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Before You ApplyEducational mortgage-readiness preparation

Documents · 7 min read

The Home Report and preparing for a mortgage in Scotland

In short

This page covers Scotland. The Scottish Government introduced Home Reports so that buyers have better information about a property before making an offer, and a seller must generally provide one when a home is marketed for sale. That is the sourced part. Beyond it we are being careful: during our 30 August 2026 check we could not confirm an official page setting out the document's components verbatim, or stating how its valuation relates to any valuation a lender instructs. So this page tells you how to use the document you have been given, and sends you to your solicitor, surveyor or lender for anything it will not say.

Who this is for

  • Buyers in Scotland who have been given a Home Report
  • First-time buyers in Scotland who have not seen one before
  • Anyone comparing a Home Report figure with a price they are considering

Key points

It exists so you have information before you offer

gov.scot describes Home Reports as introduced to give buyers better information about a property before making an offer. That purpose tells you how to use it: read it before deciding anything.

Read the document itself, not a summary of it

We are not going to list its contents as though from an official source, because we could not confirm that list verbatim. Open your copy and read what it actually contains.

The valuation figure and the price are different numbers

Whatever valuation appears, it is not the same thing as the price you agree. Our offers-over guide covers the arithmetic of the gap between them.

We do not interpret condition findings

Anything the report says about the condition of the property is a matter for the surveyor who wrote it, and for anyone you instruct yourself. We are not surveyors and we will not interpret a report.

It is not necessarily a substitute for your own survey

Whether you want further inspection is a decision for you, informed by the report and by a qualified professional — not by us.

A lender may take its own view

We could not confirm an official Scottish Government statement on whether a lender relies on the Home Report valuation or instructs its own. Ask your lender or adviser which figure will be used.

Exceptions and things that vary

  • Scotland only. There is no Home Report in England and Wales, and GOV.UK's home-buying guidance states expressly that different rules apply in Scotland.
  • There are circumstances in which a Home Report is not required. If you are unsure whether one should exist for a property, ask your solicitor.
  • A report has a date. How old it is may matter to your solicitor or lender; that is a question for them.

How to work through it

  1. Get the report before you offer, not after

    Our suggestion: it exists to inform your offer, so read it at the point where it can still change your thinking.

  2. Note the valuation figure and its date

    Our suggestion: write both down. Both are relevant when you look at the arithmetic of a possible offer.

  3. List anything you do not understand

    Our suggestion: keep a written list of queries for your solicitor and, where it concerns condition, for a suitably qualified surveyor.

  4. Ask your lender or adviser about the valuation

    Our suggestion: ask which valuation figure will be used for mortgage purposes in your case. It is the question that most affects your cash planning.

  5. Fold the figures into your cash planning

    Our suggestion: use our Scottish cash calculator to set the valuation, the price, LBTT and your deposit out side by side.

Illustrative example (not a real case)

Imagine a buyer who reads the Home Report before offering, notes the valuation figure and its date, lists three condition queries for a surveyor and one question for their solicitor, and asks their adviser which valuation will be used. Nothing has been decided, but every subsequent conversation now starts from documented facts. Illustrative only.

Illustrative only. Figures and situations in examples are made up to show a method. They are not typical, not a benchmark and not a prediction of any outcome.

What not to assume

  • Do not assume the Home Report valuation is the figure a lender will use. Ask.
  • Do not assume the report answers every question about the property's condition.
  • Do not assume we can interpret any part of it. We cannot and we will not try.
  • Do not assume the English or Welsh process applies. It does not.
  • Do not assume a valuation and a price should match.

Questions for a qualified adviser

We cannot answer these for you, and we do not introduce or recommend advisers. Take them to a suitably qualified FCA-authorised mortgage adviser of your own choosing.

  • Which valuation figure will be used for the mortgage on this property?
  • Does the age or content of this Home Report raise anything I should act on?
  • Would you expect a further valuation or inspection to be instructed?
  • What should I ask my solicitor about this report?

Build my document checklist

A printable starting list of the paperwork commonly requested.

Build my document checklist

Related reading

A resource that may help you organise the next step

Optional educational preparation resources. Nothing here is mortgage advice, a lender or product recommendation, an eligibility assessment or a prediction of whether an application would be accepted.

Browse all resources

Sources

No statistic, regulator citation or third-party claim is published until its source is verified. Unverified entries are shown as placeholders.

Written by

Before You Apply editorial

Written by the publisher's editorial function, not by a named individual and not by a mortgage adviser. Before You Apply is not FCA authorised.

Reviewed by

Independent reviewer — to be appointed

No independent reviewer has been appointed yet. No review, qualification, FCA status or endorsement is claimed for this content.

  • Last fact-checked 2026-08-30
  • Not yet independently reviewed
  • Next review due 2027-02-28

Disclosure: this guide is educational. Before You Apply receives no payment for mentioning any lender, product or firm, and none are named.

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