does day nine cancel the sale?

The page tells you where to complain. It does not say the house is withdrawn. Ask your solicitor what you should do next.

Can the seller refuse because they dislike your offer?

The page allows refusal in narrow cases, such as not believing you are a serious buyer, and forbids illegal discrimination. That is not a survey issue. Ask the solicitor.