What to check before buying a house: the public-records checklist

Last updated 8 September 2026·Applies to England & Wales

Before buying a house, check its recorded sold prices, EPC, flood screening, planning designations and local context, then turn gaps into questions for the agent and your advisers. This checklist covers up to nine checks, depending on geography and source coverage, including recorded designations that may affect proposed work. Public records help you prepare; they do not establish a building's condition or replace professional checks.

Start with what you can check without an account

Look up recorded sales using the free HM Land Registry sold-price search.
Try the free England flood checker for postcode-centroid screening, or read a sample dossier to see how evidence and its limitations are presented.

For a property's available records in Address Lens, start a postcode search. The results and a preview of each address are free, with no account needed. Coverage varies by address and source; optional paid reports are separate.

Before a viewing: gather the records

Sold price history. Matched Price Paid records Address Lens has for the address — price, date, tenure and type — from HM Land Registry. A price that jumped without visible improvement, or a resale after months, is worth a question. See our sold house prices check.
EPC and running costs. The rating, score, assessment date and recommendations can help you prepare questions about energy use and possible improvements. An EPC is not a condition survey or a forecast of your bills. See the EPC checker.
Flood risk. Rivers-and-sea plus surface-water screening from Environment Agency data can identify matters to investigate. It cannot determine whether an individual building will flood or what insurance will cost. Start with the free postcode checker, which makes its England postcode-centroid screening limit clear before you decide whether to commission a formal flood report.
Planning constraints. Conservation areas, listed-building status and other designations may affect work, but need local-authority and source confirmation. See the planning constraints check.
Crime levels. Street-level crime context from Police.uk. Compare the pattern and trend rather than reacting to a single month.
Schools. Nearby schools with their Ofsted context if children are in the plan. Confirm admissions, catchment and availability directly with the relevant authority.
Transport and connectivity. Stations, stops and practical commute options recorded around the address.
Tenure. Freehold or leasehold — leasehold brings ground rent, service charges and lease-length questions your conveyancer must chase. The sold price history records the tenure of past sales.
Street context. How the property compares with its own street: sale frequency, price pattern, and how typical the home is for the row. Outliers deserve an explanation.

What these checks can't tell you: public records don't reveal structural condition, damp, boundary disputes, restrictive covenants or legal title problems. They are screening — they tell you where to point a surveyor, a conveyancer, and your questions to the agent. They do not replace a survey, valuation, or the local authority searches your conveyancer runs.

Before an offer: turn records into questions

Price: compare the property with relevant recorded sales, checking type, size, date, tenure and condition. Our three worked sold-price comparison examples show why the nearest sale or a street average is not automatically a valuation.
Missing evidence: note which record is absent and why it matters. A missing sold price can reflect publication timing, source exclusions or a failed match.
Energy and alterations: ask what changed since the EPC assessment and what documentation supports any extension or proposed work. A planning designation needs checking against the exact property and the relevant authority's records.
Practical fit: visit the area and check the commute, school admissions and local services directly. A nearby station or school is context, not a guarantee of a suitable journey or a place.

Keep a short note for each question: the record and its date, what you observed at the viewing, what remains unknown, and who can confirm it. For example: “The EPC predates the extension; is there a later assessment or supporting documentation?”

Checks to take to your professionals

Share the unanswered questions with the appropriate professional. A surveyor examines condition; your conveyancer investigates title, searches and legal enquiries. A lender's mortgage valuation serves a different purpose from a home survey. For leasehold property, ask for confirmation of the remaining term, charges and any planned major works. Public-record screening cannot settle those questions for you.

The government's How to buy a home guide explains these roles. See how to read an Address Lens dossier for the source and limitations behind each evidence card.