Survey of your home (stock condition survey) FAQs

Think of it like an MOT for your home. Just as a car gets checked to make sure it’s safe and roadworthy, this survey checks the key parts of your home – from the roof and windows to your kitchen, bathroom and heating – to make sure everything’s in good shape.

It’s the Government’s benchmark for social housing. Like the legal standard for a car, it sets out the minimum your home must meet – safe, warm, and in a reasonable state of repair. The survey helps us prove your home meets this standard and plan any work needed to keep it that way.

The government wants us to ‘MOT’ your home at least once every five years. It’s simply your home’s turn.

A trained surveyor will walk through your home, room by room. They’ll look at things like your heating, kitchen, bathroom, roof and windows. They may open a window or door to check it works but won’t move heavy items or test appliances – it’s mostly a visual check.

If you have mobility needs, health conditions, language preferences or anything else that might affect the visit, then please feel free to let us know in advance. We’ll make sure the surveyor knows so the visit can be carried out safely and comfortably. 

That’s great! It’s the same as a car passing its MOT first time. We’ll record that your home is in good condition at the moment but make a note of the works we’ll want to do in the coming years to keep it that way.

• If anything needs attention now, we’ll get it arranged.
• If not, we’ll know what your home may need in the years ahead, like a new boiler or kitchen.
• This means we can plan upgrades before problems crop up – less hassle for you, fewer repair calls.

Like an MOT, it’s a regular check. We aim to survey each home roughly once every five years. Most surveys take between 30 and 60 minutes.

Yes. All surveyors are trained professionals and carry ID. We’ll let you know who’s coming, and they will always show you their ID before coming into your home. They will also politely wait if you want to call us to confirm before letting anyone in.

Yes. Photos help make sure we know what we need to about your home. They will be of the main parts of your home and not of any personal belongings. If you’re unsure, just ask the surveyor before they take any photos. 

That’s no problem – just let us know and we’ll find a time that works better for you.

If we can’t survey your home, we won’t have an up-to-date record. That makes it harder to plan improvements, and you could miss out on being included in future upgrade programmes. We’ll always try to find a time that suits you.

Ideally all rooms, plus lofts or outbuildings if safe and accessible. That way we get a full picture. 

Honestly not usually. As long as we can get to your boiler, kitchen and bathroom, that’s enough. If we need to look behind something, we’ll ask your permission first and can lend a hand.

Please don’t worry if you haven’t got all your socks in the laundry basket or the kids’ toys are out (we all have that sometimes) – we’re only looking to keep your home in good repair.

No. The survey will not affect your rent, as this is sent in with government rules and our rent policy, not the outcome of these surveys. 

We’ll use the results to plan investment across all our homes. If your home needs major works soon (like a new bathroom), we’ll be in touch separately.

We don’t normally share the surveyor’s report because it’s only one part of how we plan work. The survey records what might be needed in the years ahead, but we also look at nearby homes and try to group work together to reduce disruption and get best value.

No. The survey is to help us plan when to replace things before they cause you constant hassle. If something in your home breaks, you can still report it as a repair and we’ll fix it, with urgent issues (like a broken door, heating failure or unsafe fittings) always dealt with right away.

Please remember that an adult (someone over 18) does need to be present for the duration of the survey. Please also make sure you keep any young children or pets closely supervised.