1 · At a glance

A 1930s owner-occupied semi on oil heating, off the gas grid, with no planning complications. The fundamentals are all in the right place: confirmed ownership, a suitable property type, and a fuel situation that makes the running-cost case for a heat pump about as strong as it gets. The 2008 energy certificate is the weak spot in the record: old enough that the glazing and insulation picture needs verifying, which is exactly what the homeowner survey will do.

2 · What the records say

Anything below high confidence is treated as unverified and queued for the survey rather than assumed.

3 · Energy certificate findings

The most recent certificate was lodged in 2008 (band D). It records oil central heating, single glazing throughout, 100 mm of loft insulation and a hot water cylinder. Neighbouring certificates on the same street, lodged more recently, mostly show replacement double glazing and topped-up lofts, so the 2008 picture is likely pessimistic. Treat the certificate as a historical baseline, not the current state of the house.

4 · Planning position

The property is not listed, does not fall within a conservation area, and no Article 4 direction applies to the address. Checked against the local planning maps, not just a postcode lookup. An outdoor unit should be a matter of sensible placement under permitted development, subject to the usual boundary and noise considerations.

5 · Heat loss estimate

Based on the floor area, build era and the certificate's fabric description, with these labelled assumptions: cavity walls (unverified), glazing as per 2008 (likely pessimistic), loft at 100 mm (likely pessimistic). If the survey confirms replacement glazing and a topped-up loft, expect the range to narrow toward the bottom end. This is a scoping estimate to shape the conversation, not a substitute for your MCS heat-loss calculation.

6 · Grant position

The property appears eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and as an oil-heated home off the gas grid it appears eligible for the higher grant amount. Both are framed to the homeowner as "appears eligible, confirmed when your installer applies", never as a promise. No prior heat pump funding was found against the address.

7 · Red flags

Nothing blocking. Two cautions to resolve before quoting: cylinder space is unconfirmed (the certificate's cylinder may have gone in a combi conversion since 2008), and the electrical supply capacity is unknown from the records, so check the fuse rating on the first visit.

8 · What the homeowner survey will check

9 · How Aldous will run the survey

• The survey opens with the windows: the certificate's single-glazing claim is the biggest swing on the numbers, so the first photo Aldous asks for is a window close-up.

• The airing cupboard comes early too. Cylinder space is the one potential deal-breaker on this property, better settled in minute five than photo twelve.

• Questions photos can't answer (the loft top-up, the boiler's age) are asked in conversation, and the answers land in your pack as evidence alongside the photos.

• The homeowner learns as they go: what the install involves, why an oil-heated home has one of the strongest running-cost cases, what living with a heat pump is like.

• The grant is only ever framed as "appears eligible, your installer confirms when they apply". No prices, no promises: that conversation stays yours.