New builds and warranties
Does mygov.scot say a new house sold off-plan still needs a Home Report?
mygov.scot lists exceptions to the Home Report duty, including new houses sold off-plan. Do not assume a Scottish new-build comes with a Single Survey the way an ordinary resale does. An energy report can still be required. Read the current exceptions on that page before you are told “Scotland always has 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 Home Report, where it is required, is a single survey and valuation, a property questionnaire and an energy report, provided by the seller. A new house sold off-plan is one of the cases mygov.scot treats differently. You may still want your own snagging inspection or RICS survey of the finished plot, because a warranty is not a condition report. NHBC Buildmark, if it applies, has its own sections and is not a Home Report.
In England and Wales there is no Home Report at all. A Scottish exception does not create an English duty, and an English lack of a seller’s survey does not remove a Scottish one where the exception does not apply. Ask the selling agent which documents they are actually providing, then read them.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- If a Home Report is provided, what does it say was not inspected?
- If it is not provided, what inspection of the finished plot is still worth doing?
- Which warranty documents exist as well as, or instead of, a survey?
What are the typical next steps?
- Confirm on mygov.scot whether this sale needs a Home Report.
- If it does not, decide whether you will commission your own inspection before completion.
- Do not treat a brochure as the single survey.
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 off-plan exception cover a house that has already been lived in?
The exception mygov.scot describes is for new houses sold off-plan. A later resale is a different case. Check the page against this sale.
Can you rely on the builder’s snagging list?
It is the builder’s list. Commission your own if you want an independent record. The Home Report exception does not make the builder’s list independent.