First published in The Yorkshire Post.

Selling your home is one of life’s most significant undertakings. In my experience, the sellers who sail through the process are rarely the ones who got lucky. They are the ones who were prepared. Here is what to think about before putting your house on the market, to make the transaction run as smoothly as possible:  

Back to basics

Sellers should have the necessary paperwork for any alterations made to the property, especially anything done in the last 20 years. Extensions, conservatories, loft conversions, new driveways may have required planning permission or building regulations approvals – and often both, as the two are separate consents that are frequently confused. Certificates for installations such as windows and doors (FENSA or CERTASS), boilers (Gas Safe Register), and electrical work (NICEIC or NAPIT) will all be requested during the conveyancing process.

If paperwork can’t be found, the instinct to contact the council is understandable, but please don’t. Speak to your solicitor first. Indemnity insurance is a practical and widely used solution in many of these situations, but it becomes unavailable once the relevant authority has been made aware that work may have been carried out without consent. A well-meaning phone call can close off options that would otherwise have been open to you.

A question about warranty

If your home is less than ten years old, your buyers’ solicitors will ask for your home warranty certificate. These are issued by providers such as NHBC, Premier Guarantee or LABC and they provide structural protection for the buyer during early years of ownership. When properties are first sold by housebuilders, the warranty documentation forms part of the estate pack – a bundle of documents your solicitor received and should have retained on your behalf.

If you cannot find your certificate, go back to the solicitor who acted for you at the time of purchase and ask for your estate pack. It should be there. Getting ahead of this early avoids what can become a time-consuming chase during a live transaction.

The green space question

This one can catch sellers out more than almost anything else. If your home is less than around 25 years old, there is a good chance that the estate’s communal areas – for example green spaces and landscaping – will be managed by a private management company (rather than the local council), with the residents paying an annual charge for its upkeep.

In these circumstances the buyers’ solicitors will require what is known as an “FME1”; a freehold management questionnaire  prepared by the management company. This will form part of a larger pack including items such as service charge accounts and budgets, the company’s financial position, and insurances. The seller is required to meet the cost of this and it doesn’t arrive overnight. Speak to your conveyancer if you’re uncertain which company manages your estate or cannot find the documents.

Move faster by preparing now

Sellers who have done the groundwork in advance consistently experience smoother transactions. Whether your house is decades old or just a few years, the steps I outline are worth taking and usually before the ‘For Sale’ sign has even gone up.

As a simple starting point, create a single digital or paper file containing key documents before you instruct an agent. Warranties, certificates and any correspondence relating to works carried out will all be requested at some point. Having them to hand signals to buyers that you’re organised and helps maintain momentum once an offer is agreed.

The right preparation, coupled with the right adviser takes sellers a long way to reducing time, stress and uncertainty.