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Seller-side surveys

How long does mygov.scot say a seller has to provide a Home Report after you ask?

mygov.scot says a seller or selling agent must give you a Home Report within nine days of you asking for it, where a Home Report is required. The pack is a single survey and valuation, a property questionnaire and an energy report. An English seller has no equivalent Home Report duty. Some Scottish homes are exempt.

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?

mygov.scot lists homes that do not need a Home Report, including houses on the market since before 1 December 2008, new houses sold off-plan or to the first occupier, newly converted homes not yet used in their converted state, homes used for both residential and non-residential purposes, and seasonal holiday homes that can only be used at certain times of the year. A second home you could use all year is not in that seasonal exception.

The nine days are about providing the pack, not about how deep the inspection was. The single survey is still a visual inspection. Read the limits. If you are buying in England or Wales, do not cite the nine-day rule to a seller who was never under it. Book your own survey.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • If this is a Home Report, which limits does the single survey record?
  • Does the property questionnaire add alterations the inspection could not prove?
  • Is this home one of the types mygov.scot says may not need a Home Report?

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Ask for the Home Report and note the date you asked.
  2. Read all three parts. Do not stop at the valuation.
  3. If you are told the property is exempt, ask your Scottish solicitor to check that against the mygov.scot list. Do not invent an exemption.

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 the nine-day rule apply in England?

No. It is part of the Scottish Home Report duty. English sellers provide an EPC when they sell, which is not a Home Report.

Does receiving the pack mean you must buy?

No. The pack informs the offer. Your Scottish solicitor explains missives. The survey does not conclude them.

Sources