Buyer guides
Know what you're buying. Before you offer.
Clear, practical guides to the things that catch buyers out — covenants, flood risk, leasehold traps, searches and more. No jargon, no scaremongering, just what to check and why.
Title & legal
Title & legalRestrictive covenants explained: what they mean when you buy a houseWhat a restrictive covenant is, why it can limit what you do with a property, and how to check for them before you make an offer.Title & legalLeasehold explained: ground rent, service charges and the trapsWhat leasehold means, how ground rent and service charges work, why short leases are a problem, and the questions to ask before buying a leasehold home.Title & legalHow to read a Land Registry title registerA plain-English walkthrough of the official copy of the title register: the Property, Proprietorship and Charges registers, and what to look for in each.
Risk & environment
Risk & environmentFlood risk when buying a house: how to check before you offerHow to assess a property's flood risk before making an offer — the free sources to check, what affects insurance, and when to commission a full flood report.Risk & environmentJapanese knotweed and your mortgage: what buyers need to knowHow Japanese knotweed affects a house purchase and mortgage, how to spot it, what a management plan involves, and your legal position as a buyer.Risk & environmentEPC ratings explained: what the energy certificate tells a buyerWhat an Energy Performance Certificate measures, what the A–G rating means for running costs and value, and why the EPC matters when you buy.
Process & money
Process & moneyWhat do conveyancing searches cost — and what do they actually check?A plain-English guide to conveyancing searches: the local authority, water, environmental and other searches, what they reveal, and typical costs.Process & moneyBinding contracts are coming: the UK home-buying reform explainedThe government plans to make home-buying offers binding earlier, with upfront 'sales pack' information and penalties for pulling out. What the reform means and how to prepare.Process & moneyGazumping and gazundering: how to protect your purchaseWhat gazumping and gazundering are, why they happen in the English and Welsh system, and practical steps to reduce the risk on your purchase.
Stop reading, start checking
Guides tell you what matters in general. A TrueBrick report tells you what's true for the specific home you're buying — the public record, read back in plain English, before you offer.