Property viewing safety check

If you’re an estate agent or show visitors around properties for other reasons, you need to consider whether it’s safe to do so. Use our safety check form to identify any potential safety issues.

Why do you need it?

The creation of this form was prompted by a case heard in March 2017 in which an estate agency was fined £200,000 in respect of an accident at an open-house viewing when a potential buyer fell 30 feet down a well. It emerged that staff had been warned about the well, which was covered by an inadequate piece of timber, but nothing had been done to prevent the accident.

Our Property Viewing Safety Check form can be used to prevent accidents at premises involving significant hazards such as structural instability, rotten floors, adjacent water courses and unguarded drops.

When to use our form?

It’s unlikely you’ll want to carry out a formal check for every viewing. However, if you’re holding open viewings, where one-to-one supervision may be impossible, or if a property has known structural issues, it makes sense to write down your concerns. Another time when this is warranted is when there’s little information forthcoming from the previous owner, e.g. when marketing a deceased’s estate or repossessed building.