After an offer has been accepted, the next phase of your sale and/or purchase is very much in the hands of your solicitor. Thirty percent of sales fall through during the period after offer acceptance. This is why it is so important to choose the right solicitor. The ideal solicitor is proactive, communicates to all parties and does their best to keep the sale on track. Making sure you choose an excellent solicitor can mean the difference between you moving or not.
Once you have chosen a solicitor, one of the ways you can help them out is by making sure you have all your paperwork ready as early in the process as possible. Here is a brief list of the documentation your solicitor will need from you:
• Proof of Identity and address
• Completed fixtures and fittings form
• Completed property information form
• Building regulations or planning permission sign off documentation
• Leasehold or freehold documents
• Guarantees, certificates and receipts for any remedial work and appliances
Your solicitor will provide you with the forms you need to complete. Fill them in and return the forms promptly so your solicitor can get the ball rolling.
Not having the correct paperwork can be a major hurdle to selling your home. Getting your extension, log burner, new windows, or loft conversion signed off is absolutely vital. Ensure that any building work completed on your home has the relevant building regulations sign off. You cannot cut corners. It will become apparent during the sale progression phase if you do not have such guarantees, certificates and building regulations sign off in place. A solicitor will always check and ask for the documentation.
If you think that you have made an alteration to your home and should have obtained building regulations sign off or planning permission, speak to your solicitor. Even when work has been carried out by a previous owner, building regulations can change over time and it is worth checking if sign off is now required to proceed.
Lack of building regulation sign off can sometimes be dealt with by putting building regulation indemnity insurance in place. The cost of the insurance depends on the sale price. It is usually the quickest way to proceed and generally not too expensive. You must do this before speaking with your local authority as once the council has been notified then you cannot obtain indemnity insurance.
If your solicitor recommends you speak to your local authority you can try to obtain retrospective sign off. On your solicitor’s advice, contact your local authority as they will be able to guide you on this. Each case is different and it really does depend on the work completed.
Along with the correct regulation sign off, you need to also provide guarantees, receipts and certificates for any work such as electrical rewiring, boiler servicing and damp proofing.
The best way you can help your sale along is to get all this documentation together whilst you are preparing your home for sale. Choose a good solicitor upfront, speak to them about any issues you come across whilst getting your paperwork ready to pre-empt any problems further down the line. That way there are no nasty surprises for you or your buyer.
Regardless whether you are buying or selling, preparation and choosing the right solicitor is key. Ask around for recommendations, and do a bit of background research on the solicitors that are mentioned.
Whilst solicitors can vary in price, avoid the cheapest, it’s a false economy. Many cheaper solicitors operate with one solicitor overseeing the work of big teams of less-qualified staff. This can affect the quality of work and speed of communication.
Alexander Gibson have worked with many solicitors over the years. Some brilliant and others not so good. We work closely with several solicitor firms that provide a consistently excellent service. Speak to us about which solicitors we recommend. It could be the difference between a smooth sale or purchase, and a very bumpy ride with much stress involved.
Call us on 01423 563077 or email talk@alexandergibson.co.uk if you would like some recommendations, we’d be glad to help.
If you have had an offer accepted, check out our blog https://www.alexandergibson.co.uk/content/offer-accepted-what-now to find out more about the next part of the process.
For lots of other selling advice check out our other blogs here:
https://www.alexandergibson.co.uk/blog