Veto story: Estate agent

They typed in the address of each listing and skipped the interview, which an agent does not need. With no household to measure against there is no score, just the findings: a neutral report on the property and the area, which nobody at the branch can edit, hide or reorder.

So Veto reported on:

The road. How many vehicles a day use the nearest counted road, and police-reported injury collisions within 500 metres.

The area. Recorded crime within 250 metres over two years and which way it is heading.

What a buyer's surveyor will raise. Flood risk, air quality, radon, storm overflows and whether homes nearby are on mains gas.

What is changing nearby. Planning applications within about 250 metres in the last 18 months.

Getting about. Bus stops and the nearest railway station.

Both listings got the same checks in the same format. The first is a quiet suburban road with one recorded collision. The second is in the centre, with 27 recorded collisions within 500 metres and 43 planning applications nearby.

The agent knows what each vendor will be asked, and can answer it, before the valuation. Both reports can go to the client as a link under the branch's name.

From the shared report for address one:

Flood risk is low: the area sits in Flood Zone 1 for rivers and sea, with very low surface water risk. Air quality is clean for a built-up area, with background nitrogen dioxide at 3.5 µg/m³ against a UK limit of 40. Road safety is good, with only one minor injury collision recorded within 500 metres over three years. Healthcare access is a particular strength: the nearest GP practice, about 1.2 km away, is rated Outstanding by the CQC, and there are six practices within reach. Mobile coverage is strong across the constituency, with 100% indoor 4G availability. Transport links are convenient, with a bus stop 438 metres away and Exeter St Davids station about a mile off.

Set against this, a handful of findings need a closer look rather than causing concern. Recorded crime shows 8 incidents within 250 metres over two years, flat overall but with a rising trend in anti-social behaviour, small in scale but worth noting. The area carries a raised radon band (5-10% of homes above the action level), which means a radon test in the building itself is the only way to know the real position. About 38% of homes nearby are off the mains gas grid, so the property's actual heating fuel should be confirmed rather than assumed. A storm overflow 539 metres away on Nadder Brook spilled 15 times in 2025, a figure to be aware of but not unusual for a watercourse in this kind of setting, and it sits well clear of the flood-zone picture, which itself is low risk. Nine planning applications have been lodged within 250 metres in the last 18 months, including one very close by for a side extension, so it is sensible to check what is proposed and whether it could affect outlook or value.

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