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

Last updated 27 July 2026·Applies to England & Wales

Long before you pay for a survey or instruct a conveyancer, official public records can answer a surprising amount about a property: what it sold for, how efficient it is, whether it floods, what you'd be allowed to change, and what the area is like to live in. Running these checks early is cheap insurance — the worst time to discover a problem is after you've spent money on professionals.

The nine checks

  1. Sold price history. Every recorded sale 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.
  2. EPC and running costs. The rating, the score, the expiry date and the assessor's recommendations. A low rating is a negotiating point and a cost plan, not just a label. See the EPC checker.
  3. Flood risk. Rivers-and-sea plus surface-water screening from Environment Agency data — flood risk moves insurance premiums and resale value. See the flood risk check.
  4. Planning constraints. Conservation areas, listed-building status and other designations that limit what you can change — and that your dream extension may depend on. See the planning constraints check.
  5. Crime levels. Street-level crime context from Police.uk. Compare the pattern and trend rather than reacting to a single month.
  6. Schools. Nearby schools with their Ofsted context if children are in the plan — catchment pressure also props up prices.
  7. Transport and connectivity. Stations, stops and practical commute options recorded around the address.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.

Using the checklist well

Run the checks before the second viewing, not after the offer. Anything flagged becomes a question for the agent ("why did it sell twice in 2019?"), an instruction for the conveyancer ("check the conservation-area implications"), or a line in your negotiation ("the EPC recommendations total £6,000"). Evidence beats instinct on the biggest purchase most people make.

Sources

Related:Sold house prices · EPC checker · Flood risk check · Planning constraints check