HouseCheckup vs PostcodeCheck: Comprehensive Score vs Area Score

PostcodeCheck provides a free area score (0-100) based on approximately 6 data points — crime, schools, broadband, house prices, green spaces, and amenities. It works at the postcode level, giving you a general sense of a neighbourhood. HouseCheckup provides an 18-factor IQ Score from 70+ official government data sources, working at the individual property level — not just the postcode. Two houses on the same street can get very different IQ Scores if one has flood risk, poor EPC, or subsidence issues. HouseCheckup's score is more comprehensive and more precise.

FeatureHouseCheckupPostcodeCheck
PriceFree Snapshot / £14.99 CompleteFree
Score typeProperty-specific IQ Score (0-100)Postcode-level area score (0-100)
Scoring factors18 weighted factors~6 data points
Data sources70+ official government sources~6 sources
GranularityIndividual property addressPostcode area
Flood riskYes — property-specific EA dataNo
Ground stabilityYes — BGS GeoSureNo
Contaminated landYes — EA dataNo
EPC / energyYes — full breakdownNo
Crime dataYes — street-levelYes — area-level
School qualityYes — Ofsted ratingsYes — area-level
Broadband speedsYes — Ofcom verifiedYes — area-level
Property valuationYes — AVM with confidence rangeAverage house prices only
Investment analysisYes — 5 strategiesNo
PDF report18-page downloadable PDFNo
Properties covered29M+ (England & Wales)All UK postcodes

Our verdict

PostcodeCheck is a quick, free way to get a general feel for an area — useful for early-stage location research. But it only scores the postcode area, not the specific property. HouseCheckup's IQ Score analyses the individual property across 18 factors from 70+ data sources, catching property-specific risks that PostcodeCheck misses entirely (flood risk for that exact address, ground stability beneath that house, EPC rating of that building). For serious due diligence, HouseCheckup provides the depth you need.

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Search any UK property for a free Snapshot. Upgrade to Complete (£14.99) for the full 18-page report.

Try or search any UK postcode

Frequently asked questions

PostcodeCheck provides a reasonable general overview of an area based on ~6 data points. However, it works at the postcode level, so it cannot identify property-specific risks like flood risk, subsidence, or poor EPC ratings that vary from house to house. Two properties in the same postcode can have very different risk profiles.
A postcode score (like PostcodeCheck's) rates the general area — crime levels, school quality, broadband speeds. A property score (like HouseCheckup's IQ Score) rates the specific property — including flood risk, ground stability, EPC rating, and contamination that can vary dramatically between neighbouring houses.
HouseCheckup offers a free Snapshot with basic data and an IQ Score indication. The full 18-page Complete report costs £14.99. PostcodeCheck is entirely free but provides only area-level data from ~6 sources, without property-specific analysis.
Yes — this is one of HouseCheckup's key advantages. One house might score 82/100 while a neighbour scores 61/100 because of differences in flood zone designation, ground stability, EPC rating, or proximity to noise sources. Postcode-level tools like PostcodeCheck would give both the same score.

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