Paperwork and certificates

The short answer

Scottish sales are delayed more often by missing paperwork than by price. Gather the title deeds position from your solicitor, building warrants and completion certificates for any alterations, window certification, boiler installation and service records, electrical certificates, guarantees for damp, timber or roof work, factor details, and any common repair or statutory notice correspondence.

What the work involves

A document hunt across your own files, the installer, the council's building standards register and the manufacturer's registration, then handing the pack to your solicitor early.

Rules and responsibilities in Scotland

Alterations generally require a building warrant and completion certificate. Where one is missing, indemnity insurance or a retrospective process may be possible — that is a matter for your solicitor.

What commonly goes wrong

Waiting until the buyer's solicitor raises the enquiry, which can add weeks at exactly the point the sale is most fragile.

What it usually costs

Indicative ranges only, to help you judge a quote. They are not an estimate for your property — only the business doing the work can give you that.

• Obtaining copies of warrants and completion certificates from the council carries a modest fee.
• Indemnity insurance for missing paperwork is usually inexpensive but must be arranged before the issue is raised with the council.
• Delay at settlement has its own costs, including bridging and removal rescheduling.

What to do, in order

1. 1Ask your solicitor early which documents will be needed for your property.
2. 2Gather warrants, completion certificates and any planning consents for alterations.
3. 3Find installation and service records for the boiler, windows and electrics.
4. 4Collect guarantees for damp, timber, roofing or structural work.
5. 5For a flat, obtain the factor's details and any common repair correspondence.

Local detail for the Lothians

• Edinburgh flats often have historic alterations — knocked-through rooms, converted box rooms, replaced windows — where the paperwork is the question rather than the work.
• Council statutory notice history in the city is a standard enquiry and should be checked before marketing.
• Factored blocks vary in how quickly they produce written statements, so ask at the start of the process.

When you need a professional

Your conveyancing solicitor decides what is needed and whether indemnity insurance is appropriate; the council's building standards service for warrant records.

Common questions

What paperwork do I need to sell a house in Scotland?

The Home Report, title information via your solicitor, building warrants and completion certificates for alterations, service and installation records, guarantees, and factor or common repair correspondence for a flat.

When should I start gathering documents?

Before marketing. It is the single most effective way to avoid delay between acceptance and settlement.

Related pages

• Preparing for the Home Report

  What the surveyor looks at, and the work worth doing before they visit.

• Shared repairs before selling

  Outstanding common repairs, statutory notices and how they affect a flat sale.

• Timeline before marketing

  Six weeks from decision to listing, in the order that avoids delay.