When selling a house you’ll have to prepare and deal with a fair amount of paperwork.
The documents required when selling a property include official forms, guarantees, warranties, planning and building regulations certificates.
It’s a good idea to have all the correct paperwork possible in place before accepting an offer. This can help lead to a quick and easy sale.
However, even having this ready is not enough. Throughout the sale process additional documents will be required.
This is a guide to ensure that you have all the appropriate paperwork ready when you need to sell your house or flat.
Essential paperwork for selling a property
The following documents are required at the beginning of the process when selling any property, regardless of its age or leasehold status.
All house and flat sales require the following documents, and it is advisable to gather these together and fill them in as soon as possible.
Proof of identity and address
All estate agents, solicitors and conveyancers will ask you to provide them with both proof of identity and proof of address. This is to protect against money laundering and fraud.
A passport, driving licence, or Home Office recognised photo ID is required, alongside recent proof of address. You can use a utility bill or bank statement for this provided it was received in the last three months.
Land Registry title documents: deeds, plans and office copy entries
Title deeds are documents that prove the ownership of a property and the terms of that ownership.
If multiple people own a property, the property has a mortgage against it, or if the property is held as a leasehold this information will be included. Any covenants that affect the property are also usually written into the deed.
These documents are held by HM Land Registry, along with documents called Title Plans, which show the boundaries of the property.
When selling a property, official copies of both deeds and plans from the Land Registry are necessary.
If you’re selling a leasehold property, you’re required to provide a copy of both the leasehold deed and plan as well as the freehold deed and plan.
Official copies of all these documents are available from HM Land Registry for £3.00 per document.
Registering property with HM Land Registry upon transfer of ownership has been a legal requirement since the 1980s.
If you’d like to sell land which has yet to be registered, you’ll need to apply for a ‘first registration’. This is a specialist task, best conducted with the help of a dependable conveyancer.
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
An Energy Performance Certificate, (EPC) is a document which provides an estimate of how energy efficient a building is. This can indicate how expensive heating and lighting a certain property is likely to be.
These ratings are categorised in an alphabetical ranking from A-G. A rated buildings are the most efficient while G rated buildings are the least efficient.
All properties marketed in the UK are legally obligated to have an Energy Performance Certificate. And so you’ll need to hold one of these in order to market your property for sale.
EPC’s are valid for ten years. If a property was bought in the last ten years, it is likely it still has a valid EPC. You can find out if a particular property has a valid EPC using the UK Government website.
Arranging a new EPC costs between £60 – £120, depending on the property and it’s location. An EPC must be completed by a UK Government approved assessor.
A tool for finding approved local EPC assessors is available here.
The Property Information Form (TA6)
A seller fills in form TA6, the Property Information Form, to give a prospective buyer detailed information about a property.
The TA6 form includes spaces for information relating to:
- Boundaries, and who is responsible for maintaining them.
- Disputes with neighbours.
- Planning notices or discussions of development.
- Any alterations and planning consents gained or required.
- Any guarantees and warranties for building work.
- Insurance details, in case the new owner would like to continue a policy.
- Environmental matters including flooding and radon.
- Details of any protected or problematic trees.
- Information about access, rights and informal arrangements.
- Details about any associated parking.
- Details about occupiers, including family, tenants, and lodgers.
- Services including gas, electricity, and broadband.
The seller must accurately complete this form.
An example of this form is available from the Law Society.
The Fittings and Contents Form (TA10)
A seller fills in form TA10, the Fittings and Contents form, in order to let a buyer know what’s included with the property sale.
These forms are intricate and can be customised to show what is included with the sale, what is an optional extra, and how much these extras cost.
Obvious examples of things included in this form include white goods and curtains. Other items included in the form could range from carpets to garden items such as BBQs.
It’s generally advised to keep a copy of the Fittings and Contents form when packing up prior to completion. This can then act as a reminder for the seller when trying to remember what to leave behind for the buyer.
An example of this form is available from the Law Society.
Essential paperwork required later when selling a house
The following documents are required later in the sale process after an offer is accepted and contracts are agreed.
The seller must look over all these documents, though most of them should be prepared by their estate agent or solicitor when starting the conveyancing process.
The Memorandum of Sale
A memorandum of sale, often abbreviated as the MOS, is a document prepared by an estate agent which contains all the important sale details relating to a property transaction.
The document states who the buyer and seller are, as well as giving details about their acting conveyancers. The conveyancers typically use this document to contact each other and start the sale process.
Anyone involved in a property transaction should ensure that their estate agent produces a memorandum of sale as fast as possible.
Ask your estate agent if they have the information required to write the memorandum of sale as soon as you accept an offer.
This can help to get a feeling for how committed your new buyer is in purchasing your property.
If necessary, chase your estate agents to complete the memorandum of sale as this is the very first document required to start the sale process.
Normally, delays at this stage are caused by one party not having instructed a conveyancer yet. Unless you want to hold up the whole sale process, don’t let this be you.
The Contract of Sale and Deed of Transfer/Transfer Deed/TR1
The TR1, also known as a Property Transfer Deed, or a Deed of Transfer is a document which legally transfers the ownership of a house from the seller to the buyer.
This is prepared alongside a contract of sale, which includes details about the transaction including the buyer and seller, the property address, any conditions agreed, and the agreed sale price.
A seller’s conveyancer will prepare these documents when the seller accepts an offer on their property.
They will use information in forms TA6 and TA10, as well as including information on any covenants, warranties, guarantees, and building control certificates that apply to the property and any planning permission given to the property.
The seller will be asked to sign this contract of sale prior to exchange.
They should use this opportunity to check over the contract and Deed of Transfer to ensure everything is correct.
Common paperwork required to sell a house
On top of the above-mentioned essential documents, a substantial amount of additional paperwork can be required when selling properties.
Selling leasehold property requires a substantial number of additional documents. Additionally, property which has had work carried out often needs warranties or guarantees too.
The Leasehold Information Form (TA7)
Form TA7, the Leasehold Information Form is required when selling any leasehold property.
This includes details about a properties management firm, landlord, any service charges or ground rents and any ongoing collective purchase action.
An example of the form is available from the Law Society.
The Leasehold Information Pack
The leasehold information pack is a collection of documents organised by the freeholder. This typically includes fire risk assessments, insurance, accounts and more.
To get this pack, the seller must contact their freeholder. The freeholder is allowed to charge for this pack and typically will charge between £100 and £300.
Often it can be worth a leaseholder waiting until an offer is accepted before requesting a pack. At this point it’s worth finding out how much this will cost and how long it will take beforehand.
Gas Safety Certificates
If your property is connected to mains gas you’ll need a gas safety certificate..
While it’s not a legal requirement, evidence of a well-maintained and safe gas system is an obvious positive for a prospective buyer.
A Gas Safe registered engineer issues this certificate. For more information on finding a Gas Safe registered engineer visit their website.
Electrical Checks
If you’ve had electrical work carried out on your property after January 2005, you’re obligated by law to obtain a Part P Building Regulations Certificate.
This certificate will prove that all new electrical work has been conducted to the correct safety standard. If you cannot locate this certificate, you should speak to your electrician who carried out the work.
If no work has been done on the electrics, you’re under no obligation to prove to the buyers the electrics are safe and provide them with an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).
The onus of checking the electrics are safe lies with the buyer.
Warranties and Guarantees
No house remains perfect forever. Any responsible homeowner knows this and will have to conduct repairs from time to time.
If a seller has taken action to repair or improve their house, or deal with a problem like damp, they should keep any guarantees and warranties relating to the work. This could include works such as replacement windows and doors. For this a seller should hold a FENSA or CERTASS certificate.
They should then provide copies of these warranties and guarantees to the buyer. This also goes for any electrical appliances or fixtures and fittings that the seller plans to leave in the property.
If a property is less than ten years old, the seller should have a copy of the new home policy/warranty documents. A copy of these should also be given to the buyer.
Planning Permissions and Building Regulation Certificates
If a seller has amended a property they will need to show evidence that they have obtained the correct consents and approvals.
Copies of planning permissions, Building Regulations approvals and completion certificates are required to be provided to the buyer.
A seller should also give the buyer details of all building or alteration work that does not have the necessary planning permissions or building regulations approvals and detail any unfinished work.
If a property is listed with Historic England, the required consent forms for any work should also be supplied. If a property is in a Conservation Area, the seller should gather evidence any changes comply with local rules.
Window Certificates
Windows replaced within the last ten years should have a valid FENSA or CERTASS certificate. These prove the windows comply with current building regulations.
If a seller cannot prove a window has one of these certificates it is likely that indemnity insurance will need to be bought.
Floorplan
A floorplan is a scale drawing of a house or flat which shows the layout and sizes of the rooms.
It is often useful for marketing purposes but can be important to the conveyancing process too. A conveyancer will tell a client if a floor plan is necessary.
Most estate agents can draw up a floor plan but some may charge extra, so be sure to account for these additional fees.
This concludes the paperwork that you may be required to provide when selling your property.
Has this article been helpful? Let us know by leaving a short comment below.
Thank you very much for the information.
Hi Esra and thank you for your comment.
We hope our post has been helpful in collating all of the required certificates when selling your house. Good luck with your sale!
Does getting the leaseholder deed of certificate hold up the sale of a flat or is it independent of it?
Hi Martin and thank you for your query. We would suggest you ask your solicitor this question as there could be more to this once you get into it. We hope this helps.
We have a septic tank which we are told could be a problem.
Do we need electrical certificates etc if we are auctioning the property
Hi Hilary and thank you for your question.
To confirm, you will still need an Electrical Safety Certificate if you are intending to get full value for your property at auction. Without this and other safety certificates you may find that your property does not reach the price you are hoping for.
We hope this helps.