What Papers Do You Need to Sell a House?
When selling a house in England and Wales, the conveyancing process follows a strict framework known as the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol. This protocol is designed specifically for the sale and purchase of homes for owner-occupiers.
The protocol's primary purpose is to ensure that all clients are treated fairly while making the legal experience more transparent and efficient, reducing wasted time. As a seller, your primary responsibility during the initial stages is to provide a specific set of standard documents and property information forms.
If you fail to disclose information that you are aware of, this could lead to the buyer making a misrepresentation claim in the future. In this article, we explain what you should provide to the buyer, what happens if you fail to disclose, and the common delays caused by not having documents.
Need further help? For more information on selling a property, including guides on what is a draft contract pack and common delays that hold up exchange, visit our comprehensive guide to selling and conveyancing.
- The conveyancing process follows the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol, which provides a clear framework to ensure fairness and efficiency.
- Your solicitor will send you standard protocol documents to complete at the start of the transaction, including the Property Information Form (TA6) and the Fittings and Contents Form (TA10).
- You may need supporting documents such as an EPC, planning and building regulations paperwork, guarantees or leasehold information, depending on your property.
- Property transaction timetables are often dictated by third parties, and a property chain can only progress as fast as its slowest member.
- Providing false information or deliberately withholding crucial property documents can leave you liable to being sued for Property Misrepresentation for up to six years.
Required documents for selling a house
The seller provides a number of documents to their solicitor so that the seller's solicitor can issue the draft contract pack to the buyer. Compiling all these documents at the start is one of the most common delays in the conveyancing process and often frustrates the buyer while they wait.
Here are the different documents you will need to provide.
Documents you provide for a freehold sale
The documents for a freehold are fewer than for a leasehold:
- Property Information Form (TA6): A standard protocol form that asks detailed questions about the property, ranging from recent building works and boiler installations to ongoing neighbour disputes. Read more: How to fill in the TA6 Property Information Form.
- Fittings and Contents Form (TA10): Another standard form where you state exactly which items are included in the sale price, which are excluded, and which are available for the buyer to purchase separately. If you complete this document and state that an item is included, such as the curtains or a freestanding oven, they must legally be left inside the property for the buyer. Read more: How to fill in the TA10 Fittings and Contents Form.
- Title deeds: If you hold the original title deeds for your property (the original conveyance), these should be sent to your solicitor by special delivery to eliminate the risk of them being lost in transit.
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC): An EPC rates the property's energy efficiency. It is illegal to market your property without a valid EPC. Because they last for 10 years, you may still have a valid certificate from when you originally purchased the property. Read more: Where can I find my EPC online?
- Building Regulation Certificates and Planning Permission: You should provide formal certification for any structural alterations or regulated works undertaken within the property, including electrical rewires, new boiler installations, double glazing, extensions, or loft conversions.
- Evidence of right to sell: Where the legal owner has died, or a party is acting under a power of attorney, evidence of the authority to sell must be provided. This includes a certified copy of the Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration, or a registered Power of Attorney. Read more: What is different about a probate sale?
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Documents you provide for a leasehold sale
As well as all of the above, these are the additional documents you provide when selling a leasehold or share of freehold property.
- Leasehold Information Form (TA7): This protocol form requires you to state who your freeholder is, outline any served notices, and confirm your current service charges and ground rent. Read more: How to fill in the TA7 Leasehold Information Form.
- Leasehold Information Pack: If you are selling a leasehold property, you must provide the leasehold pack from the freeholder or managing agent. You pay a fee ranging from £50 to £500 or more for the pack, and it includes the LPE1 form, ground rent and service charge statements, company accounts, and any planned major works schedules. Read more: What is the leasehold information pack?
- Building Safety Act documentation: If your property is in a relevant building (typically 11 metres or 5 storeys high), you must provide a Leaseholder Deed of Certificate and the freeholder's Landlord Certificate to confirm compliance with the Building Safety Act 2022. Read more: Building Safety Act: Leaseholder Protections.
Expert Tip: You cannot complete the TA6, TA10 or TA7 Protocol Forms without a solicitor
These are standard Law Society forms provided directly by your solicitor once you formally instruct them. You cannot download these documents online to pre-fill them.
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Are there any other documents that the seller provides only to their solicitor?
Yes. Here is a list of the internal documents that your conveyancing solicitor will need from you to legally act on your behalf.
- Client Instruction Form: This is a comprehensive list of questions your solicitor needs you to answer regarding your identity, the property, and the ownership structure. For example, do you have a mortgage? If so, what is the account number and balance? Do you have any other registered debts? Do you own the property with anyone else, and is there a Deed of Trust in place? This document forms the foundation of your relationship with your solicitor, so ensure it is completed as thoroughly as possible.
- Proof of Photo ID: Almost all conveyancing solicitors now use an online verification process for ID. The document you need to have verified is a valid passport or driving licence. Read more: What ID will your solicitor accept? and How to prove your ID if you aren't a UK resident.
- Proof of home address: As part of the online process, you will upload evidence of where you currently live. Most commonly, a utility bill or bank statement dated within the last three months.
- Court Order: Where the sellers are divorcing or have separated, a formal court order instructs the seller's solicitor on how the property must be sold. This often dictates exactly how the net sale proceeds should be shared and sets a strict deadline for completion.
- Deed of Trust: Where the sellers jointly own the property as tenants in common, they must provide their Deed of Trust to confirm the exact split of the beneficial interest (the money from the sale). Read more: Deed of Trust for Joint Owners of Property.
These documents are strictly for your solicitor's internal compliance and legal checks, and will not be shared with the buyer or the buyer's solicitor.
Expert Tip: Lost FENSA or Gas Safety certificates are not the end of the world
If you have lost the certificates provided by the installer of your boiler, double glazing, or electrics (known as a competent person), you do not necessarily need to panic. Under the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol, physical copies of competent person certificates are not always required if the existence of the certificate is clear from local authority search results or noted on the relevant official website, such as FENSA or the Gas Safe Register.
However, if the works were undertaken by someone who is not a registered competent person, or the works were never registered with the local authority, the buyer will likely raise a legal enquiry. They will usually request that you either have the works formally regularised by building control or pay for a bespoke indemnity insurance policy to protect their mortgage lender.
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Sellers can be sued for misrepresentation
If a seller knowingly withholds vital documents from their solicitor or lies on their TA6 form, and this causes the buyer a financial loss, the buyer has strong legal grounds to sue for Property Misrepresentation. Read more: Can I Sue Previous Owner?
How long are you liable after selling a house?
Under the Misrepresentation Act 1967, a buyer can make a civil claim against a seller. The Limitation Act sets out that in most circumstances, they have up to 6 years to do this. If the claim is successful, the seller could be forced to pay substantial damages or, in severe cases, the contract could be rescinded, requiring the seller to take back ownership of the property and refund the purchase price.
When does the solicitor send out the documents?
The seller's solicitor will send the standard protocol forms to you once you have formally instructed them. This normally happens within 1 to 2 working days, but some solicitors will delay sending these documents until you have signed their initial client instruction form and successfully provided your ID.
When does the solicitor send the documents to the buyer's solicitor?
Under the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol, your solicitor should aim to send the draft contract pack to the buyer's solicitor within five days of receiving your completed property information forms and title documents. However, this timeline is entirely dependent on you. If you delay filling out your TA6 or TA10 forms, your solicitor cannot legally issue the contract pack, and the entire conveyancing process stalls.
What documents need to be signed when selling a house?
Throughout the conveyancing transaction, you will be required to provide physical or digital signatures on several key legal documents:
- Client Instruction Form: This is one of the very first documents your solicitor needs you to sign. It grants them the formal legal authority to act on your behalf. Until this is signed and returned, your solicitor cannot commence any legal work.
- Protocol Forms: All of the standard property information forms (TA6, TA10, and TA7) must be signed to confirm the answers provided are true and accurate.
- Contract of Sale: This is the core document required for the exchange of contracts. All sellers must sign it, but you do not date it, and your signature does not require a witness.
- TR1 Form (Transfer of Whole of Registered Title): This vital document legally transfers the property ownership to the buyer. It must be signed by all sellers and formally witnessed as a deed. As with the contract, you sign it but leave the date blank for your solicitor to fill in upon completion.
- Deeds or licences (if applicable): Depending on the specifics of the transaction, the seller may also need to sign a deed of variation or a licence to alter before the sale can proceed.
Can the documents be signed online?
Yes. The majority of larger conveyancing solicitors send the initial instruction and protocol forms (TA6, TA10, and TA7) via a secure online portal so they can be completed and digitally signed using your PC or smartphone. However, the Contract of Sale and TR1 forms are usually still required to be signed in hard copy with wet ink and posted back to your solicitor.
Expert Tip: Selling as part of a divorce? You both still need to sign the documents.
Even if there is a court order dictating the sale, both sellers must sign the initial instruction form and the protocol forms. In cases where the sellers live separately, it is highly recommended to use a solicitor who utilises online protocol forms. Otherwise, a single hard-copy document needs to be posted back and forth between both sellers to gather the physical signatures, which adds significant delays to the conveyancing process.
What if an ex-partner refuses to sign?
If a court order is in place and your ex-partner refuses to sign the required conveyancing documents, they could be held in contempt of court, facing a severe fine or even imprisonment. When a solicitor formally advises them of these legal consequences, you will usually find they sign the documents in accordance with the court order.
You can find out more here: Can I Force the Sale of My House in a Divorce?
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Forms completed: what happens next?
With your forms completed and with your solicitor, they now have five working days to send out the draft contract pack. You can now sit back and wait for the next stage, which is when the buyer raises their legal enquiries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Andrew Boast FMAAT is a qualified accountant, conveyancing specialist and author with over 25 years of experience in the UK property sector. Since beginning his career in 2000 within established SRA and CLC-regulated conveyancing solicitor firms, Andrew has overseen the legal journeys of more than 75,000 clients.
He is the self-published author of the first-time buyer guide: How to Buy a House Without Killing Anyone, and a frequent contributor to mainstream UK media on legislative updates, property law, first-time buyer guides, conveyancing best practices, and stamp duty changes. Andrew specialises in resolving complex title issues, property conflict disputes, and property tax options, streamlining the enquiry process to reduce transaction times and maintaining a client-friendly focus.
Amanda Ambler is a highly accomplished conveyancing specialist with over 15 years of dedicated experience across residential property law, legal compliance, and practice management. Having held senior roles, including Head of Legal Practice and Head of Conveyancing at established UK law firms, Amanda possesses a profound, hands-on understanding of the technical intricacies of the property market.
As the designated Legal Content Reviewer for SAM Conveyancing, Amanda ensures that every guide, legal update, and resource published meets the absolute highest standards of accuracy, regulatory compliance, and factual integrity. Her rigorous review process guarantees that complex property legislation and industry processes are communicated clearly, transparently, and safely for home buyers and sellers alike.
