Is a listing without a tick a bad one?

No. Today nothing carries a tick, because the criteria set has not been approved. What to read is not the tick but the Passport's rows: which documents arrived and what they showed.

Why not simply show a score from 1 to 10?

Because a score adds up things that cannot be compared and hides what exactly is missing. Eight out of ten tells you nothing about whether the document evidencing the right to sell exists — which is the only thing that matters in that row.

Who sees the documents?

We do and, for an independent check, the lawyer does. The documents themselves are never published and have no public links: the page shows the state of a check, never its contents.

What should I do about 'requires clarification'?

Ask what the discrepancy is. We answer plainly: a discrepancy is a question for the seller, not a verdict on the property. Quite often one conversation explains it.

Do you take a listing down if a check fails?

No. It stays, and the Passport says so. A failed check is information you need before spending money, not a reason to hide the advertisement.

Property Passport

How we check properties

The Property Passport is not a score and not a rating. It is the list of what has been checked on a listing and what has not, with the state of every check. Below: how to read it and why it is built this way.

See the properties Read the journal

What it is

Every published listing has a set of checks: the seller's identity, the documents on the property, the right to dispose of it, the standing of the compound, the facts about the flat itself. For each check the Passport holds a state, and shows exactly that.

A state is not 'good' or 'bad'. 'Documents not provided' does not mean something is wrong with the property; it means the seller has not handed them over yet, and you want to know that before you travel to view. 'Verified' does not mean 'safe' either: it means we received that particular document and its content matches what was claimed.

We deliberately do not collapse all this into one figure. Any score out of ten is someone's judgement dressed as a measurement: it hides which check is missing and pretends that things which cannot be compared can be added up.

What the states mean

Not provided — the seller has not handed the document over yet.
Received — we have it; work on it has not started.
Under review — the document is being examined.
Reviewed — its content has been read and recorded.
Verified — the content was checked against an independent source and matches.
Requires clarification — a discrepancy was found and we are resolving it.
Expired — the document was in order but has gone out of date and a current one is needed.
Not applicable — this check makes no sense for this property.

The verification mark

A tick appears on a card only when the listing has met every check of an active criteria set. The set is a versioned document approved by a lawyer; while no such set exists, nothing carries a tick. That is not a fault, it is the correct behaviour.

A tick cannot be had for a discount, a payment or urgency, and it is never granted in advance 'while the documents are on their way'.

Numbers and their sources

Every number on a listing page is shown with where it came from: stated by the owner, by the developer, by a partner, checked by us, or estimated by us. An estimate is marked as an estimate and set differently from a fact.

Where there is no number we write that there is none and name the state: 'not measured', 'not assessed', 'too little data'. A dash the reader fills in with a zero is also a way of lying.

What the Passport does not replace

It does not replace a lawyer. We collect documents, record states and arrange an independent check, but the legal opinion on your transaction comes from a lawyer, and the Passport does not stand in for it.

It does not replace a viewing. No document will tell you how well you hear the neighbours or what the compound is like on an ordinary evening.

How a check runs

The sellerWho is selling: a person, a company or a representative under a power of attorney. Identity and authority come first, because without them nothing else means anything.
The right to the propertyWhich documents evidence the right to dispose of the property and what exactly they grant. Wording about the form of ownership is published only after a lawyer has approved it.
The property itselfWhat the flat is: area, floor, condition, what is included in the sale. This is where the claimed and the measured diverge — and if they do, that is visible.
The compoundThe standing of the compound: service charge, arrears, rules on letting and renovation. This is what stays with the flat after the deal.
The lawyerAn independent legal check. We arrange it, but the opinion comes from the lawyer, not from us.

What people usually ask

Is a listing without a tick a bad one?: No. Today nothing carries a tick, because the criteria set has not been approved. What to read is not the tick but the Passport's rows: which documents arrived and what they showed.
Why not simply show a score from 1 to 10?: Because a score adds up things that cannot be compared and hides what exactly is missing. Eight out of ten tells you nothing about whether the document evidencing the right to sell exists — which is the only thing that matters in that row.
Who sees the documents?: We do and, for an independent check, the lawyer does. The documents themselves are never published and have no public links: the page shows the state of a check, never its contents.
What should I do about 'requires clarification'?: Ask what the discrepancy is. We answer plainly: a discrepancy is a question for the seller, not a verdict on the property. Quite often one conversation explains it.
Do you take a listing down if a check fails?: No. It stays, and the Passport says so. A failed check is information you need before spending money, not a reason to hide the advertisement.