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Incorrect and misleading floorplans

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ASNL

New Member
I have visited more than 10 properties in London through local state agencies and most of them were significantly smaller than the area in their floorplan.

One of the main factors I use to value a property is the square footage. I cannot understand why there are not national standards and why the state agents are not obliged to using them to portray an accurate picture of the property.



If floorplans are wrong or misleading, uninformed buyers may loose huge amounts of money buying smaller houses and investors have to visit properties with their laser meter to create their own floor plan. That poses a problem for international buyers as they cannot visit the UK for those purposes during the pandemic.



Last property I visited was 75 sq ft smaller than expected. You might think by looking at the pictures should be enough, but think again, as the pictures are often manipulated so properties look better, brighter, and definitely bigger!



We could save so much time if state agencies could confirm the accuracy of their floorplans instead of just using those for "illustrative purposes!" so they are not responsible for any potential disastrous outcome.
 
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Longterminvestor

Administrator
You make a perfectly valid point and especially valid for overseas investors in the UK property market. Can estate agents really get away with "misleading" floorplans? Surely they must have to show the actual measurements on the property sales page?
 
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Longterminvestor

Administrator
I have read about these laser measuring devices, which today cost? Assuming the cost is not too much, this is surely worth a look?
 
T

Theo_Ch

New Member
I am not based in the UK, and not aware of the UK laws on Real Estate and Real Estate professionals.

However, I guess that they should be obliged as you said to make a valid presentation of the property, without misleading the investors. Agree with @Longterminvestor, as if the investor or buyer will be able to visit the property then this is ok, they can see the property and decide for themselves if it is smaller or darker than the photos. However, if the investor is overseas, proceeding with the property purchase remotely, will definitely cause future problems.
 
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diyhelp

Active Member
Many people are also depending on videos and real time tours but these are also open to abuse. A simple change of a camera angle can make a huge difference to the look of a property/room. If possible, visit the property, if you can't then you are accepting a certain degree of risk.
 
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bracknelson

Member
Yes, I agree with you according to property measurement firm, homes across the country are routinely mismeasured, meaning buyers have purchased less floor space than was advertised. If floor plans are found to be incorrect, sellers could also face legal action for mis-selling.

But I would suggest you to be aware of these discrepancies so that it doesn't cost you negatively.
 
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MechJony

Member
Customer visits to real estate are normal and reasonable, after all, people`re paying a lot of money and they have a right to see what they`re buying. I don't live in the UK and my country has completely different norms and concepts. In our country, it`s quite normal to visit the building and monitor how the construction is progressing. For example, when I contacted boutiquehomeplans.com, they did my house planning, I wasn`t denied my rights for sure, and I had full access to all the steps and processes. So I made a number of essential edits and they were included in the planning process.
 
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