I wonder if the government is aware of the upheaval its new Home Condition Report for surveyors might generate.
As a practicing building surveyor, I have found that in about one-third of the surveys I undertake, there are major problems with the house that make it unadvisable for the client to proceed with the purchase. Causes vary, but a significant number involve structural problems which are expensive to remedy.

Within the current system, if my client pulls out of the purchase, the house remains on the market and will probably go on to be sold without being surveyed, given that only 20% of housebuyers actually commission a survey.

With the new HCR in place, should I encounter such a property and report these unfavourable findings to the owner, it is highly unlikely that they would pay for such a report. They would probably commission further reports until they found a surveyor who overlooked the problems.

What's more, according to the RICS, there are about 3000 surveyors undertaking surveys currently, and this will need to increase to about 10,000 in two years when this system comes in.

Postscript

Jeffrey Elliott, Elliott Project Development, Warks.