Resources — Due diligence · 8 min

Property Due Diligence Checklist

Due diligence is not a mood, it's a list. This is the one we run before any offer goes in. Work top to bottom; anything you can't tick becomes a question for the agent, the vendor or your solicitor — before exchange, not after.

How to use this

Run it once per property, before any offer goes in. Work top to bottom, ticking each item as you verify it — anything you can't tick becomes a question for the agent, the vendor or your solicitor.

Download the PDF Run the numbers →

The area

Sold prices for the street and surrounding roads over the last 24 months (Land Registry, not asking prices)
Current rental listings within a half-mile — how many, how long listed, at what rent
Walk the street at 9am, 3pm and 9pm — a street changes character three times a day
Flood risk on the government flood map, including surface-water risk
Planning applications on the council portal for the street and both neighbours
Article 4 directions or selective licensing schemes covering the postcode
School catchments and Ofsted ratings if the exit or tenant profile is families

The building

Construction type and age — anything non-standard flags the lender conversation early
Roofline from the street: sagging ridge, slipped tiles, chimney condition
Damp: smell it on entry, look at skirting level, check behind furniture on external walls
Cracks: hairline is cosmetic; stepped cracking through brickwork gets a structural engineer
Boiler age, service history and location — a replacement is £2–3.5k of your budget
Consumer unit age — an old fuse board usually means a full or partial rewire
Window condition and FENSA certificates for replacements
Loft: insulation depth, daylight through the roof, water tank condition
Signs of Japanese knotweed anywhere on the plot or adjoining land

The legals

Tenure — leasehold years remaining, ground rent terms and service charge history
Title plan matches what you walked: boundaries, parking, access
Restrictive covenants that touch your strategy (no business use, no alterations)
Rights of way or shared access across the plot
Building regulations sign-off for any extension or conversion you can see
Gas and electrical certificates if currently tenanted
EPC rating — and what it costs to reach the letting minimum if it's marginal

The numbers

Your maximum price from the deal analysis — set before the viewing, not after
Three genuine rental comparables, phoned and confirmed, not just listed
Refurbishment budget built line by line, plus 15% contingency
All-in acquisition cost: price, stamp duty, legals, survey, finance fees
The deal still works at an interest rate 2% higher than today's quote
Exit tested two ways: what if it won't refinance, what if it won't sell