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8 Legal Checks for Selling a Property
Last Updated: November 2, 2026
Quick Summary
The 8 legal checks for selling a property are identity and anti-money laundering checks, title deeds and Land Registry records, the TA6 property information form, mortgage redemption figures and lender consent, planning permission and building regulations documents, an EPC, the TA10 fittings form, and leasehold management packs. Your conveyancer coordinates these checks, but you supply the raw material, so start gathering documents as soon as you instruct your solicitor.
- Solicitors must verify seller identity under UK anti-money laundering rules before they act.
- The TA6 is a legal disclosure, and inaccurate answers can expose you to a claim after completion.
- A mortgage redemption statement is only valid for a set period and may need refreshing.
- An EPC is a legal requirement before you market a home in England.
- Leasehold management packs often take the longest to arrive, so request them early.
Table of Contents
- Why Eight Legal Checks Decide How Smoothly Your Sale Completes
- Documents Needed to Sell a House: The Full Paper Trail
- The Property Information Form TA6 and What You Must Disclose
- Selling a House With a Mortgage: Redemption Figures and Lender Consent
- Planning Permission Documents for Selling a House and Building Regulations Sign-Off
- Energy Performance Certificates, Fittings Forms and Leasehold Packs
- Norwich Property Risks: Flood Exposure, Conservation Areas and Local Planning Constraints
- Booking Your Fixed-Fee Sale With a Dedicated Case Handler
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why Eight Legal Checks Decide How Smoothly Your Sale Completes
Selling a home in England involves a defined set of legal checks, and missing any one of them can stall a sale for weeks. Sales that drag often trace back to a document that was not chased early.
Here is the short version. Delays often arise from missing paperwork, such as a management pack or an unsigned TA6.
Below, we break down each check, who handles it, and what to prepare before you instruct a solicitor.
Documents Needed to Sell a House: The Full Paper Trail
The documents needed to sell a house fall into four groups: identity, title, property information and energy performance. Your conveyancer coordinates all of them, but you supply the raw material. Start gathering now and the legal work runs in parallel rather than in stops and starts.
The Property Information Form TA6 and What You Must Disclose
The Property Information Form TA6 is the seller's written statement about the property's condition, disputes, alterations and boundaries. It is a legal disclosure, and inaccurate answers can expose you to a claim after completion.
Answer every question honestly, including the awkward ones:
- Any disputes with neighbours
- Alterations made without consent
- Known damp, subsidence or flooding
- Parking arrangements and shared access
- Notices or correspondence from the local authority
- Insurance claims relating to the property
If you are unsure about something, say so and explain. "Not known" is a valid answer. A guess is not. Where you have documents that support an answer, such as a completion certificate or a party wall award, attach them rather than describing them from memory.
What Happens If a TA6 Answer Is Wrong or Incomplete
The TA6 is not a warranty, but it is a representation on which the buyer relies. If an answer is misleading, the buyer may have a claim after completion, and the seller's conveyancer may be obliged to report the matter.
Watch out: answering "no" to a question because you have not checked, rather than because you know the answer is no, is the most common way sellers create a problem for themselves.
How to Handle Uncertainty and Missing Documents
Holding back an awkward answer usually leads to longer delays, because the buyer's solicitor is likely to raise enquiries on the same points. If you are uncertain, say what you know, say what you do not know, and explain why. If a document is missing, say so and ask your conveyancer whether an indemnity policy or a statutory declaration is the right route.
Timing and Responsibility Split for the TA6
The TA6 is usually prepared by the seller with the conveyancer's guidance and issued with the draft contract pack. The seller supplies the facts; the conveyancer frames the answers and raises enquiries with the buyer's solicitor. The estate agent does not complete the TA6 and should not be asked to guess at answers. Start the form as soon as you instruct your solicitor, because the answers feed directly into the buyer's enquiries and the exchange timetable.
Selling a House With a Mortgage: Redemption Figures and Lender Consent
When selling a house with a mortgage, your lender must provide a redemption statement showing exactly what is owed, including any early repayment charge. Your conveyancer requests this and uses it to clear the mortgage on completion.
Two things trip sellers up. First, the redemption figure is only valid for a set period, so it may need refreshing. Second, if you are porting the mortgage to a new home, the lender's consent must be in place before exchange.
Planning Permission Documents for Selling a House and Building Regulations Sign-Off
Planning permission documents for selling a house matter whenever work has been done to the property. Buyers' solicitors will ask for evidence that extensions, loft conversions and outbuildings had consent.
The practical checklist:
- Planning permission decision notices for any extension
- Building regulations completion certificates
- FENSA or equivalent certificates for replacement windows
- Party wall agreements where relevant
No certificate does not automatically block a sale, but it invites questions. Indemnity insurance can sometimes resolve missing paperwork, and your conveyancer will advise on whether it fits.
Energy Performance Certificates, Fittings Forms and Leasehold Packs
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is a legal requirement before you market a home in England. It rates the property's energy efficiency and must be available to buyers.
The Fittings and Contents Form TA10 lists what stays and what goes, from white goods to curtain rails. Vague answers here cause last-minute disputes, so be specific about every item.
Leasehold sales add a management information pack from the freeholder or managing agent. If you are selling a flat, read our guidance on how to avoid delays when selling a leasehold flat.
EPC, TA10 and Management Information Packs in One Place
| Check | Who provides it | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|
| EPC | You, via an accredited assessor | Before marketing |
| TA10 fittings form | You, with solicitor guidance | With the TA6 |
| Leasehold management pack | Freeholder or managing agent | Weeks, so request early |
| Mortgage redemption statement | Your lender | Before exchange |
Norwich Property Risks: Flood Exposure, Conservation Areas and Local Planning Constraints
Norwich sellers face a few local wrinkles worth flagging early. Some Norwich properties may be affected by flood risk, and parts of the city fall within conservation areas, which can restrict alterations. Local planning constraints may also affect sales, so check with the relevant authorities. If your property sits in a conservation area or has had work done, disclose it upfront.
How Norwich Sellers Should Apply the Eight Checks Locally
The 8 legal checks for selling a property in this article apply across England, but the local context changes what the buyer's solicitor will ask about. In Norwich, the practical points are:
- Flood exposure: the buyer's solicitor will usually obtain a flood search, and the result may prompt enquiries about insurance, previous flooding and any flood defence work. If you have had a flood claim or flood-related repairs, disclose it on the TA6 rather than waiting for the enquiry.
- Conservation areas: if the property is in a conservation area, alterations such as replacement windows, roof changes or extensions may need consent. Buyers will ask for evidence, so gather any consents and completion certificates before you market.
- Local planning constraints: Norwich has a mix of historic and modern housing, and buyers' solicitors will check planning history. If you have had work done, have the decision notices and building regulations certificates ready.
- Leasehold and managed properties: Leasehold management packs can take weeks to arrive, so request them as soon as you instruct your solicitor. Request the pack as soon as you instruct your solicitor.
What to Prepare Before You Instruct a Norwich Conveyancer
A practical preparation list for Norwich sellers:
- Photo ID and two proofs of address for anti-money laundering checks
- Any planning permission decision notices and building regulations completion certificates for work done
- FENSA or equivalent certificates for replacement windows
- Party wall agreements where relevant
- Leasehold management information if the property is a flat
- EPC already commissioned or arranged
- TA6 and TA10 answers drafted with your solicitor
Sellers can compare solicitors in their area before instructing. The key point is that local risks are not a reason to delay; they are a reason to disclose early and to have the paperwork ready before the buyer's solicitor asks.
Booking Your Fixed-Fee Sale With a Dedicated Case Handler
The eight checks above run in a set order, and the pace depends on how quickly documents arrive. That is where a dedicated case handler earns their keep. One person owns your file, chases the management pack, and tells you what is outstanding.
At UKC Legal, every client is assigned a dedicated case handler. Our team consists of SRA solicitors and CLC licensed conveyancers with over 50 years of combined experience in the conveyancing industry.
You can review conveyancing fees for a house sale before you commit, and read what a dedicated case handler does day to day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What legal documents do I need to sell a property in England?
Expect to provide photo ID and proof of address for anti-money-laundering checks, title deeds or Land Registry records, a valid Energy Performance Certificate, the Property Information Form (TA6), the Fittings and Contents Form (TA10), and leasehold or management documents if the property is not freehold. If you have a mortgage, your conveyancer also needs the outstanding balance and redemption figure. Planning permission and building regulations approvals are needed where alterations have been made.
What checks does a conveyancing solicitor carry out when selling a house?
Your solicitor verifies your identity and source of funds, confirms you have a marketable title, reviews the title register for restrictions, rights of way and boundary issues, and raises enquiries with your buyer's solicitor. They also check planning and building regulations approvals for alterations, obtain the mortgage redemption figure, and handle leasehold management packs where relevant. A dedicated case handler at UKC Legal keeps you updated at each stage so nothing stalls quietly.
Do I need planning permission documents to sell my property?
You do not need planning permission to sell, but you do need to show that any alterations already made have the right approvals. Buyers' solicitors routinely ask for planning permission and building regulations completion certificates for extensions, loft conversions and outbuildings. If work was done without approval, expect delays or a price negotiation. Gather certificates, or ask your local authority for copies, before you list the property.
What happens if there is a problem with the title deeds when selling?
Title problems range from missing boundary plans and unregistered land to restrictive covenants and rights of way that affect use. Your conveyancer investigates the title register and any gaps, then either resolves the issue with the Land Registry or discloses it to the buyer. Some defects can be covered by indemnity insurance. Raising these early keeps the sale on track rather than surfacing them days before exchange.
Selling a property means juggling eight legal checks while a chain waits on you. Get one document wrong and the whole timetable slips. UKC Legal handles property sales with a dedicated case handler, fixed fees and no hidden costs, and a team that identifies title issues before they become problems. Get started with UKC Legal and move your sale forward with a clear plan from day one.
