When you first bought your property, you will have received plenty of paperwork relating to the purchase of your home. Now you’re selling, it’s up to you to make sure all the right documentation is in place to make sure the process is as smooth as possible. For the property to go on the market in the first-place certain things will be required to really showcase it, including photos, a floorplan if you have one, a description and of course the valuation. Once you’ve had an offer, you must provide various documents to make sure the legal parts of the sale can be completed. These can be broken down into the following three categories: • Identity information • Property specific information • Leasehold or Freehold information Here we’ll take you through the essentials to ensure everything’s in order when the time comes.
1. Identity documents
2. Property Specific documents
- Transaction Information: if you are moving to another home and any specifics of moving dates
- Occupiers: detailing any people living in the property who will continue to do so after the sale
- Boundaries: where they are and any responsibilities for upkeep of fences or hedges
- Environmental matters: this will reference the ERC as well as detailing any other potential environmental issues such as flooding
- Complaints & disputes: any ongoing disputes with neighbours for example
- Planning Alterations & Building Control:
- details of any substantial building work undertaken or ongoing
- building’s listed status if applicable
- Warranties or guarantees: if any parts of the building are new, including a roof or solar panels
- Proposals & notices: letters from Local Authority or neighbours detailing any future development in the area
- Insurance: detailing any irregularities and guiding on the potential cost to insure the property
- Services: condition of wiring and central heating
- Connection to services & utilities: specifying location of electricity, gas, and water meters if applicable
- Parking: any details of garages or off-road parking
3. Leasehold or Freehold documents
- A copy of the lease if leasehold
- Shared freehold documents if the property retains a share of the freehold, including a share certificate if a company has been set up to manage the freehold
- Management information pack to be sourced by you or your solicitor from the managing agent or freeholder (note that there is usually a charge for this which is dependent on the landlord)