Flood risk
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Environment Agency long-term flood risk mapFlood-zone and active-warning signals. Nation-specific surface-water and reservoir layers should be checked manually where not returned.
Methodology
How MyPropertyScan checks UK property risk
MyPropertyScan is a pre-offer due-diligence tool for UK home buyers. It combines public property, environmental, local-area, and survey-context data into a buyer-focused report so obvious risks are checked before money is spent on searches, surveys, and legal work.
Last updated: 24 July 2026. Editorially reviewed: 20 May 2026.
What the report is
A MyPropertyScan report is an evidence pack. It pulls public data for one address, flags risks that may affect cost, insurance, mortgageability, negotiation, or resale, and translates those findings into buyer next steps.
It is not a physical inspection, valuation, conveyancing search, mortgage recommendation, insurance quote, or legal opinion. Buyers should use it alongside a surveyor, solicitor, broker, and insurer.
Core datasets
Energy and building age
Official register
EPC RegisterEPC band, certificate details, construction-age signals, and efficiency recommendations.
Price evidence
Data source
HM Land Registry Price Paid DataSold-price comparables and tenure where Price Paid Data includes it.
Ground movement
Data source
British Geological Survey Engineering Geology (1:1 million)Bedrock and superficial-deposit descriptions converted into a directional ground-movement indicator. This national-scale overview is not parcel-level GeoSure data, a site-specific desk study, or a ground investigation.
Air quality
Data source
Copernicus CAMS via Open-MeteoCurrent modelled PM2.5, NO₂ and European AQI from a nearby CAMS grid cell; not annual postcode measurements.
Road and rail noise
Data source
DEFRA Environmental Noise Directive mappingMapped road and rail noise bands in England. This is a separate source from the Copernicus CAMS air-quality data.
Planning and local authority records
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GOV.UK planning decision registerPlanning applications, local council records, conservation follow-up and local authority checks.
Crime
Data source
Police.uk open dataRecent street-level crime categories near the address.
Schools
Official register
Ofsted inspection reports and DfE Get Information About SchoolsNearby state schools with their inspection outcomes, plus fee-paying schools listed separately. Around half the independent sector is inspected by ISI rather than Ofsted and carries no one-to-four grade, so those appear without a rating and never affect the headline.
Connectivity
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Ofcom broadband and mobile coverage checkersBroadband availability, mobile signal and nearby transport context.
Evening activity nearby
Data source
Food Standards Agency FHRSNearby restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars, nightclubs and takeaways as a soft proxy for evening activity.
EV charging nearby
Data source
Open Charge MapNearby public EV charger locations where the live lookup returns usable results.
Heritage constraints
Official register
Historic England and local council recordsListed-building and conservation-area indicators.
How scoring works
The buyer score is deterministic. It does not use a black-box valuation model. Each check is interpreted by likely buyer impact: whether it changes insurance availability, lender appetite, survey level, legal risk, repair budget, or resale friction.
A severe issue can outweigh several clean checks. For example, a property can score well on schools and transport but still need caution if flood insurance, non-standard construction, or active movement risk is present.
How gaps are handled
A public source can fail to return a match for normal reasons: the address is new, the postcode has multiple buildings, the source does not cover that nation, or the public body publishes the dataset at a wider geographic level. We do not convert those gaps into green results. The report labels the check as unavailable or unconfirmed and turns it into a buyer question for the seller, conveyancer, surveyor, broker or insurer.
This matters most for flood, tenure, listed-building status, conservation-area status, local searches and price evidence. In those areas, absence of a public match is weaker than a professional confirmation. The report is designed to show where confidence is high and where the buyer still needs a formal answer.
Quality checks before publishing
Editorial pages are checked for source clarity, buyer usefulness, and internal consistency before publication. For city and property-type pages, the content must include specific local or construction context rather than only a generic template. For survey-decoder pages, the wording must distinguish common survey language from professional diagnosis, so buyers do not treat a public guide as a substitute for an inspection.
Pages are also reviewed for cannibalisation risk. Where two pages answer adjacent questions, the target intent is separated: city pages focus on local address checks, property-type pages focus on construction and survey defects, and survey-decoder pages focus on the meaning of a named survey finding.
Known limitations
- Public datasets may lag real-world changes or be unavailable for some addresses.
- Flood, subsidence, and local-area data are risk indicators, not guarantees of future events.
- Listed-building and conservation-area checks should be confirmed with the local planning authority.
- Survey findings still require a qualified surveyor or specialist when defects are visible or serious.
- Legal title, lease terms, easements, covenants, searches, and planning history must be confirmed by a conveyancer.
Where to go next
- Start with the house buying checklist for the full pre-offer workflow.
- Use the Survey Decoder if you already have a survey finding to interpret.
- Read the asbestos survey buying guide when age, materials or survey comments point to a specialist check.
- Compare the output format in the sample property report.
- Check the disclaimer for the limits of reports based on public data.
Sources used
We use UK public and specialist sources where they are available. Public datasets can be incomplete, delayed, or missing for some addresses. Treat them as a starting point, not as a replacement for professional advice.
Source standard: preference goes to official government datasets, statutory bodies, professional standards, and primary dataset publishers. We cite the source family on the page and explain coverage limits rather than filling gaps with unsupported estimates.
- Check this with: Environment Agency long-term flood risk mapOfficial flood-risk service for England, including river, sea, surface water, reservoir and groundwater where available.
- Data source: HM Land Registry Price Paid DataRegistered residential sale prices for England and Wales.
- Official register: Energy Performance Certificate RegisterPublic EPC certificate lookup for an address, postcode, street or certificate number.
- Data source: British Geological Survey Engineering Geology (1:1 million)National-scale bedrock and superficial-deposit mapping used as a directional ground indicator, not parcel-level GeoSure data or a site investigation.
- Data source: Copernicus CAMS via Open-MeteoCurrent modelled PM2.5, NO₂ and European AQI from a nearby CAMS grid cell.
- Data source: DEFRA Environmental Noise Directive mappingMapped road and rail noise contour data for England, classified into MyPropertyScan's low/moderate/high bands, and separate from the CAMS air-quality source.
- Data source: Police.uk crime dataOpen street-level crime data for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Check this with: Ofcom broadband checkerOfficial checker for broadband availability and speeds.
- Check this with: Ofcom mobile coverage checkerOfficial predicted mobile coverage by network.
- Data source: Food Standards Agency food hygiene ratingsPublic register used to identify nearby food and drink venues.
- Official register: Ofsted inspection reportsSchool and provider inspection report lookup for England. Fee-paying schools come from the DfE Get Information About Schools register, since around half are inspected by ISI and carry no Ofsted grade.
- Official register: Historic England National Heritage ListListed buildings, scheduled monuments and other protected heritage entries in England.
- Professional standard: RICS Home Survey StandardRICS standard for condition-based residential surveys in the UK.
- Learn more from: RICS consumer guide to surveysConsumer-facing guide to survey types and when each level is appropriate.
- Official guidance: GOV.UK buying or selling your homeGovernment overview of the home buying and selling process.