What Is a Property Certificate Pack?

When you sell a property in England or Wales, your buyer's solicitor will ask for a range of certificates and compliance documents as part of the conveyancing process. These documents prove that work done to the property was carried out safely, that the necessary approvals were obtained, and that relevant guarantees are in place.

Together, these documents are often referred to as a property certificate pack. While there is no official, standardised pack defined by law, the term is widely used by solicitors, estate agents, and conveyancers to describe the bundle of certificates a seller is expected to provide.

This guide explains what goes into a property certificate pack, which certificates are legally required and which are simply expected, how to gather them, what to do if any are missing, and how having everything ready before you list can speed up your sale considerably.

What is a property certificate pack?

A property certificate pack is the collection of documents that demonstrate your property meets current safety, energy, and building standards. Your solicitor will include these certificates alongside the draft contract, your completed TA6 Property Information Form, and title documents when sending the contract pack to the buyer's solicitor.

The specific certificates required depend on your property and the work that has been done to it over the years. A Victorian terrace with replacement windows and a loft conversion will need different certificates from a new-build flat with an NHBC warranty. However, there is a core set of documents that most buyers' solicitors will ask for.

Section 4 of the TA6 form (Alterations, Planning, and Building Control) and Section 5 (Guarantees and Warranties) specifically ask you to list work that has been done and provide the corresponding certificates. If you cannot provide them, the buyer's solicitor will raise additional enquiries — and every round of enquiries adds days or weeks to the timeline.

What certificates are typically included?

The table below lists the most common certificates that form part of a property certificate pack, along with when each one is needed and where you can get it.

For a broader look at every document you need when selling, see our guide on documents needed to sell a house.

Which certificates are legally required vs recommended?

One of the most common questions sellers ask is which certificates they must have and which are simply nice to have. The answer depends on whether you are an owner-occupier or a landlord, and on the type of work that has been done to the property.

For a deeper look at the EPC specifically, see our EPC certificate explained guide.

How to gather your property certificates

The best time to start gathering your certificates is before you list your property. Here is a step-by-step approach:

1. Check your own files first. Many sellers already have the certificates they need in a drawer, folder, or email inbox. Start by searching for any paperwork from previous building work, window installations, boiler servicing, or electrical inspections.
2. Check online registers. Your EPC can be found on the GOV.UK EPC register. FENSA certificates can be verified at fensa.org.uk. CERTASS registrations (an alternative to FENSA for windows) can be checked at certass.co.uk.
3. Contact your local authority. Your local council's building control department holds records of all building regulations applications and completion certificates. They can usually provide copies for a small fee (typically £10 to £50). Planning permission records are also available through the local authority or the Planning Portal.
4. Contact contractors. If work was carried out by a specific company — damp-proofing, roofing, timber treatment, or underpinning — contact them for copies of guarantees. Many companies retain records and can reissue certificates.
5. Order new inspections where needed. If you do not have a gas safety certificate or electrical report and want to provide one, book an inspection with a Gas Safe registered engineer or a qualified electrician. For more detail on gas certificates, see our guide on gas safety certificates when selling.
6. Compile everything in one place. Create a physical or digital folder containing all your certificates. When your solicitor asks for them, you can hand over the complete set immediately.

What to do if certificates are missing

Missing certificates are one of the most common causes of conveyancing delays. When the buyer's solicitor reviews your TA6 form and sees that work has been done without a corresponding certificate, they will raise an enquiry — and the clock stops until it is resolved.

Here are the main options for dealing with missing certificates:

• Obtain a replacement or copy. As described above, contact the local authority, the FENSA register, or the original contractor. This is always the preferred route.
• Apply for retrospective building regulations approval. If building work was never signed off by building control, you can apply for a "regularisation certificate" under Regulation 18 of the Building Regulations 2010. This involves a building control officer inspecting the work (as far as reasonably practicable) and issuing a certificate if it meets the required standards. Costs vary by local authority but typically range from £150 to £500 or more for larger projects. For a detailed walkthrough, see our guide on what to do without a building regulations certificate.
• Obtain a lawful development certificate. If work was done without planning permission but falls under permitted development rights, or if more than four years have passed (ten years for changes of use), you can apply to your local authority for a certificate of lawfulness. The application fee for a householder is £103 (as of 2024 — check the Planning Portal for current fees).
• Take out indemnity insurance. If a certificate cannot be obtained — for example, if the local authority has no record of the work and inspection is not feasible — your solicitor can arrange an indemnity insurance policy. This protects the buyer (and their lender) against the financial risk of the local authority taking enforcement action in the future. Indemnity policies are typically a one-off payment of £20 to £100 and last indefinitely.

The key point is that there is almost always a solution. The problem is not that certificates are missing — it is that sellers wait until mid-transaction to discover they are missing. By then, every week spent resolving the issue is a week your buyer is waiting.

How much do replacement certificates cost?

The cost of obtaining replacement or new certificates varies depending on the type. The table below gives typical UK costs as of 2025:

These costs are modest compared to the financial risk of a delayed or collapsed sale. A property transaction that falls through can cost sellers thousands of pounds in wasted legal fees, survey costs, and the ongoing expense of mortgage payments on a property they are trying to leave.

For more on electrical certificates specifically, see our guide on electrical certificates when selling.

How having certificates ready speeds up the sale

The average residential property sale in England and Wales takes between 12 and 16 weeks from offer acceptance to completion (HM Land Registry and various industry surveys). A significant portion of that time is spent on the back-and-forth between solicitors — raising enquiries, waiting for responses, and chasing missing documents.

When you have your certificate pack ready from the start, several things happen:

• Your solicitor can send a complete contract pack immediately. Instead of drip-feeding documents over several weeks, your solicitor sends everything at once. The buyer's solicitor can begin their review straight away.
• Fewer enquiries are raised. Many of the additional enquiries that slow down sales relate to missing certificates. If every certificate is already included, there is nothing to chase.
• Mortgage lenders are satisfied faster. Lenders often have specific requirements around gas safety, electrical safety, and building regulations compliance. Providing certificates upfront means the lender's conditions are met without delay.
• Buyer confidence increases. A well-prepared seller signals to the buyer that the transaction is being handled professionally. This reduces the risk of the buyer getting nervous and pulling out during a prolonged conveyancing period.

According to research by the Home Buying and Selling Group (a cross-industry body that includes the Law Society, RICS, and the Conveyancing Association), upfront preparation — including gathering certificates before listing — can reduce the time from offer to completion by four to eight weeks.

Our guide on property searches explained covers the buyer's side of due diligence and how seller preparation complements it.

Certificates and the TA6 form

Your property certificates are closely tied to the TA6 form. When you fill in Section 4 (Alterations, Planning, and Building Control), you need to list all work that has been done to the property and confirm whether you have the corresponding certificates. Section 5 (Guarantees and Warranties) asks about any guarantees in place.

If you declare on the TA6 that an extension was built but cannot provide a building regulations completion certificate, the buyer's solicitor will raise an enquiry. This is one of the most frequent causes of delay in residential conveyancing. The best approach is to gather your certificates before you fill in the TA6, so you can attach them as supporting documents and avoid follow-up questions entirely.

Pine helps you complete the TA6 with plain-English guidance and prompts you to upload supporting certificates as you go. This means your solicitor receives a complete, ready-to-send pack rather than a half-finished form with gaps.

Common certificate problems and how to solve them

Here are the most frequent certificate issues sellers encounter and practical solutions for each:

1. Expired EPC. EPCs are valid for 10 years. If yours has expired, you need to commission a new assessment before marketing. An energy assessor will visit your property and produce a new certificate, usually within a few days.
2. No FENSA certificate for replacement windows. Check the FENSA register first — the certificate may be on file even if you do not have a copy. If the installation was not registered with FENSA (or an equivalent scheme such as CERTASS), you will need either a building regulations completion certificate from the local authority or indemnity insurance.
3. Building work done by a previous owner with no paperwork. This is extremely common, particularly with older properties. State on the TA6 that the work was carried out by a previous owner, contact the local authority for any records, and discuss indemnity insurance with your solicitor if no certificate can be found.
4. Contractor who did the work has gone out of business. If the original contractor no longer exists, check whether the guarantee was insurance-backed. Insurance-backed guarantees remain valid even if the contractor ceases trading. Contact the insurance provider directly for a replacement copy.
5. Electrical work without a Part P certificate. Notifiable electrical work (such as a new circuit, a consumer unit replacement, or work in a bathroom or kitchen) carried out after 1 January 2005 should have a Part P building regulations compliance certificate. If it does not, your options are retrospective building control approval or indemnity insurance.

Assembling your certificate pack with Pine

Most sellers do not think about certificates until their solicitor asks for them — typically weeks after accepting an offer. By that point, every missing document becomes an urgent problem that stalls the transaction.

Pine takes a different approach. By guiding you through your TA6 and TA10 forms before you list, Pine identifies which certificates you need and prompts you to upload them as part of the preparation process. The result is a solicitor-ready pack that includes your completed forms, supporting certificates, and any other documents your solicitor will need to send the contract pack to the buyer's solicitor on day one.

If you are planning to sell, start early. Gathering your certificates, completing your legal forms, and getting everything organised before a buyer arrives is the single most effective way to reduce conveyancing delays and keep your sale on track.

More certificates and compliance guides

• Asbestos Management Survey Explained
• Buildings Insurance During a House Sale
• Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations When Selling
• Cavity Wall Insulation Guarantee
• Chancel Repair Liability Insurance Explained
• Selling After a Conservatory: Do You Need Building Regs?
• Damp Proof Course Guarantee: What Sellers Need
• Energy Assessor Qualifications: Who Can Issue an EPC?
• Fire Safety Certificates for Houses
• Legionella Risk Assessment When Selling
• Mining Report Certificate: When You Need One
• Oil Tank Certificate When Selling
• Party Wall Award When Selling Your Property
• PAT Testing When Selling a House
• Radon Certificate When Selling Your Property
• Roof Guarantee When Selling Your Property
• Section 106 Agreement: What Sellers Need to Know
• Septic Tank Compliance Certificate
• Underpinning Certificate Explained
• Water Regulations Certificate: When Sellers Need One
• Woodworm Treatment Certificate When Selling

Sources

• Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 — legislation.gov.uk
• Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 — legislation.gov.uk
• Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 — legislation.gov.uk
• Building Regulations 2010 (as amended), Regulation 18 (Regularisation) — legislation.gov.uk
• GOV.UK — Find an energy certificate: gov.uk/find-energy-certificate
• GOV.UK — Planning permission: gov.uk/planning-permission-england-wales
• FENSA — Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme: fensa.org.uk
• Gas Safe Register: gassaferegister.co.uk
• Planning Portal: planningportal.co.uk
• Home Buying and Selling Group — recommendations on upfront information and material information in property transactions
• Law Society Conveyancing Protocol, 5th edition — lawsociety.org.uk

Frequently asked questions