BUYING a property is one of the most expensive purchases people make in their life time and ensuring it is safe, and not likely to leave the buyer at risk is crucial.

Despite this, 80 per cent of people do not get a professional survey, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Buyers should not just rely on a mortgage evaluation, which is only intended to give a guide to how at risk the property is.

The mandatory Home Information Packs intended to help purchasers when buying and selling a home no longer contain the home condition report.

These reports contain information about the physical condition of a property, which can be relied on legally as an accurate report.

In the absence of the home condition report and in a bid to encourage more buyers to get a professional survey, a leading London and South East surveying practice, MAP Ltd, has launched a new product to help buyers and sellers easily identify the condition of their home.

Co-Director of MAP Ltd, Garrett O'Hanlon, said: "Homescore cuts away a lot of the complicated elements sometimes associated with property analysis, leaving an uncluttered score-based reporting system, which can be understood in a very straightforward way enabling clients to make informed decisions quickly and easily.

"With improved speed of delivery and significant cost savings compared with traditional surveys, Homescore is radically improving the property inspection element of the buying and selling process."

The product has a series of sections which cover all the main elements of the building and these are given a score from 1 to 10 and surveyors can add comments where relevant.

Garrett said: "Feedback has been very positive. The clear format and score rating system of the report makes identification of issues very straight- forward and brings clarity and simplicity to what can sometimes be a complicated element of the home buying process.

For more information, visit mapsurveyors.co.uk