There is a lot of paperwork involved with selling your home and the whole process is much quicker if you have everything in order ahead of time. There are some obvious ones, like the deeds to the property and all of your mortgage documentation, but there are a lot of smaller bits that people tend to forget. The whole process is put on hold because you’re searching around for a few documents last-minute, and it’s frustrating for everybody involved.

These are some of the important bits of paperwork people forget when selling their homes.

Energy Certificates

This is a simple piece of paperwork that tells the buyer if the property is energy-efficient. It’s a great selling point for your home, and it makes buyers feel better about spending more on utility bills. These days, you are legally required to provide it when you sell your home. The problem is, people often misplace them because they get stuffed in a drawer when they move in and forgotten about for years until they decide to move. Luckily, you can buy a certificate online to replace your lost one. It may be a good idea to replace your certificate anyway because it may no longer be up to date, especially if you have made alterations to the home.

FENSA Certificates

If you have installed new doors or windows since 2002, you need FENSA certificates when selling your property but a lot of people don’t realise this. Your home seems warmer, more secure, and better suited to the modern buyer’s needs when you have some quiet, draught-preventing windows and doors installed. But you need the certificates to prove they have been installed properly. If you moved into the property recently and the previous owner did some work, they should have left the certificates for you.

Replacement Boiler Certificates

Replacing your boiler is a good way to make your home more efficient and, in some cases, it’s necessary for safety reasons. However, you need to disclose this when you sell your home. You need to have the boiler inspected so you can get a Gas Safe certificate to prove that it is in good working order. If you have not had a recent inspection, call up a plumber and get a new certificate. 

Alteration and Extension Documentation

Before you sell your home, it’s a good idea to put a few things right and deal with any maintenance issues. Simple cosmetic changes like painting don’t need to be documented, but if there are any major problems with the structure of the property, that’s a different story. You will need documentation to show the buyer exactly what alterations have been made. The same is true if you have ever built an extension on the house. So, whenever you are doing extensive work on your home, always keep the plans and any other documentation because you may need it one day.

When you are preparing to sell your home, make sure that you don’t forget any of these important documents or you will slow the whole process down.