The most common buying mistakes
The things buyers most often regret: skipping the survey, not reading the lease, missing building approvals, and underestimating costs.
Skipping a proper survey to save a few hundred pounds, then finding damp, roof or structural problems.
Not reading the lease: short lease, rising ground rent, high service charges, bans on letting or pets, or big major-works bills on the way.
Extensions, loft conversions, removed walls or new windows without planning or building regulations sign-off. These can stop a sale or mortgage later.
Flood risk, subsidence, Japanese knotweed, non-standard construction or cladding on flats, which can make a home hard to insure or mortgage.
Underestimating costs: stamp duty (including the 5% surcharge on additional homes), fees, works, furnishing, and mortgage rates rising when a fixed deal ends.
Landlords: missing HMO or selective licensing, Article 4 rules, EPC minimums, or the effect of the tax rules on mortgage interest.
At auction: bidding before reading the legal pack, forgetting buyer's fees, or having no finance ready for 28-day completion.
What to check
- Survey booked (the right level)?
- Lease, planning history and building control certificates checked?
- Every cost in the 'Can I afford it?' calculator?
- Licensing and EPC checked if you'll let it?
Who can help
A RICS surveyor, your solicitor, and a mortgage broker.
Official sources
Checked 5 November 2026. General information for England and Wales, not legal advice.