Variance and discrepancy checks
How to test what an estate agent's listing claims against the public record — floor area, planning history, flood exposure and EPC.
Pillar guide · 12 min
The complete guide to cross-checking a UK property listing against public records
A step-by-step method for testing every claim in a Rightmove or Zoopla listing against EPC, planning, flood and Land Registry records before you make an offer.
Read the guideHow to check true square footage against an agent's floor plan claim
Floor areas on Rightmove listings and EPCs are measured differently. Here is how to compare them properly, and what a genuine discrepancy is worth in a negotiation.
8 min read
How to verify the planning permission history behind a listing
Extensions, loft conversions and outbuildings all leave a paper trail — or should. Here is how to search the planning record for a property before you offer.
9 min read
Unlisted flood risk: how to check official maps before you offer
How to check Environment Agency flood risk and statutory flood zones for a UK property, and what a flood designation means for insurance and mortgage lending.
8 min read
EPC rating discrepancies: what they mean for your bills and your mortgage
How to read an EPC properly, spot certificates that no longer describe the property, and work out what the gap costs in running costs and improvement work.
9 min read
Evidence-based negotiation
How to turn registered sold prices, price-per-square-foot variance and condition evidence into an offer you can defend.
Pillar guide · 12 min
How to negotiate a property asking price using public evidence
A structured method for building an offer from registered sold prices, price per square foot, condition evidence and public records — instead of guessing a percentage off.
Read the guideUsing £ per square foot variance to justify a below-asking offer
How to calculate price per square foot from registered sold prices and EPC floor areas, choose fair comparables, and turn the variance into a defensible offer.
9 min read
How to calculate your opening offer, realistic target and ceiling price
A repeatable way to set the three numbers every buyer needs before making an offer, built from registered sold prices and quantified property-specific costs.
8 min read
What HM Land Registry sold data really tells you about local prices
How to read Price Paid data properly — what it includes, what it leaves out, the reporting lag, and how to use it as negotiation evidence without over-reading it.
8 min read
How to write an evidenced offer letter to an estate agent
A free template for putting a property offer in writing with sourced evidence, plus what to include, what to leave out, and the wording that keeps the offer subject to survey.
7 min read
Portal and open data guides
Getting more out of Rightmove and Zoopla listings, and the free UK open data sources that sit behind them.
Pillar guide · 10 min
How to find the property data hiding in a Rightmove or Zoopla listing
Everything a UK portal listing quietly tells you — price history, listing age, floor plan detail, EPC links — and the free official records that fill in the rest.
Read the guideHow to find historical asking price drops on a portal listing
Where price reductions and listing age show up on Rightmove and Zoopla, how to cross-check them against registered sold prices, and what they mean for your offer.
7 min read
How to evaluate any UK address for free using open data APIs
The official UK open data APIs that let you check EPC, sold prices, planning designations, flood risk and crime for any address — with endpoints and licensing notes.
10 min read
Check a property before you offer
Run any UK postcode through our free lookup for EPC bands, flood exposure, registered sold prices and recorded crime. Got a specific listing? Paste the Rightmove link for the full six-section FirstBid report.