Selling a home means finding a buyer, but it also means a legal process called conveyancing. Your solicitor prepares the contract, answers the buyer’s questions, exchanges contracts and makes sure the money reaches the right people on completion day. This guide walks through each stage, what you need to do, the documents worth gathering early and the things that most often slow a sale down.
When to instruct a solicitor to sell your house, and ID checks
Many sellers wait until they accept an offer before choosing a solicitor. It’s better to instruct one when you put your home on the market. The early work, such as identity checks, getting your title from HM Land Registry and completing the property forms, doesn’t depend on having a buyer. If it’s done before an offer arrives, the buyer’s solicitor can receive a contract pack within days rather than weeks.
Instructing early also gives you time to spot problems, such as a missing building regulations certificate or an error on the title, while there’s no buyer waiting and no deadline. Problems found late are the ones that put sales at risk.
One of the first things we do is check your identity. As a regulated law firm, we must verify who you are and where money is coming from and going to, under anti-money laundering rules. We’ll usually ask for photo ID and proof of address, and may use an electronic check. We also confirm you’re the legal owner, which helps protect against property fraud. If the home is in joint names, or a company, trust or attorney is involved, everyone with a legal interest needs to be checked.
Before you market: EPC and material information
You need a valid Energy Performance Certificate before your home is marketed. National Trading Standards guidance also expects estate agents to show “material information” in their listings. Part A covers council tax band, price and tenure. Part B covers things like property type, construction, utilities, broadband, mobile signal and parking. Part C covers matters that apply only to some homes, such as building safety issues, restrictions, rights of way, flood risk, planning permissions, accessibility and mining. Your agent will ask you for this, so having your paperwork ready helps.
How selling a house works: the main steps
- Instruct us and complete ID checks. We confirm your identity and check where your money comes from and goes to, as anti-money laundering rules require. Every owner on the title needs to be checked.
- Complete the property forms. You fill in the property information form (TA6), the fittings and contents form (TA10) and, for a leasehold home, the leasehold information form (TA7). We send you these with guidance.
- We prepare the contract pack. We get your title documents from HM Land Registry, draft the contract and put together the forms and supporting documents.
- Accept an offer. Your estate agent sends a memorandum of sale to both solicitors. We send the contract pack to the buyer’s solicitor.
- Answer the buyer’s enquiries. The buyer’s solicitor reviews the pack, their searches and their lender’s requirements, then raises questions. We answer them with your help.
- Sign and exchange contracts. You sign the contract and transfer deed. Once everyone in the chain is ready, we agree a completion date and exchange. The sale is now legally binding.
- Complete and move out. The buyer’s money arrives, we pay off your mortgage and the estate agent, and send you the balance. You hand over the keys.
What is the TA6 form? The property forms explained
- TA6 property information form
- The main form. It asks about boundaries, disputes, notices, alterations, guarantees, insurance, environmental matters, rights and access, parking, services and more. The buyer relies on your answers.
- TA10 fittings and contents form
- This lists what is included in the sale, what is excluded and what is for sale separately, from light fittings and carpets to the garden shed. It becomes part of the contract.
- TA7 leasehold information form
- For flats and other leasehold homes. It covers the lease, the landlord, service charges, ground rent and any management company.
Answer honestly, and say if you don’t know
Your answers form part of the contract. If an answer is wrong or misleading and the buyer relies on it, they may be able to claim against you for misrepresentation, even after completion. If you aren’t sure, say so, and never guess. Telling us about a past dispute or a problem with the property is far better than having it come out later.
What documents do I need to sell my house?
The buyer’s solicitor will want evidence for much of what you say in the TA6. Start gathering these as early as you can:
- Planning permissions and building regulations approvals (completion certificates) for extensions, loft conversions, structural changes or removed walls.
- FENSA or Certass certificates for replacement windows and doors fitted since 2002.
- Gas Safe certificates for boiler installations, and a boiler service record if you have one.
- Electrical installation certificates for rewiring or new circuits.
- Guarantees, such as damp proofing, timber treatment, cavity wall insulation, roofing or solar panels, plus any home warranty.
- Paperwork about boundaries, shared drives, party wall agreements or disputes with neighbours.
- Your EPC, and any notices or letters you’ve had from the council, a neighbour or a utility company.
If a document is missing, it isn’t always fatal. The local council can sometimes provide copies. For some gaps, such as a missing building regulations certificate for old work, an indemnity insurance policy may satisfy the buyer and their lender. It’s a one-off premium, but it isn’t always suitable, and it can be invalidated if anyone contacts the council about the issue first. We’ll advise before anything is done.
The contract pack and the buyer’s enquiries
The contract pack is what we send to the buyer’s solicitor. It usually includes the draft contract, your title register and plan from HM Land Registry, the completed TA6, TA10 and TA7 where relevant, and copies of your supporting documents. If your home isn’t registered, we work from your deeds instead, which can take longer.
The buyer’s solicitor then reviews everything alongside their searches and their lender’s requirements, and raises enquiries. Some are routine. Others ask for missing paperwork or explanations. We’ll pass them on to you in plain English, and quick, complete replies are one of the biggest things you can do to keep the sale moving. Enquiries can come in more than one round.
Selling a leasehold flat or house
If your home is leasehold, the buyer’s solicitor needs information that only the landlord (freeholder) or managing agent holds. This includes service charge accounts, budgets, planned major works, building insurance, ground rent and, for some buildings, fire safety and cladding information. It comes in a management pack, usually ordered by us on a standard form and paid for by you.
Management packs are one of the most common causes of delay. Some managing agents reply quickly, others take weeks, and fees vary. Ordering the pack as soon as your home goes on the market can save a lot of waiting. You can read more on our leasehold page.
Getting ready before you have a buyer
Vecta Law is part of the Home Sale Group, alongside Home Sale Pack. Home Sale Pack helps you get the property forms, searches and paperwork ready before you find a buyer. It also highlights potential problems early, so they can be dealt with on your timetable rather than in the middle of a sale.
When an offer comes in, much of the information the buyer’s solicitor needs is already in place. That can shorten the time between offer and exchange, and gives buyers more confidence in the sale. Find out more about Home Sale Pack and selling with us.
Exchange, completion and when you get the money from your house sale
Before exchange, we send you the contract and transfer deed to sign, along with a completion statement showing what you’ll receive. The completion date is agreed between everyone in the chain at exchange. It’s often a week or two later, but it can be the same day or further ahead. After exchange, neither side can pull out without serious financial consequences.
On completion day, the buyer’s solicitor sends the money to us. Once it arrives, we tell your estate agent to release the keys. We then pay off your mortgage, pay the estate agent’s fee if you’ve asked us to, take our agreed fees and send you the balance. This usually happens on the same day, but it depends on when the funds reach us and on bank transfer times, so it can occasionally run to the next working day. If you’re buying too, the money normally goes straight into your purchase.
Moving out
Unless agreed otherwise, you must give vacant possession by the agreed time on completion day. That means everyone has moved out and everything not listed as included on your TA10 has gone. Leave what the TA10 says you’ll leave, take meter readings and give them to your suppliers, and leave keys, alarm codes and instruction manuals for the buyer.
How long does selling a house take?
From accepting an offer to completion, a straightforward freehold sale often takes around two to four months. Leasehold sales, chains, new mortgages and missing paperwork can all make it longer. No solicitor can promise a date, because much depends on other people in the chain. The most common delays are:
- Chains, where every buyer and seller has to be ready before anyone can exchange.
- Slow replies to enquiries, from any party.
- Waiting for management packs from landlords or managing agents.
- Missing planning, building regulations or other documents.
- Buyers’ mortgage offers and survey results.
If you’re selling and buying at the same time, see our guide to buying and selling together and how we line up both dates.
Do I pay tax when I sell my house?
If the property has been your only or main home for the whole time you’ve owned it, you usually won’t pay capital gains tax when you sell it, thanks to private residence relief. If it wasn’t your main home throughout, for example because you let it out, lived elsewhere for a time or it has a very large garden, some tax may be due, and there may be a short deadline to report and pay it. Take advice from an accountant or tax adviser, and check GOV.UK. We can’t give tax advice, but we can flag when you might need it.
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Common questions
Ideally when you put your home on the market, not after you accept an offer. ID checks, getting your title documents and completing the property forms can all be done without a buyer. If the contract pack is ready when an offer arrives, the buyer’s solicitor can start straight away, and any problems with paperwork can be sorted out before there is a deadline.
The buyer relies on your answers, and they form part of the contract. If an answer is inaccurate or misleading, the buyer may be able to claim against you for misrepresentation, even after completion. Answer every question honestly and as fully as you can. If you don’t know an answer, say so rather than guessing, and ask us if you are unsure what a question means.
Often, yes. The buyer’s solicitor will ask about it, and their lender may have requirements. Options include asking the council for a copy of the certificate, applying for retrospective approval, or taking out an indemnity insurance policy. Indemnity insurance isn’t suitable in every case and can be invalidated if the council is contacted first, so speak to us before taking any step.
Usually on completion day. When the buyer’s money reaches us, we pay off your mortgage, pay the estate agent if you have asked us to, deduct our agreed fees and send you the balance. Timing depends on when funds arrive and on bank transfer times, so it can occasionally reach you the next working day. If you are also buying, the money normally goes towards your purchase.
Whatever you agreed on the fittings and contents form (TA10), which becomes part of the contract. Items marked as included must stay, and items marked as excluded must go. Apart from those, the buyer is entitled to vacant possession, so remove all your belongings and rubbish. If you want to change what you are leaving, agree it with the buyer through the solicitors before exchange.
Once contracts are exchanged, the sale is legally binding on both sides. If the buyer fails to complete, they would usually lose their deposit and could face a claim for your losses. Before exchange, either side can withdraw without penalty, which is why getting from offer to exchange quickly and smoothly matters so much for sellers.
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This guide is general information, not legal advice for your situation. Have a question? Read our FAQs or ask us.
