What documents do I need to sell my house?

Most delays in a house sale are not caused by the sale itself. They are caused by paperwork that could have been ready weeks earlier. Gathering your documents before you go on the market means that when an offer comes in, your side is ready to move while everyone else is still hunting for certificates. Here is exactly what you need, and what each item is for.

What documents do I legally need to sell?

Three things are essential. An Energy Performance Certificate, which is a document rating how energy efficient your home is from A to G, must be in place before you market the property, and it stays valid for ten years. Proof of ownership shows you are entitled to sell, and for almost all homes this is your registered title held by HM Land Registry rather than old paper deeds. Photo identification is required so your estate agent and conveyancer can carry out anti-money-laundering checks, which are the legal identity checks that confirm you are who you say you are.

What forms will my conveyancer ask me to fill in?

Once you instruct a conveyancer, they send you a standard pack of forms to complete. The TA6 Property Information Form is a detailed questionnaire about the home, covering boundaries, disputes, alterations, guarantees and known problems. The TA10 Fittings and Contents Form lists exactly what you are leaving and what you are taking, room by room. If your home is leasehold, you also complete a TA7 Leasehold Information Form about the lease and service charges. Answer these fully and honestly, because a buyer's solicitor relies on them and errors can unravel a sale later.

What extra paperwork helps a sale go faster?

These are not always legally required, but a buyer's solicitor will usually ask for whatever applies to your home, and having them ready removes weeks of back and forth.

• Building regulations completion certificates for any extension, loft conversion or major alteration.
• FENSA or CERTASS certificates for replacement windows and external doors.
• A Gas Safe certificate for a boiler or gas work, and an electrical certificate (EICR or a minor works certificate) for rewiring.
• Planning permission documents where the work needed them.
• Guarantees and warranties for damp proofing, timber treatment, a new boiler or underpinning.
• Any party wall agreement if work involved a shared wall.

What do leasehold sellers need on top?

If you own a leasehold home, usually a flat, you need extra documents that only the freeholder or managing agent can provide. These include a copy of the lease, recent service charge and ground rent statements, buildings insurance details, and a leasehold management pack (often called an LPE1). This pack can take several weeks and sometimes costs a fee, so request it as soon as you decide to sell rather than after an offer arrives.

The sellers who complete fastest are almost always the ones who had their paperwork ready before the first viewing, not the ones who started looking after the offer.

Getting ready to sell starts with knowing what your home is worth and who should sell it. ValuQ gives UK homeowners free, side-by-side property valuations from competing local estate agents, so you can line up the right agent while you gather your documents and move quickly when the offer comes in.