Three reports. Real risk shape. No lot ever identified.

Long-lease maisonette above a parade of shops. Pack flagged below-average energy performance and a covenant that blocks any commercial use of the ground-floor access, alongside a forward-looking service charge that outpaces last year.

• #1

  BLOCK

  EPC band

  EPC band E — below typical lender minimum

  Predicted Energy Assessment registers band E. Most buy-to-let and residential mortgages require C or better, so financing on standard products is unlikely without remedial works documented in advance.

• #2

  WATCH

  Covenant

  Restrictive covenant forbids commercial use

  The transfer deed includes a covenant restricting the property to residential occupation only. Operating a business, even a home-office with staff visiting, would place the buyer in breach.

• #3

  WATCH

  Service charge

  Service charge forecast £4,200 pa

  The managing agent’s budget letter shows an uplift to £4,200 per annum, driven by external decoration and a sinking-fund contribution. Roughly 22% above the prior year.

• #4

  INFORM

  Lease term

  99-year lease from 1989

  Approximately 62 years unexpired. Marriage-value is unlikely on the next sale, but extension terms are noted in the special conditions.

Freehold bungalow on a rural edge-of-town estate. Pack flagged a missing drainage search and a clause in the special conditions that reserves a share of any future rental income back to the original developer.

• #1

  BLOCK

  Searches

  Drainage search missing from the pack

  The standard CON29DW drainage and water enquiry is absent. Without it, the buyer cannot confirm whether the property is served by a public sewer or a private treatment plant — a known cost for non-mains drainage.

• #2

  WATCH

  Special conditions

  Headline-rent clause — landlord consent required

  Clause 14 reserves 25% of headline rent to a third party for the first ten years. Any buy-to-let let requires that party’s written consent, and consent is at their absolute discretion.

• #3

  INFORM

  Planning class

  Planning use class is residential C3

  The local search confirms class C3 (dwellinghouses) with no enforcement notices on the file. No recent change-of-use applications affecting the plot.

Converted ground-floor flat in a small Victorian block with a share-of-freehold structure. Pack flagged collective consent requirements for internal alterations and a recent change-of-use at the neighbouring unit that may affect parking covenants.

• #1

  WATCH

  Freeholder consent

  50% of leaseholders must consent to alterations

  Under the head-lease, any internal alteration (kitchens, flooring, layout) requires written consent from leaseholders holding at least 50% of the share of the building. Two current leases have not been located.

• #2

  WATCH

  Planning class

  Adjacent unit — recent Class E change-of-use

  The neighbouring commercial unit was converted from A1 retail to Class E under permitted development in 2024. The freeholder has asked for clarification on whether parking covenants were triggered by the change.

• #3

  INFORM

  EPC band

  EPC band C — within typical lender minimum

  Predicted Energy Assessment records band C. Within the standard residential and buy-to-let mortgage thresholds; no remedial works required at completion.

• #4

  INFORM

  Covenant

  Restrictive covenant on parking allocation

  The transfer deed restricts the rear parking bay to residents of the block only. Short-term letting of the space, or use by a non-resident tradesperson, would breach the covenant.