A QUESTIONNAIRE to help the buying and selling of houses by providing useful information to potential buyers and their agents is to be tested in Fife and various other areas of Scotland including Dundee and Perth.

The questionnaire has been developed jointly by The Law Society of Scotland, the Scottish Consumer Council, the National Association of Estate Agents and Communities Scotland. Thirty-five solicitors and estate agents have agreed to take part in the test, which will run for 10-12 weeks.

The property sale questionnaire (PSQ) aims to ensure that buyers are provided with better information about a property in which they are interested and will provide surveyors with more information before they visit the property.

The PSQ is also intended to make conveyancing easier. If, for example, the seller declares that they have carried out any alterations to the property, the PSQ will alert the selling solicitor at an early stage of the need to obtain any necessary documentation that might be required by the buyer’s solicitor during the conveyancing process.

It is expected that the inclusion of the PSQ will not add any extra complexity to the buying and selling process. Many selling agents already ask sellers to complete a questionnaire, although at present they are not usually shared with the buyer.

A copy of the completed PSQ will be provided to potential purchasers, surveyors, and purchasing solicitors.

Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm, said, “People who take part in the test can be sure that their experience will help improve the information made available to help the house buying process in the future.”

Martyn Evans, director of the Scottish Consumer Council added, “Consumers making the largest purchase of their life have told us they would like more information about the home they buy earlier in the process.

“The questionnaire will provide practical information such as council tax banding, parking arrangements and services such as telephone, cable and broadband, that are connected to the property. We look forward to seeing the results of the test.”