Certificates and Compliance Guides
Documents, certificates, and compliance requirements you need when selling a property.
Missing or outdated certificates are one of the most common causes of delays in property sales. From your EPC and gas safety certificate to FENSA documentation and building regulations sign-off, buyers and their solicitors will expect to see proof that your property meets current standards. These guides explain which certificates you need, how to obtain them, and what to do if paperwork has gone missing.
66 guides in this category · View all guides
What Do I Need to Sell My House? 2026 Checklist
Complete 2026 checklist of every document, certificate, and form needed to sell a house in England and Wales, with costs, timelines, and where to get each item.
No FENSA Certificate for Windows? What to Do When Selling
Missing your FENSA certificate? 3 ways to fix it: find the original, get a regularisation certificate, or buy indemnity insurance. Step-by-step guide for sellers.
Gas Safety Certificate When Selling a House: Do You Need One?
Whether sellers need a gas safety certificate, what buyers will expect, and how to get one from a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Electrical Certificate for Selling a House: What You Need
Whether you need an electrical installation certificate or EICR when selling, and how to handle rewiring or alterations without paperwork.
EPC Certificate Explained: What Sellers Need to Know in 2026
What is an EPC certificate? A legal requirement when selling that rates your home A to G. Costs £60–£120, valid for 10 years. Guide to ratings, assessments, and upcoming changes.
Planning Permission Check Before Selling Your House
How to check what planning permissions exist for your property, what counts as permitted development, and what to do if work was done without consent.
Building Regulations Sign-Off Missing: Options for Sellers
What to do if building work was completed without a building regulations completion certificate, including regularisation and indemnity insurance.
NHBC Certificate When Selling a New Build Property
What the NHBC Buildmark warranty covers, how it transfers to the buyer, and what to do if you have lost your certificate.
Damp Proof Certificate When Selling: Do You Need One?
Whether you need a damp proof course certificate when selling, how to get a replacement if it is lost, and when indemnity insurance is an alternative.
Asbestos Survey When Selling a House: Do You Need One?
When an asbestos survey is recommended before selling, what it involves, and how to handle asbestos findings in your property.
Selling a House in a Conservation Area: Restrictions to Know
How conservation area status affects what you can do to your property and what restrictions buyers should be made aware of.
Tree Preservation Orders: What Sellers Need to Disclose
How tree preservation orders affect your property sale, what you need to disclose, and the penalties for removing protected trees.
Right to Light Issues When Selling a Property
What right to light means, how it can affect your sale or development plans, and when to get a right to light assessment.
Party Wall Agreement When Selling: What to Provide
When you need to provide a party wall agreement to your buyer's solicitor and what happens if work was done without one.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations When Selling
Current regulations for smoke and CO alarms in properties for sale, what sellers should check, and how it relates to building regulations.
Water Regulations Certificate: When Sellers Need One
When a water regulations compliance certificate is needed for selling, what plumbing work requires certification, and how to get one retrospectively.
Listed Building Consent: What Sellers Must Check
How to check whether works to your listed building had the necessary consent, and what to do if consent was never obtained.
Permitted Development When Selling: What to Check
How to verify that alterations to your property qualify as permitted development, and what evidence to provide to your buyer's solicitor.
Radon Test When Selling a House: Is It Required?
Whether you need a radon test when selling, which areas of the UK are affected, and how radon levels could impact your sale.
Land Registry Title Check Before Selling: What to Look For
How to check your property title at the Land Registry before selling, common issues to spot, and how to resolve title defects.
Building Control Completion Certificate Explained
What a completion certificate is, when you need one, and what to do if it is missing.
FENSA Certificate Explained
What FENSA registration means, how to check your windows are registered, and alternatives.
Gas Safe Register: How to Check Your Engineer
How to verify a gas engineer is registered and what documentation to keep for selling.
Is My Old CORGI Gas Certificate Still Valid?
Whether pre-2009 CORGI certificates are accepted when selling and what to do if they are not.
EICR: Electrical Installation Condition Report Explained
What an EICR covers, when sellers need one, and what the codes mean.
PAT Testing When Selling a House
Whether PAT testing is needed when selling, what it covers, and when it is relevant.
Asbestos Management Survey Explained
How asbestos management surveys differ from refurbishment surveys and when sellers need one.
Radon Certificate When Selling Your Property
When a radon test is needed, what results mean, and how to get a certificate for your buyer.
Mining Report Certificate: When You Need One
What a mining report covers, which areas of the UK need one, and how to obtain it.
Chancel Repair Liability Insurance Explained
What chancel repair liability is, how it affects your sale, and whether you need insurance.
Buildings Insurance During a House Sale
Your insurance obligations between exchange and completion, and when cover transfers to the buyer.
Structural Engineer’s Report When Selling
When sellers should commission a structural report, what it covers, and how it helps your sale.
Damp Proof Course Guarantee: What Sellers Need
What DPC guarantees cover, how long they last, and what to do if yours has expired.
Timber Treatment Guarantee for Sellers
How timber treatment guarantees work, whether they are transferable, and what buyers expect.
Woodworm Treatment Certificate When Selling
What a woodworm treatment certificate should include and how it reassures buyers.
Underpinning Certificate Explained
What an underpinning certificate covers, who issues it, and why buyers need it.
Roof Guarantee When Selling Your Property
How roof guarantees work, whether they transfer to buyers, and what to do if yours has expired.
Boiler Service Record When Selling
Why buyers want boiler service records, what to provide, and what to do if records are missing.
Oil Tank Certificate When Selling
OFTEC regulations, tank inspection certificates, and what sellers with oil heating need to provide.
Septic Tank Compliance Certificate
General binding rules, Environment Agency regulations, and what sellers must provide.
Cavity Wall Insulation Guarantee
What CWI guarantees cover, how to check if yours is registered, and what to do if it has failed.
Window Guarantee Without FENSA: What to Do
Your options when replacement windows were not FENSA registered, including indemnity insurance.
Planning Compliance Certificate Explained
What a planning compliance certificate is, how to obtain one, and when you need it.
Getting Retrospective Building Regulations Approval
The process and cost of obtaining building regulations approval after work has been completed.
Fire Safety Certificates for Houses
When houses need fire safety documentation, what regulations apply, and what to provide to buyers.
Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations When Selling
Current CO alarm requirements for sellers, what the law says, and how it affects your sale.
Legionella Risk Assessment When Selling
Whether sellers need a legionella risk assessment, when it is relevant, and what it covers.
Energy Assessor Qualifications: Who Can Issue an EPC?
How to check your energy assessor is qualified and what accreditation schemes exist.
Section 106 Agreement: What Sellers Need to Know
How Section 106 planning obligations affect your property sale and what buyers will check.
Party Wall Award When Selling Your Property
What a party wall award is, how it affects your sale, and what documentation buyers need.
WIAPS Certificate Explained: What Sellers Need to Know
What a WIAPS certificate is, when you need one for selling a property, how to get one, and what happens if windows don’t have one.
Does Your EPC Rating Affect Council Tax?
Whether your EPC rating affects council tax, how council tax bands work, and the relationship between energy efficiency and property taxes in the UK.
Certificate of Lawfulness: What It Is and When You Need One
What CLUD and CLUE certificates prove, when you need one to sell your property, and how to apply to your local planning authority.
Selling After a Conservatory: Do You Need Building Regs?
Whether your conservatory needs building regulations approval, what buyers will ask, and what to do if you don't have the paperwork.
CLUD vs CLUE: Which Certificate Do You Need?
The difference between a Certificate of Lawful Use or Development and a Certificate of Lawful Use for a proposed development.
FENSA Certificate Missing and Company Gone Bust: What to Do
Your window installer has gone bust and you have no FENSA certificate. Here’s how to check databases, get a regularisation certificate, or use indemnity insurance to keep your sale on track.
Damp Survey Explained: What It Involves and What Results Mean
What a damp survey involves, types of damp meter, how to interpret results, and when sellers should commission an independent damp survey.
Roof Survey Before Selling: What It Covers and When You Need One
What a roof survey involves, when sellers should get one, flat roof vs pitched roof inspections, drone surveys, and how findings affect the sale.
EICR When Selling: Do You Need an Electrical Inspection?
Whether you need an EICR when selling, what the inspection covers, C1/C2/C3 codes explained, costs, and how old electrics affect buyer surveys.
CCTV Drainage Survey Explained: What Sellers Should Know
What a CCTV drainage survey involves, what it finds, shared vs private drain responsibilities, and when sellers should commission one.
Wall Tie Survey When Selling: Do You Need One?
What wall tie surveys check, which properties are at risk, signs of wall tie failure, costs, and how wall tie issues affect your sale.
Timber and Woodworm Survey: What It Checks and What It Costs
What timber and woodworm surveys inspect, active vs historic infestation, treatment options, guarantee requirements, and when sellers need one.
Ground Investigation Survey: When Sellers Need One
What ground investigation surveys are, when they’re needed (contaminated land, brownfield sites), Phase 1 vs Phase 2 surveys, costs, and impact on your sale.
Energy Survey Before Selling: Beyond the EPC
The difference between an EPC and a full energy survey, thermal imaging, airtightness testing, and how energy efficiency affects property value.
Boundary Survey When Selling: Disputes, Costs and When You Need One
What boundary surveys determine, Land Registry title plans vs physical boundaries, resolving disputes before listing, and costs.
EPC Ratings and Energy Costs: Why Buyers Care More in 2026
Rising energy costs make EPC ratings a bigger factor in buyer decisions. How your EPC rating affects sale price, speed, and mortgage options — and what to improve before listing.
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