Seven questions to ask at every property viewing

Viewings tend to go the same way. The agent shows you the kitchen, you open a few cupboards, you look out of the window, and you leave with an impression rather than information.

Finishes are the easiest thing to change and the easiest thing to be impressed by. The things that actually determine whether you enjoy living somewhere are mostly invisible, and nobody volunteers them. So ask.

1. Where does the water come from, and what happens when it stops?

Mains, borehole, or both? What is the storage capacity, and how long does it last the building at full occupancy? Who pays when a tanker is needed?

2. What is the backup power arrangement?

Is there a generator, and does it serve the units or only the common areas and the lift? Who pays for its fuel, and is that inside the service charge or billed separately?

3. What is the service charge, and what does it cover?

Get the figure in writing. Then ask what it includes and, more usefully, what it excludes. Ask whether there is a sinking fund and what it currently holds — a low service charge with no sinking fund is a deferred bill, not a saving.

4. How many parking bays, and are they assigned?

Confirm the number in the agreement rather than on the tour. Ask about visitor parking, because if there is none, visitors will park in the bays that are meant to be yours.

5. What is the actual floor area, and does it include the balcony?

Quoted areas vary in what they include. Ask for the figure on the approved plan and whether balconies and common areas are counted.

6. Who else lives here, and how full is the building?

Owner-occupiers and short-term tenants create different buildings. Occupancy matters too — a half-empty block spreads its running costs across fewer units.

7. What has gone wrong here in the last year?

The most useful question, and the one least often asked. Every building has had something go wrong. What you learn is not the problem itself but how it was handled — whether management responded, and how long it took.

Two things to do that are not questions

Visit twice, at different times. A weekday morning and a weekend evening are different places. Traffic, noise, parking and security presence all change.

Walk the area on foot. How far is the nearest shop, and what is the walk like? Where does the road flood? You will not learn any of this from a car.

If you would like someone alongside you asking these questions, that is what our consultants are for. Ask us to accompany a viewing.