Viewing the property: what to check, in order
You usually get one viewing, it lasts between twenty minutes and an hour, the custodian is waiting and maybe someone else is queuing after you. It is not a second appointment as on the open market: this is it.
It pays to arrive knowing what to look for, because on the spot it will not come to mind.
This is not a list of things to look at in general — you know those. It is the list of things that cost the most at auctions when they are missed.
First: read the appraisal report and bring it with you
The viewing is for checking the appraisal report, not replacing it. If you arrive without having read it, you will look at a flat as you would look at any flat, and you will miss precisely the points where the document and reality diverge.
Note down three or four things to check in advance: the floor plan against the real walls, the condition the expert describes against what you see, and every irregularity the report flags. Those are the ones to look at first, because they are the only ones you already have reason to suspect.
Bring a printout of the cadastral floor plan. Comparing it on the spot is the single most rewarding check of all.
The floor plan against the walls
It is the first check and the most rewarding: count the rooms, look at where the doors are, check where the walls run.
The most common irregularities are banal and expensive: an ancillary room turned into a bedroom, an enclosed veranda, an attic made habitable, a garage turned into a den, a wall moved. On paper the property has one shape, inside it has another.
The problem is not aesthetic. A planning irregularity makes the property non-compliant, and until it is regularised you can neither resell it nor mortgage it. Regularisation sometimes costs a few thousand euros, sometimes it is simply not possible, and which of the two applies is decided by the municipality, not the seller.
If you count one room more than there are on the drawing, that is the moment to slow down.
The systems
Ask to see the electrical panels and the boiler, and photograph them.
You are interested in three things: whether the electrical system is up to standard or is still the 1970s one with twisted cloth wiring; whether the boiler is compliant and how long since it was last serviced; whether there are traces of water on the walls, in the top corners, under the windows, around the bathroom fittings.
Damp patches are the most underestimated defect because they look cosmetic. Sometimes they are. Sometimes they are a leak from the roof or the neighbour’s terrace, and they turn into a condominium dispute you carry around for years.
If the property has been uninhabited for a long time, turn on a tap and test a drain. Pipes that stand unused clog and corrode, and redoing the plumbing in a flat costs more than you imagine.
Who is inside
If the property is occupied, the viewing is also a chance to understand who you are dealing with.
Look at whether someone really lives there or whether it is just furniture. Ask the custodian on what basis they are there. The difference between an occupant without title, a tenant with a lease registered before the attachment and the debtor themselves determines vacating timescales ranging from a few months to more than a year.
If you can talk to whoever lives there, do so politely and without promising anything. Understanding whether they intend to leave or to resist is worth more than any estimate of timescales.
If the property is empty, check that it really is empty: cellars and garages are often used by someone else in the building, and getting them back afterwards is a nuisance.
The building, not just the flat
Half the problems you buy are outside the front door.
Look at the common areas: stairs, lift, façade, roof. A building with peeling plaster and a broken-down lift has extraordinary works on the way, and you pay part of the costs approved before your purchase — the law makes you jointly liable for the contributions for the current year and the previous one.
If you can, ask the custodian or the building manager whether extraordinary works have been approved, whether there are ongoing disputes, or widespread arrears. A condominium with many defaulters has an empty kitty, and sooner or later someone will have to replenish it.
Also look at how many letterboxes have a name and how many do not, and how many windows have had their shutters down for months. In a half-empty building reselling is difficult, whatever price you paid.
The surroundings
Walk around the area for ten minutes, and if possible come back at a different time of day.
A property viewed at eleven on a Tuesday seems different at seven in the evening with the street jammed, or on a Saturday night with the bar downstairs open. Look at where you would park, how far the nearest shop is, whether there is a school, whether the street is a through road.
These are the things that are in no appraisal report and that determine whether, and to whom, you will resell.
Photograph everything
Take many more photos than you think you will use, and look at them again at home with the appraisal report in front of you.
On the spot you are under pressure: the custodian is there, time is short, and your mind records an overall impression. The photos show you the detail you looked at without noticing — the crack above the door, the stain behind the wardrobe, the meter that is missing.
Photograph the numbers too: the gas meter, the boiler plate, the electrical panel, the street number, the letterbox.
If you cannot view
It happens: the property is occupied and nothing can be agreed, or time is short.
In that case the minimum is to look around the outside. You look at the building, the street, the windows on the right floor. You check that the address in the appraisal report is the real one. You ask the neighbours or the café downstairs: in a village or a neighbourhood, someone always knows something.
And lower your bid. A property you have not seen is worth less, because the risk you are taking is higher and must be priced in.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay anything for the viewing? No, the viewing is free.
Can I view more than once? It depends on the availability of the custodian and the occupant. If you have a serious reason — a technical expert who wants to see the systems — it can usually be arranged.
Can I go in without the custodian? No. Access is through the custodian appointed by the judge.
Can I have a contractor assess the works during the viewing? Yes, by bringing the person with you and agreeing it in advance. If you are considering a renovation, it is the best use you can make of a viewing.
How far in advance should I ask for a viewing? As soon as you see the listing. Weeks often pass between the request and the appointment, and the bid deadline does not move.
This guide describes general practices. What is stated in the notice of sale and in the appraisal report filed in the proceedings always prevails.