Before You Sell: What Buyers Need to Know About Your Home
Selling your home involves more than putting a board outside and waiting for the offers to arrive. Alongside preparing your property for photographs and viewings, there is an important part of the process that happens behind the scenes: making sure the right information about your home is available to potential buyers.
It can be tempting to focus on the positives when selling – the beautiful garden, the recently updated kitchen or the wonderful light in the sitting room. But being open about anything that could affect a buyer’s decision is just as important.
So, what exactly do you need to tell a buyer?
Think beyond the obvious
There isn't one simple list that applies to every property. What is relevant will depend on your home, its history and its circumstances.
As a general rule, if you know about something that could reasonably affect a buyer's decision to purchase the property, it is sensible to discuss it with your estate agent and solicitor rather than assume it doesn't need mentioning.
This might include previous problems with the property, alterations that have been made, disputes or issues affecting the boundaries, or restrictions and rights connected with the home.
The government's current guidance also places increasing emphasis on making important property information available earlier in the buying process, rather than allowing significant issues to emerge only after an offer has been accepted.
Previous problems or repairs
If your property has experienced problems such as damp, subsidence, flooding or structural issues, you should be open about them.
That doesn't necessarily mean they will prevent you from selling your home. A property may have had a problem which has since been professionally repaired, for example.
In these circumstances, keeping paperwork relating to the work can be extremely useful. This might include guarantees, specialist reports, invoices or details of remedial work.
Being able to explain what happened, when it was resolved and what work was carried out can give a buyer and their solicitor much greater confidence.
Alterations and planning permission
Have you extended the property? Converted the loft? Added a conservatory? Removed a wall? Built an outbuilding?
If so, your solicitor or conveyancer will want to know about it.
You may need planning permission, building regulations approval or other certificates depending on the work undertaken. Government guidance recommends getting paperwork such as planning permissions, building regulation certificates, guarantees and warranties together before marketing your property.
It is worth finding these documents before you put your home on the market rather than discovering that something is missing once you have a buyer.
Boundaries, rights and access
Do you share a driveway? Is there a private road? Does a neighbour have a right of way across part of your garden? Perhaps there is a footpath nearby or a shared access arrangement?
These details can matter to a buyer and may form part of the legal information about the property.
Your solicitor will deal with the legal detail, but if there is anything you know about the way your property is accessed, used or shared, make sure they are aware of it.
Neighbours and disputes
Nobody expects their neighbours to be best friends, but ongoing disputes can become relevant when selling a property.
If there has been a formal dispute or disagreement relating to your property – for example concerning boundaries, access, noise or another issue – speak to your solicitor about whether it needs to be disclosed.
It is far better for a buyer to understand the situation early than for it to come to light unexpectedly during conveyancing.
Guarantees, certificates and paperwork
A little preparation can make a big difference to the selling process.
Before going to market, gather together anything you have relating to:
- Extensions or alterations
- Planning permission and building regulations
- Windows and doors
- Electrical work
- Roofing or structural work
- Damp or timber treatment
- New boilers or heating systems
- Solar panels
- Guarantees and warranties
- Previous surveys or specialist reports
- Party wall agreements, where relevant
The government's guidance specifically highlights documents such as title deeds, planning and building regulation certificates, FENSA or CERTASS certificates, guarantees, warranties, surveys, electrical checks and party wall agreements as paperwork sellers may need to provide.
What about leasehold properties?
If you are selling a leasehold property, there is additional information to consider.
Your solicitor will need details from the freeholder or managing agent, which can include service charges, planned major works, fire safety information and other matters relating to the building and lease.
Getting this information together early can help avoid unnecessary delays later in the transaction.
What happens when you accept an offer?
Once you have accepted an offer, your solicitor or conveyancer will ask you to complete a TA6 Property Information Form. If you are selling a leasehold property, you may also need to complete a TA7 form.
The TA6 covers a wide range of information about the property, including matters such as boundaries, disputes, alterations and services. Your answers form part of the information provided during the conveyancing process, so it is important to answer accurately and honestly.
If you are unsure about an answer, don't guess. Speak to your solicitor or conveyancer.
Why being upfront can help
It is understandable to worry that mentioning a previous problem or an unusual feature of your property could put buyers off.
In practice, finding out about an issue early is usually preferable to having it emerge several weeks into a sale.
Today's buying process is increasingly focused on getting important information in front of buyers sooner. Government guidance on material information notes that omitting relevant information, or presenting it unclearly or too late, can create problems for consumers and transactions.
Being upfront doesn't mean drawing attention to every tiny imperfection. It means making sure anything genuinely relevant to a buyer's decision is properly understood and dealt with.
Our advice to sellers
Before your property comes to market, take some time to think about its history.
What work have you had done? What paperwork do you have? Are there any shared arrangements, restrictions or disputes? Has the property ever experienced a significant problem?
If you're unsure whether something is relevant, tell us.
At Burnett's, we believe that good estate agency is about more than marketing your home beautifully. It's about giving you honest advice and helping your sale progress as smoothly as possible.
A little preparation at the beginning can make a considerable difference further down the line – and when you're moving home, that's one less thing to worry about