It used to be that if you wanted to buy a house, you got a survey done on it to ensure there were no hidden problems or issues.

Then, somewhere along the line, the responsibility of this shifted to the home owner and they were required to have a Home Report done on their house before they put it up for sale.

Naturally, or some will say stupidly, I assumed that a Home Report was a legally binding document of some kind – compiled by surveyors on your behalf, it gives a true reflection of the current state of the property. But that’s not actually the case.

I recently moved house and the Home Report looked pretty good with very few faults listed. However, once in the house, I discovered a list of issues the length of your arm.

The dishwasher didn’t work. The freezer of the fridge freezer didn’t work. The toilet wouldn’t flush (we needed a new cistern).

The shower was blocked under the floor and the only way to clear it was to lift the existing floor tiles (it turned out to be kids’ Lego blocking the drainage pipe).

The two bedroom doors and the bathroom door wouldn’t shut (the doors had to be trimmed by a joiner). The bathroom window let in water every time it rained and had to be replaced.

Both the back and front doors were warped and also leaked in water and had to be replaced. And when we went to open the side gate into our garden, it fell off as the posts were rotten and had been tarted up to look good.

When I complained to the estate agent, they said there was nothing they could do.

When I complained to the group that did the Home Report, they said everything was good when they inspected it.

After several more letters of complaint, the company that compiled the Home Report eventually agreed to give us £100 “as a sign of good faith” but only if I dropped the matter.

When I told them £100 in no way covered the amount of money I had to pay out to rectify all the issues, they withdrew their offer completely.

I then appealed to the ombudsman but they upheld the fact that I was offered £100 and declined it. Case closed.

In other words, and this is only my opinion, a Home Report is not worth the paper it is written on.

It is very sad to see companies writing good Home Reports for people they are friends with or writing inaccurate Home Reports to help people sell their houses – and these same people then recommend the company to their friends so they too can get good Home Reports.

It’s a lucrative business with virtually no comeback. Standards need to improve. At the very least, a Home Report should be accurate.

Anyway, enough of my house moving woes, I wonder if any other readers have had similar problems?

Until next time, stay safe.