Here are a few problems to look out for when buying a property:

(photographs)

1. Bulging or leaning chimney stacks
2. Sagging roofs
3. Missing or broken roof tiles or slates
4. Blocked or leaking gutters and downpipes
5. Cracked, bulging or distorted walls
6. Defective render
7. Bridged damp proof courses
8. Blocked sub-floor ventilation
9. Rotten windows and doors
10. Misted up double glazing
11. Incorrect loft conversions
12. Missing separating walls in lofts
13. Polystyrene tiles
14. Cracked and sagging ceilings
15. Rising damp
16. Blown wall plaster
17. Removed and altered walls
18. Rotten / springy floors
19. Unsupported chimney breasts
20. Penetrating damp
21. Cellar problems
22. Obsolete electrics
23. Lead pipes
24. Unsafe boilers and gas fires
25. Blocked drains
26. Japanese Knotweed
27. Asbestos