1) Damp patches, stained areas 70 per cent

2) Property in poor state of repair 63

3) No garden 57

4) Bad smells 56

5) No parking 56

6) Poor natural light, dark rooms 54

7) Unfinished building work 54

8) Small rooms 51

9) Small kitchen 44

10) Bad DIY 43 per cent

11) Dirty house 37

12) Stone cladding or pebble dash 31

13) Outdated bathroom 25

14 ) Outdated kitchen 25

15) Artex or textured ceilings 18

16) Plastic windows 18

17) Overgrown garden 16

18) General untidiness 16

19) Cluttered rooms 15

20) Dated or over the top décor 14

Ben Wilson, from Gocompare.com home insurance said: “Buying a home is one of the biggest financial commitments many of us will make and most potential buyers will want to think that the property they are buying has been looked after by its current owners.

“Overgrown gardens, cluttered rooms can be tell-tale signs that the property has been unloved and essential maintenance and repairs have been ignored.

“For example, stained walls and ceilings or rooms with a mildew smell could warning signs of a possible damp problem which might be costly to remedy – or they might simply be a result of blocked gutters or downpipes which are quick, easy and inexpensive to clear.”