How To Sell Your Home: 10 Top Tips

Simon Nosworthy

Top 10 Tips for Selling Your Home

Thinking about marketing your property for sale? Simon Nosworthy, Conveyancing Solicitor at Osbornes, sets out his top 10 tips to prepare now to avoid delays when it comes to selling your home:

1. Check Your Outstanding Mortgage

• Find out how big your outstanding mortgage is and if there are any early redemption penalties.
• Contact your mortgage provider for this information in writing or over the phone.

2. Gather Your Title Deeds

• The deeds to your house may be with your mortgage provider if you have one. If unsure, check with them.
• Many mortgage lenders do not hold title deeds anymore, so you may have received the property’s deeds when you purchased the property or if you recently re-mortgaged.
• The deeds might be with a solicitor you have used in the past. This is especially important for leasehold properties where having the original lease can be useful.

3. Locate Planning Permissions

• Have paperwork available for work that required planning permission in the last 10 years.
• If documents are lost, obtain copies from the Local Authority.

4. Find Building Regulations Consents

• For replacement windows installed since April 2002, you need building regulation consent or a FENSA certificate from the installer.
• For a new boiler installed post-1st April 2009, provide a Gas Safe certificate. For boilers installed before that date, provide a CORGI certificate.
• If documents are lost, obtain copies from the Local Authority or online from the certificate provider.

5. Collect Warranties and Guarantees

• Gather warranties and guarantees for works done at the property, such as replacement windows, cavity wall installation, or timber and damp treatment.
• If documents are lost, obtain copies from the guarantee or warranty provider.

6. Locate Home Building Warranty

• If your property was built in the last 10 years, find your original home building warranty provided by NHBC, Zurich, Premier Guarantee, etc.

7. Obtain Recent Utility Bills

• Obtain recent utility bills, especially the water bill. Also, provide a council tax bill and maybe an electricity bill.
• If you pay bills by direct debit, get an annual statement from the utility provider and give that to your legal representative.

8. Find Notices Related to Neighbouring Properties

• Locate notices related to neighbouring properties, such as party wall act notices or notices of planning applications and decisions.

9. Get an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

• An EPC gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and is valid for 10 years.
• An EPC is required for every sale. If selling through an estate agent, they can assist you with getting an EPC done.

10. Request Leasehold Documents

• If your property is leasehold, request an up-to-date ground rent receipt from your landlord or managing agent.
• If the property is leasehold with a share of freehold and the freehold is owned by a company limited by share capital, ensure you have the original share certificate.

Contact Us

If you need assistance with your property sale, contact Osbornes Law:

• Call us at 020 7485 8811
• Complete our online enquiry form

Osbornes is approved by the Law Society under their Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS). This scheme provides a recognised quality kitemark for approved residential conveyancing practices.