Independent Property Due Diligence
Stop a £40,000 Mistake
Before You Sign.
UK property investors lose thousands on hidden flaws, inflated yields, and planning traps their own enthusiasm helped them miss.
Escave Group is your independent, skeptical filter. We audit the deal before you commit, so your capital stays safe.
No sales pitch. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about your deal.
The Cost of Skipping Due Diligence
These Real Losses Were Preventable
Every story below follows the same pattern: an investor committed capital without independent verification. The red flags were there. Nobody checked.
The Planning Trap
Manchester
An investor purchased what appeared to be a permitted HMO conversion. After completion, they discovered an Article 4 Direction had removed permitted development rights. The property was unrentable as planned. Loss on forced resale: over £45,000.
Source: Article 4 enforcement cases documented by UK planning authorities
The Title Defect Nobody Spotted
Newcastle
A freehold purchase completed without thorough title investigation. Post-completion, a shared sewer easement was discovered that blocked the planned extension. Remediation and legal costs exceeded £28,000, and the property was effectively unmortgageable for resale.
Source: Conveyancing failure cases reported by SAM Conveyancing and Property Solvers
The Yield Mirage
North West
Marketing materials promised 9.2% gross yield. Independent analysis revealed actual yield after voids, management fees, and maintenance was 4.8%. The investor's BTL mortgage failed stress tests within 8 months. Total losses from refinancing and void periods: over £35,000.
Source: Rental void research by Sandra Davidson Estates and NatWest mortgage data
What You Actually Get
We do not sell properties. We sell protection, certainty, and the confidence to invest knowing every claim has been independently verified.
Avoid Catastrophic Loss
Our 40+ point risk assessment catches the flaws that cost investors thousands. Planning traps, title defects, inflated yields, and hidden costs.
Save 40+ Hours of Research
Skip the endless Rightmove analysis and planning portal searches. Get a structured, evidence-based verdict delivered to your inbox.
Negotiate from Evidence
Our EDAT report gives you hard data to negotiate a better price, demand repairs, or walk away with confidence.
Sleep at Night
Replace anxiety and second-guessing with a clear, independent Go/No-Go verdict you can trust with your capital.
Adrian Matousu
Founder & Lead Analyst
Your Guide
Why Adrian Audits Every Deal Personally
"I am not here to sell you properties. I am here to be the skeptical, data-driven expert in your corner. The one who tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear."
I have seen too many investors lose money on deals that should never have happened. Overpaying for properties, working with the wrong professionals, or missing red flags that were visible to anyone who knew where to look.
That is why I built Escave Group and the EDAT framework. Not to find you deals, but to protect you from bad ones.
A Filter,
Not a Funnel
Sells Protection,
Not Properties
Loyal to You,
Not the Deal
The Decision Engine
Powered by EDAT
EDAT is our proprietary due diligence framework: Evidence, Data, Analysis, and Transparency. It is the difference between a gut feeling and a structured decision you can defend.
Our 17-section research process verifies data, challenges claims, and models the downside so you can invest with confidence.
See How EDAT Works
Evidence
Data
Analysis
Transparency
How It Works
Three steps. No jargon. No hidden costs. Just clarity.
Send Us the Deal
Share the property listing, brochure, or deal details. Or book a discovery call and tell us what you are looking for.
We Investigate
Your deal goes through our EDAT framework: 40+ verification points, 17 research sections, stress-tested financials. Delivered in 3 working days.
You Decide with Confidence
Receive your written EDAT report with a clear Go/No-Go verdict. Proceed with confidence, negotiate harder, or walk away knowing you dodged a loss.
Choose Your Level of Protection
From a quick risk audit to a fully managed acquisition. Transparent pricing. No hidden fees. Always independent.
Deal Check
The £295 insurance policy against a £40,000 mistake
Independent 40+ point risk audit. Go/No-Go verdict in 24 hours.
Deal Check + Team
Verification + a vetted team that will not let you down
Everything in Deal Check plus introductions to vetted solicitors, brokers, and managers.
Full Due Diligence
The forensic audit that pays for itself before exchange
3-day, 17-section EDAT deep-dive. The full picture before you commit.
Specialist DD
For deals too complex, too expensive, or too risky to gamble on
HMO, commercial, listed buildings, and complex title situations.
Acquisition Service
We hunt, verify, negotiate. You sign and collect rent
End-to-end managed acquisition with full EDAT due diligence.
Partnership
Delegate risk management entirely. Direct line to Adrian
Unlimited deal checks, curated flow, priority access, and 1-to-1 WhatsApp.
Real Result
How a £295 Deal Check Saved £40,000
£40,000+
Loss Prevented
£295
Cost of the Deal Check
136x
Return on Investment
The Situation: A client came to us excited about a "below market value" property in the North West. The agent had marketed it as a permitted development opportunity with projected 8.5% yield.
What We Found: Our EDAT analysis uncovered a planning restriction in the local development plan that would have blocked the intended conversion entirely. The "8.5% yield" was based on projected rents that did not exist in the local market. Comparable evidence showed actual achievable rents were 35% lower.
The Verdict: No-Go. The client withdrew from the deal and avoided a loss estimated at over £40,000 in planning remediation costs and reduced capital value.
"Adrian told me not to buy. Six months later, that development collapsed."
Portfolio Investor, Manchester
Client Feedback
What Investors Tell Us
Names withheld at client request. Service tier, role, and location verified.
“The EDAT report was worth ten times what I paid. For the first time, I understood every risk before committing my capital.”
First-time BTL investor
Saved £12,000Manchester · Deal Check client
“Having Adrian's vetted team handle everything from solicitor to property manager made the process seamless. I will not go back to doing it alone.”
Portfolio investor (8 units)
Cheshire · Partnership client
“I was about to overpay by £25,000 based on inflated agent yields. The Deal Check showed me the real numbers. Best £295 I have ever spent.”
Limited company landlord
Saved £25,000Liverpool · Deal Check client
The 27 Red Flags That Cost UK Property Investors Thousands
A practical checklist drawn from real deals we have audited. Know what to look for before you commit your capital.
Start a Conversation
Tell us about your situation and we will be in touch to discuss how we can help.
No obligation. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about whether we are the right fit.
What happens next?
We will review your enquiry and get back to you within 24 hours. If you would prefer to speak sooner, you can book a free discovery call at a time that suits you.
Common Questions
You absolutely could, and many people try. But our clients are busy professionals who know their time is better spent in their own field of expertise. They hire us for the same reason someone hires a specialist surgeon: for independent expertise that catches what untrained eyes miss. We have audited hundreds of deals and that experience allows us to see things others cannot. A £295 Deal Check takes us hours of structured research. It would take you 40+ hours to replicate, and you would still miss the institutional data sources we access.
Still have questions?