Stock Condition

What are Stock Condition Surveys

Stock Condition Surveys are detailed inspections of your home carried out by a trained professional. They provide Ability Housing Association with information about the condition of your property, helping us plan when repairs, renewals or replacements may be needed.

The surveys also record the fixtures and fittings in your home. This helps us make sure that everything that should be maintained by your landlord is identified and included in our plans.

Stock Condition Surveys are therefore an important part of how we proactively manage and maintain your home.

Our approach to Stock Condition Surveys

Ability Housing Association is currently changing how we carry out Stock Condition Surveys.

Historically, all of our properties were surveyed during the same year, with each property being surveyed once every five years. While this approach had some advantages, we have decided to spread the surveys across the five-year cycle. This means that we will carry out surveys each year rather than surveying all properties in the same year.

This new approach will help us plan more effectively and act on the information we gather from the surveys.

As part of this change, we intend to carry out a light-touch survey of all our properties during the 2026–27 financial year. From 2027–28 onwards, we will carry out approximately 100 to 130 full surveys each year, ensuring that every property is surveyed once every five years.

What can I expect from the survey?

The surveys are primarily used to help us plan future repairs, renewals and improvements to our properties and to make sure we budget appropriately for the years ahead.

They can also help us identify defects or problems that may not have been known about or reported previously. Identifying these issues early means we can deal with them before they become more serious or costly.

The survey is not a check on you or how you are looking after your home. It is a tool that helps us understand the condition of your home so that we can plan and provide the repairs, renewals and improvements that may be needed in the future.

You will be given plenty of notice before the surveyor visits your home. We will aim to provide at least two weeks’ notice.

If you would like someone else to be present during the survey, you are welcome to invite a friend or family member. If you would prefer support from Ability, please speak to your Housing Support Officer (HSO).

The amount of time the surveyor needs to spend in your home will depend on the size of the property and what they find during the survey. In most cases, the visit will take approximately one to two hours.