Viewing a riad: the 30-point checklist

Short answer: in the medina, what costs money cannot be seen from the courtyard. Look at the roof terrace, the base of the walls and the beams first, then the paperwork. Check the charm last.

View a riad at least twice: once for the feeling, once with this list. Photograph every point, bring a laser measure, and if you can, a craftsman or engineer you trust.

The structure

• Base of the walls: damp marks, blistering render, white salt deposits. A sign of rising damp.
• Roof terrace: state of the waterproofing, slope towards the drains, puddles after rain.
• Beams and joists: visible sagging, pitted wood, fine dust on the floor (wood-boring insects).
• Cracks: stepped in the masonry, diagonal at the corners of openings, along the floors.
• Party walls: the neighbour's condition, leaks coming from their side, windows overlooking your courtyard.
• Stairs: soundness of the steps, height, whether they can be brought up to standard.
• Recent extra storeys: a floor added without a suitable structure loads the old walls.

Utilities

• Water and electricity meters: are they there, in working order, and in whose name?
• Connection to the sewer rather than a cesspit: ask to see the manhole.
• Available electrical capacity, enough for air conditioning in every bedroom.
• Water pressure upstairs, presence of a booster pump or tank.
• Old lead or galvanised iron pipework that needs replacing.

The surroundings

• Walking time to a square, a medina gate or a taxi rank.
• Width of the derb: can a handcart get through for the works and the luggage?
• Noise at prayer times, from workshops, from a nearby café. Come back in the evening.
• Smells: some areas, near the tanneries in particular, do not suit a guesthouse.
• The view from the roof terrace and how much the neighbouring terraces overlook it.
• Light in the courtyard by time of day and season.

The paperwork

• Land title or melkia? Ask for a copy, and for a title a recent ownership certificate.
• The sellers: are they all present or represented? An inherited property is often jointly owned.
• Occupants: is the property let, lent, or lived in by a family member?
• Actual floor area: compare it with the deed and have it measured.
• Permits for works already done, especially an added storey.
• Local taxes: are they paid up?
• Easements: rights of way, views, water draining towards a neighbour.

The project

• How many bedrooms with their own bathroom can really be created?
• Is a pool or plunge pool possible, structurally and administratively?
• The works budget, item by item, drawn up by someone who has visited.
• The price per square metre, compared with recent sales in the same neighbourhood.
• A realistic timescale to the first paying guest, titling and works included.

If a single point remains unanswered, it is not necessarily a deal-breaker. But it must be costed before you make an offer, not discovered after signing.

This list is a reminder. It replaces neither a structural survey by a professional nor the notary's legal checks.