What paperwork do I need to sell a house?
Selling a property can be a lengthy and stressful task. As part of the sale process, you’ll need to provide a substantial amount of paperwork.
This helpful guide provides an alphabetical breakdown of all the different paperwork you might need for a smooth and successful sale.
In this guide
- Boiler service record
- Building regulations certificate
- Double glazing certificate
- Electrical safety certificate
- EPC certificate
- Gas safety certificate
- House sale contract
- Lease
- Leasehold information pack
- New build warranty (NHBC)
- Proof of identity
- Property deeds
- TA6 form – seller’s property information form
- TA10 form
- Warranties and guarantees
Boiler service record
Boiler service paperwork will show that your boiler has been well cared for and regularly serviced.
Do you need a boiler service record to sell a house?
No, boiler service paperwork is not a legal requirement to sell a house, but it may be reassuring for your buyer if you do have evidence that it has been well maintained.
If you have had a new boiler fitted in the last few years, you’ll want to provide your installation paperwork along with any warranty information.
Building regulations certificate
A building regulations certificate (also known as a completion certificate) should be provided if the property has undergone any alterations, extensions or structural work. This will prove work completed meets building regulations.
What happens if I can’t find my building regulations certificate?
If you can’t provide a building regulations certificate, it may cause problems for your sale. Some lenders will be unwilling to lend on a property without building regulations, which will ultimately impact the value of your property. Other lenders may be willing to proceed, as long as an indemnity policy is purchased to cover the uncertified work.
Can I get a replacement building regs certificate?
It may be possible to get a replacement building regulations certificate. Your first stop should be your local council as they may have a record of building regulations approval.
What if the work never had building regs?
If the work never had building regs, you have two options: indemnity insurance or retrospective building regs.
Indemnity insurance will offer protection from the cost of remedial work if the council go down the route of action enforcement at any point in the future. This may be sufficient to reassure your buyer and/or their mortgage lender.
A retrospective building regulations inspection is your other option, but it’s important to keep in mind that building regulations standards may have changed since the work was carried out. An inspector may require you to carry out significant works to meet current building regulations standards. The cost of this should not be underestimated.
Double glazing certificate
A FENSA certificate for double glazing:
- Provides proof that the installation meets building standards
- Provides proof that the installation has been registered with your local council
- Acts as a warranty for the work carried out
Do you need a double glazing certificate to sell a house?
Yes, if you’ve had replacement windows since April 2002, you will need to provide a FENSA double glazing certificate.
If you can’t find your certificate or you aren’t sure whether you have one, you can check on the FENSA website: https://forms.fensa.org.uk/fensa-certificate
How much is a double glazing certificate?
The cost of a FENSA certificate will usually be included in the initial quote for the work and will not be billed separately.
A replacement FENSA certificate is currently £25.
Electrical safety certificate
An electrical safety certificate shows that your property’s electrics and wiring have been checked and found to be safe. This gives homeowners peace of mind that they are not at risk of electric shock or fire.
Do homeowners need an electrical safety certificate?
If you have had any electrical work done at the property since 2005, you are legally required to provide a certificate that shows the works were completed to the required standard. This is known as a Part P Building Regulation Certificate.
If you can’t find your Part P Building Regulation Certificate, you should contact the electrician who carried out the work. They should be able to arrange for a replacement certificate to be sent to you.
If you have not had any electrical work done, there is no requirement to provide any sort of electrical safety certificate. The responsibility lies with the buyer to have the property’s electrics checked.
How much is an electrical safety certificate?
If you need a replacement Part P certificate, most electricians will be able to provide the replacement for free. Some may charge a small fee.
If you want a complete electrical safety assessment/certificate for the property, you can expect to pay somewhere between £100 and £300.
EPC certificate
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) provides evidence of how energy efficient (or not) your property is. It will also provide recommendations for energy efficiency improvements that could be made to the property.
Do homeowners need an EPC certificate to sell a house?
You need an EPC certificate to sell a property. Each EPC assessment is valid for 10 years, so you may not need to get a new assessment carried out if one has been done in the last few years. You can check whether your property has a valid EPC certificate on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate
How much is an EPC certificate?
A new EPC assessment and certificate typically costs between £60 and £90.
Gas safety certificate
A gas safety certificate proves that the gas appliances in your property have been checked by a Gas Safe engineer.
Do homeowners need a gas safety certificate?
It is not a legal requirement to provide a gas safety certificate, but you should have one when a heat producing gas appliance is installed at the property. If your buyer asks for a gas safety certificate, you should be able to order a spare through the Gas Safe register (as long as the appliance was installed by a Gas Safe engineer).
How much is a gas safety certificate?
A new gas safety certificate for your property (after a check from a registered Gas Safe engineer) will typically cost between £60 and £90.
House sale contract
Your house sale contract will be provided by your conveyancing solicitor. It is impossible to sell a property without a formal, legally binding house sale contract.
You and your buyer will both receive a copy of the contract and both parties will sign their copy. These contracts will then be exchanged once conveyancing is complete and both parties are ready for the sale to become legally binding. Once contracts have been exchanged, the sale will complete on a mutually agreed date.
Lease
If the property is leasehold, you’ll need to provide a copy of the lease. This is the legal agreement between you and the owners of the freehold for the property. It will outline your rights and responsibilities as the leaseholder.
If you can’t find your copy of the lease, you should contact your mortgage provider or conveyancing solicitor who may have it.
Leasehold information pack
If you’re selling a leasehold property, you will also need to provide a leasehold information pack (also known as a TA7 leasehold property information form).
The form contains the following information:
- Details about the property – whether it is a house or a flat, and whether it is shared ownership
- Information about any ground rent payable
- Details of any maintenance or service charges payable
- Details of any administrative fees payable
- Whether you know of any plans for the freeholder to change or sell the property
- A copy of the building insurance policy
- Contact details for the management company and freeholder
- Copies of any correspondence with the landlord or management company
- Any details of the tenant’s right to buy the freehold
- Any other documents relating to the property eg. an EWS1 external wall system fire safety certificate, if you have one.
You can find a sample TA7 form here.
New build warranty (NHBC)
Most new build properties will be covered by a 10-year NHBC warranty. If your property was built in the last 10 years, you are likely to have some warranty remaining. This should be transferrable to your buyer so you should provide them with the details.
Proof of identity
Both estate agents and solicitors are required to verify your identity and address. This is to satisfy anti money laundering checks.
You will need one form of acceptable photo ID, usually a passport or driving licence, and a recent utility bill addressed to you that will prove your address.
Property deeds
Property deeds are a collection of documents evidencing the ownership history of the property. They may include:
- Sale contracts
- Leases
- Mortgages
- Conveyancing documents
Deeds are usually required for the sale of a property, though it is possible to sell without them as long as the property is registered with Land Registry.
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TA6 form – seller’s property information form
The TA6 property information form (also known as a law society property information form) provides important property information for your buyer. Information provided includes:
- Property address
- Seller and buyer information
- Property council tax band
- Whether the property is shared ownership
- Leasehold/freehold
- Property type eg. terraced/semi-detached/detached
- What the property is built with eg. standard brick construction
- Number of bedrooms, bathrooms and reception rooms
- Details of utilities and services at the property
- Parking arrangements at the property eg. driveway or on-street parking
- Any restrictions on the property eg. conservation area, listed property or restrictive covenants
- Rights of way
- Any flood risk or coastal erosion risk
- Planning, building work and alterations
- Guarantees and warranties
- Insurance
- Who lives at the property
- Accessibility
- Coalfield or mining areas nearby
- Boundary responsibility on each side of the property
- Any disputes or complaints
- Whether you have to pay towards the maintenance of any access roads or pathways
TA10 form
The TA10 form provides information on the property’s fixtures and fittings, detailing what is included in the purchase.
Before you complete the TA10 form, you’ll want to consider what you’re planning to take with you and what you will leave. The form includes areas such as:
Basic fittings
- Boiler
- Water heater
- Doorbell
- Light switches
- Electric sockets
All of these are usually included in the sale.
Kitchen
- Oven
- Hob
- Microwave
- Dishwasher
- Washing machine
- Tumble dryer
You’ll need to specify whether these are integrated or freestanding.
Light Fittings
You’ll need to specify whether light fittings in each room will be included.
Fitted furniture
You’ll need to state whether any built-in furniture eg. wardrobes will be included.
Flooring
The form will include tick boxes to say whether carpet/floor coverings are included in each room.
Curtains and blinds
You’ll be asked to state whether curtains, curtain poles and blinds are included in each room.
Fuel
If your property uses any fuel sources not on the mains eg. firewood, oil or LPG gas, you will be asked to confirm whether any will be left at the property for the buyer.
Garden
You will be asked to confirm what contents will be left in the garden, eg. garden furniture, water butts, clothes line etc.
Warranties and guarantees
You will also need to provide any warranties and guarantees that relate to the property. This might include things like roofing, damp-proofing work or a boiler.
The earlier you can start collating these documents, the better. Unfortunately, around a third of property sales will fall through before completion, many of them due to slow sales progress and chain-break. Being prepared in advance will help to ensure you’re not responsible for any hold-ups in the sale.
