We are looking at houses to buy and have come across a wide variety of floor plans, some of which seem to be a bit ambitious to put it politely.
For example, three houses that we have looked at recently all did things differently: one listed the garage and loft space out separately and did not include them in the full square footage, another ambitiously included both in the square footage, while the other one showed room measurements but no overall square footage.
We also saw one property with odd shaped rooms, where again an ambitious-looking floor plan used ‘max’ measurements, despite the maximum width parts of the rooms being almost unusable.
Be careful: Some estate agents may try to enhance the total floor area by including areas which should be excluded.
Meanwhile, an estate agent tried to justify a home’s cost to us based on it being a 200 square metre five-bedroom house, despite two of the supposed bedrooms being box rooms and a room downstairs that had been sub-divided to create two separate rooms that were both only 2.5 metres wide but 5.5 metres long.
Are there any rules on how estate agents measure, draw up and declare things on floor plans? And what would property experts recommend when looking for a well proportioned home? Via email.
Ed Magnus of This is Money replies: A floor plan is perhaps one of the most crucial things to look at before going to view a property.
It can give you an idea of how big a property is, its layout, its limitations and its potential. It’s all very good having a nice looking room, but if it is an unusable shape or size there’s going to be a problem.
While wide-angled photographs may be put a tempting gloss on the body of a home, floor plans reveal the skeleton within.
And photos can be deceiving, often making properties look bigger and brighter than they really are. The floor plan should give a better sense of the reality.
However, as our reader has noticed, this may not always be the case. Many floor plans are presented differently.
Most estate agents will use a specialist floor plan firm to measure up a property and produce the plan in much the same way they will hire a professional photographer.
To help provide some expert advice on the matter, we spoke to Henry Pryor, a professional buying agent, Michael Zucker of north London estate agency Jeremy Leaf & Co, Sam Gould, a sales director at Chesterons and Carl Howard, group chief executive of of Andrews estate agents.
Do some agents present floor plans differently?
Henry Pryor replies: Estate agents use floor plans as part of the marketing, so they usually make the best of whatever the plan looks like.
They usually contract the work to a floor plan company who have different ways of measuring rooms and totalling up areas.
Almost all firms include all rooms but some won’t include garages, attics or corridors in the total floor area. They quote a net floor area.
Michael Zucker adds: Estate agents are not always consistent when it comes to measuring houses, sometimes going into a narrow deep recess or corridor area which gives a misleading impression of the size of a room.
Some agents may try to enhance the total floor area by including areas which should be excluded.
This is because the rules for accuracy and consistency are not clear, other than that descriptions should not be misleading.
How should agents draw up floor plans?
Sam Gould replies: A property’s floor plan should be created by an independent third party and follow the strict guidelines of the Rics Code of Measuring Practice.
Purchasers should be able to verify what is included in the total square feet. For example outhouses, sheds, garages.
It should also show if there is any reduced height space or eaves where a person would be unable to stand.
Henry Pryor says buyers should not rely on floorplans. ‘I have seen two agents floor plans for a house I was buying that contradicted one another so commissioned my own which was different again.’
Should buyers rely on floor plans?
Henry Pryor replies: A floor plan is helpful but not definitive. It’s part of the marketing material and should never be relied upon for legal purposes or for planning building work.
A floor plan can be very helpful for a buye,r so they can see odd-shaped rooms or plan their furniture having been to the property.
Some people prefer room dimensions. Some like total floor areas. If there is a rule about how a building should be measured then no one has ever told an estate agent!
Use them for identification purposes only. I have seen two agents’ floor plans for a house I was buying that contradicted one another so commissioned my own which was different again.
Sam Gould adds: Prospective buyers have the right to question floor plans produced by the estate agent or seller and engage an impartial company to produce a new one.
Whilst this would be at the buyer’s expense, the result will not only give peace of mind but could present an important tool in price negotiations, should the outcome differ from previous floor plans.
How can a floor plan help buyers?
Michael Zucker replies: It is important that purchasers look at the floor plan to assess whether the layout of rooms and balance of bedrooms to living accommodation suits their needs.
Many houses are top heavy, with too many bedrooms and limited living area, or bottom heavy with a large extended ground floor area and small original bedrooms.
The overall floor area provided on most estate agents’ plans provides an initial guide to comparing different properties but sometimes those with a smaller overall floor area may be more practical in their layout and have less wasted space.
When looking at floor plans, look at the potential to improve the layout or to extend. Some houses have a generous landing area making it easy to extend the staircase to convert the loft, whereas others may require major alterations or even loss of part of an existing first-floor bedroom to do so.
Nothing compares to an actual inspection of the property when you will be able to ascertain the aspect of each room, the views, overlooking, orientation, potential to alter the property and to see whether neighbouring properties have been extended.
Two rooms of identical shape and size on a plan may appear completely different on site depending on ceiling height and the size and positions of doors and windows.
It is important that purchasers look at the floor plan to assess whether the layout of rooms and balance of bedrooms to living accommodation suits their needs.
Sam Gould adds: When looking at any floor plan, we also advise clients to consider future plans and discuss what work could be undertaken to improve the property’s layout.
Some buyers might want to take down a wall or build an extension; even if these plans aren’t imminent, it is crucial for a buyer to know the property’s full potential before finalising any sales agreement.
Is it wise to lose a bedroom to make a better space?
Michael Zucker replies: UK buyers have traditionally been overly fixated on the number of bedrooms with less regard for overall floor area.
Four-bedroom houses sometimes sell for more than those with three bedrooms even though the latter have a larger total floor area.
This is slowly changing, partly in response to more people working from home and flexible family arrangements, which mean homeowners are now more likely to buy houses which suit their needs.
We find many prefer to live in a house with three well-proportioned bedrooms rather than four smaller, less useable, bedrooms.
However, they may have been wary of making alterations which involve loss of a bedroom to create a better layout or an additional bathroom because they have been told the value of their house may be compromised, even though they have no intention of moving for several years.
We would advise: adapt your house to suit your needs rather than the assumed needs of some hypothetical purchaser far into the future who will probably radically change the house anyway.
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