1 in 5 sellers admit ‘covering up’ property problems during viewings

One in five home sellers admit to having “covered up” problems with a property during the viewing process, new research has revealed.

What’s more, more than one in 10 (13%) have avoided showing a particular room to potential buyers during the viewing process, while 19% admitted to steering them away from a particular view they didn’t like, such as a mobile phone mast.

The survey of over 1,000 UK homeowners to have previously sold a home, commissioned by House Buyer Bureau, found the top reason for neglecting to fully preview their property was due to using the space for storage at the time of viewing.

Other reasons for keeping a part of their property hidden were the need for renovation, the fact it hadn’t been cleaned, because the interior design was outdated or unappealing and – notably – because it was “housing an embarrassing secret”.

However, just 2% stated that they had purposely avoided showing a potential buyer an outdoor area when viewing.

Perhaps more worryingly, as many as 8% said they had hidden a negative issue associated with the property itself.

The most common cover up was water damage or mould, followed by cracks in the wall which could indicate subsidence, nasty smells from, for example, pets or smokers, windows or doors that didn’t properly close, and pest problems.

Managing Director of House Buyer Bureau, Chris Hodgkinson, commented:

“We’re probably all guilty of sweeping something under the rug in order to improve the appeal of our property during the selling process, but it seems as many as one in 10 would purposely steer a buyer clear of an entire room to avoid revealing what lies behind the door.

While we’re less concerned about the state of our outdoor space, even more of us would try to hide an eye-soar surrounding our property in case it makes a bad first impression.

What is worrying though, is the number who admitted to purposely trying to conceal an issue with the property itself in order to get a sale over the line.”