Selling your property can be a big task. The process of buying and selling property is unfamiliar to most people and so it is important to get the right advice from the right people. You can avoid stress and speed up the process if you can gather various pieces of information at an early stage.
Gathering the relevant documents at this stage, you can avoid any possible future delays and provide your estate agent with key information to share with prospective buyers from the outset.
Whilst not an exhaustive list, the following documents will need to be considered and obtained during the sale transaction.
Original deeds
The majority of properties in England and Wales are now registered with HM Land Registry (HMLR). If your property is registered with HMLR, your conveyancer will obtain copies of the deeds on your behalf. However, a number of properties in England and Wales remain unregistered, if your property is unregistered, you will need to locate the original deeds. These will likely be held by the owner or possibly the mortgage lender (if applicable). Even if registered please do provide your conveyancer with any deeds/documents you may have been provided with when you purchased the property. These can often assist with enquiries raised.
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
An EPC tells a prospective buyer how energy efficient your property is. You are legally required to have an EPC in order to sell your property. If your property does not have an EPC or it has expired, you will need a new one before you get your property ready to sell. You will need to pay for an EPC from an accredited assessor. Your estate agent may be able to help arrange this.
Mortgage statement
Should a mortgage or charge be registered against your property; your conveyancer will need to request a redemption statement. So that a statement can be requested without delays, it would be helpful if you can provide your conveyancer with the name of the lender and your account number at the offset. Do remember some mortgages are subject to early repayment charges, you will need to check with your lender directly whether any charges apply.
Planning permission and building regulations compliance certificate
If you have carried out works on the property during your period of ownership, such as an extension, replacement windows/doors, installation of a boiler or electrical works, your buyer will require confirmation of compliance for those works. Whilst the works may be noted on the buyer’s search results, to avoid delays, it is helpful to produce these certificates to your conveyancer early on. If you do not hold documentation please discuss with your Conveyancer before making any further enquiries.
Boiler service history
Whilst it is not a legal requirement to have a full boiler service history when selling your home, the buyer will want to be confident the boiler is in good working order. Depending on the age of the boiler, it would be helpful to ensure there is a recent service report available.
You will also need to consider and provide your conveyancer with copies of the following (if applicable);
- Ground rent/service charge information
- Rentcharge receipts
- Solar panel documentation
- Guarantees
Stephensons have helped thousands of people buy and sell properties across the country, contact our residential conveyancing solicitors today on 0161 696 6187 to find out how we can help, or use our free online calculator to get a quote for our services.
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