The seller's information forms

Seller forms

The three forms a seller fills in

Almost every sale of a home in England and Wales starts with the same three pieces of paperwork from the seller: a long questionnaire about the property itself, a list of what is being left behind and what is being taken away, and, where the property is a flat or a leasehold house, a set of answers about the lease and the building. Homebinding keeps all three on the transaction record, so that the answers are written once, kept in one place, and passed to the buyer's solicitor as a single package rather than dribbled out over weeks of enquiries.

The forms below are Homebinding's own. They cover the same ground as the standard seller questionnaires used across the profession, in our own words, and they are built to be filled in on screen by the person who actually knows the answers: the owner. Take them slowly. The single biggest cause of a sale falling through late is an answer given carelessly in week one that turns out to be wrong in week eight, by which point the buyer has spent money and lost patience.

Answer from what you know. "Not known" is a proper answer and a safe one; a guess dressed up as a fact is neither. If a document is mentioned in an answer, put a copy on the record at the same time, because a certificate attached today saves an enquiry raised a month from now. If something changes between filling the form in and exchange of contracts, say so straight away: the answers are treated as continuing statements, and the buyer is entitled to rely on them right up to the moment contracts are exchanged.

This is not advice. The forms are a structured way of recording what you know about your own property. Your conveyancer will tell you how your answers bear on your particular sale.

Form 1

Property information form

This is the main seller's questionnaire. It is filled in by the legal owner or owners of the property, not by the agent, and the answers are passed to the buyer's solicitor as part of the contract pack. Answers are kept in this browser on your own device and are saved to the transaction record when the Homebinding back end is live (demonstration).

1. The property and the seller 1.1 Full address of the property being sold

1.2 Postcode

1.3 Title number, if you know it

1.4 Tenure

1.5 Type of property

1.6 Full names of everyone who owns the property, exactly as they appear on the title

1.7 Date you bought the property

1.8 How long you have lived there, if different from the date above

1.9 Does anyone other than the named owners have, or claim to have, an interest in the property, for example someone who contributed to the purchase price or to major works? 1.10 If yes, give their name and what their interest is 1.11 Is there a restriction, note or caution entered on the title? 1.12 If yes, describe it and say how it is being dealt with 1.13 Are you selling as a personal representative, trustee, attorney or receiver rather than in your own right? 1.14 Anything else about ownership the buyer's solicitor should know at the outset

2. Boundaries

Answer from what has happened in practice, not from what the deeds say. If you have always repaired a fence, say so, even if you do not know who owns it.

2.1 Standing at the front of the property looking towards it, who has maintained the boundary on the left? 2.2 Who has maintained the boundary on the right? 2.3 Who has maintained the rear boundary? 2.4 Who has maintained the front boundary? 2.5 Has any boundary been moved, straightened or repositioned in the last twenty years, or for as long as you have owned the property? 2.6 If yes, say what was moved, roughly when, and whether the neighbour agreed 2.7 Has any wall, fence, hedge or other boundary feature been put up, taken down or replaced while you have owned the property? 2.8 If yes, give details and say who paid 2.9 Does any part of a building, roof, gutter, pipe, fence, hedge, tree or other feature belonging to the property overhang or stand on neighbouring land? 2.10 Does any part of a neighbouring building or feature overhang or stand on this property? 2.11 If yes to either, give details 2.12 Have you or a previous owner bought or taken in any extra land, or given any land away?

3. Disputes and complaints 3.1 Have you had any dispute or disagreement with a neighbour, or with anyone else, about this property or a property next to it? 3.2 If yes, describe what happened and how it ended 3.3 Have you received a complaint about anything you or anyone living at the property has done or failed to do? 3.4 Have you made a complaint to a neighbour, the council, the police or anybody else about a nearby property or its occupiers? 3.5 If yes to either, give details, including dates as far as you remember them 3.6 Is there anything at all that you are aware of that might lead to a dispute after the sale, whether or not anything has been said yet? 3.7 If yes, explain

4. Notices and proposals 4.1 Have you received any letter, notice or order affecting the property or a neighbouring property, from a council, a utility, a landlord, a management company, a neighbour or anyone else? 4.2 If yes, say what it was about, who sent it and roughly when, and put a copy on the record 4.3 Have you applied for, or been told about, planning permission for any development on nearby land? 4.4 If yes, give details of what is proposed and where 4.5 Are you aware of any proposal for a new road, railway, tram, cycle route or other transport scheme within about half a mile? 4.6 Are you aware of any compulsory purchase proposal affecting the property or land near it? 4.7 Are you aware of any proposal to build on, or change the use of, land or buildings you can see from the property? 4.8 Give details of anything answered yes above

5. Alterations, planning and building control

Include work done by you and any work you know was done before you owned the property. Where a certificate exists, upload it to the record.

5.1 Have any building works, alterations or changes of use been carried out at the property while you have owned it? 5.2 List each item of work and the year it was completed 5.3 Was planning permission obtained where it was needed? 5.4 Do you hold the planning decision notices? 5.5 Were building regulations approvals and completion certificates obtained? 5.6 Do you hold the building regulations completion certificates? 5.7 Is the property listed, or in a conservation area, and if so was listed building or conservation area consent obtained? 5.8 Have any windows or external doors been replaced since April 2002? 5.9 If yes, do you hold a certificate from a registered installer or a building regulations certificate for them? 5.10 Is there a conservatory, orangery or garden room? 5.11 Has the loft, garage, cellar or outbuilding been converted into living space? 5.12 If yes to either, give the year and say what approvals were obtained 5.13 Are there solar panels, a heat pump, a battery or an electric vehicle charging point at the property? 5.14 If yes, are they owned outright or supplied under a lease, loan or roof rental agreement? 5.15 Give the installation year and say what paperwork you hold 5.16 Is any work at the property unfinished, or started but not signed off? 5.17 If yes, describe what is outstanding

6. Guarantees and warranties

Tick each guarantee that exists for the property, then say whether you hold the paperwork and whether anyone has ever claimed under it.

New home warranty, for example a ten year structural warranty Damp proofing treatment Timber, woodworm or dry rot treatment Roofing work Windows, doors or conservatory Electrical work Central heating or boiler Solar panels or other low carbon equipment Underpinning or subsidence repair Any other guarantee or insurance backed warranty 6.1 List each guarantee you have ticked, with the company name and the year it was issued 6.2 Do you hold the guarantee documents themselves? 6.3 Has a claim ever been made under any of these guarantees? 6.4 If yes, say what the claim was and how it was resolved 6.5 Is any guarantee still within its period of cover?

7. Insurance 7.1 Is the building insured? 7.2 Who arranges the buildings insurance? 7.3 Name of the insurer, if you know it 7.4 Has a claim been made on the buildings insurance in the last five years? 7.5 If yes, say what happened and what was paid out 7.6 Has any insurer ever refused to insure the property, imposed an unusual condition, charged a raised premium or excess, or cancelled a policy? 7.7 If yes, give details 7.8 Is there any separate insurance policy relating to a defect in the title, a missing consent or a lack of building regulations approval?

8. Environmental matters 8.1 Has any part of the property, including the garden, garage, driveway or outbuildings, ever flooded? 8.2 If yes, which parts flooded and in which year or years? 8.3 What was the source of the flooding? 8.4 Has a flood risk report ever been prepared for the property? 8.5 Are there any flood defences, barriers, pumps or non return valves at or serving the property? 8.6 Has the property been tested for radon? 8.7 If yes, what was the result and was any remedial work carried out? 8.8 Do you hold a current energy performance certificate?

8.9 EPC rating and score

8.10 Date of the EPC

8.11 Is Japanese knotweed present at the property, or has it been present at the property or on adjoining land? 8.12 If yes, say what treatment has been carried out and whether there is a management plan and guarantee 8.13 Are you aware of the property, or land near it, being contaminated, filled, tipped on, quarried or mined? 8.14 If yes, give details 8.15 Are there any trees at the property that are the subject of a preservation order, or any tree that has caused or may cause damage?

9. Rights and informal arrangements 9.1 Does anyone have a right to walk, drive or run services across any part of the property? 9.2 If yes, describe the right and who has it 9.3 Does the property have the benefit of a right over neighbouring land, for example a shared drive, a path to the rear, or a drain crossing next door? 9.4 If yes, describe it 9.5 Is any access, drive, path, passage, drain, pipe, wall or roof shared with a neighbour? 9.6 If yes, say how the cost of repair has been shared in practice 9.7 Are you aware of any right of light, right of support or right to a view affecting the property? 9.8 Is there any informal arrangement with a neighbour, of the kind that has never been written down, for example about parking, storing bins, cutting a hedge or crossing a garden? 9.9 If yes, describe the arrangement and who it is with 9.10 Does anyone else have a right to enter or use any part of the property, for example a meter reader route, a fire escape, an aerial or a satellite dish belonging to somebody else? 9.11 Are you aware of any liability to contribute to the repair of a church chancel? 9.12 Has any indemnity policy or search result about chancel repair been obtained?

10. Parking 10.1 How is the property parked? 10.2 How many spaces are there, and are they allocated by number? 10.3 Is the property in a controlled parking zone or a residents' permit area? 10.4 If yes, what does a permit cost each year and how many are allowed per household? 10.5 Is there any restriction on parking a van, motorhome, trailer, caravan or commercial vehicle? 10.6 Anything else the buyer should know about parking, including any dispute over a space

11. Other charges 11.1 Is a rent charge payable on the property? 11.2 Is a charge payable to a management company or residents' company for the upkeep of roads, open space, play areas, drainage or lighting on an estate?

11.3 Amount of the last such charge

11.4 How often is it payable?

11.5 Name and contact details of the company or agent who collects it 11.6 Have the charges changed markedly in the last three years, and do you know of any planned increase or major project? 11.7 Is any payment outstanding or in dispute? 11.8 Is any other regular payment made in connection with the property, for example to a private road fund, a drainage board or a shared facility?

12. Occupiers 12.1 Do you live at the property? 12.2 List everyone aged seventeen or over who lives at the property, other than the named owners 12.3 Will every adult occupier who is not an owner sign the contract to confirm that they agree to the sale and will leave on completion? 12.4 Is any part of the property let to a tenant or lodger? 12.5 If yes, give the type of tenancy, the rent, the date it started and when it ends 12.6 Will the property be sold with vacant possession? 12.7 Is the property empty at present, and if so since when?

13. Services 13.1 Electricity supply 13.2 Gas supply 13.3 Water supply 13.4 Is the water metered? 13.5 Foul drainage 13.6 If drainage is not to a mains sewer, when was the system last emptied or serviced, and do you believe it meets the current discharge rules? 13.7 Surface water drainage 13.8 Main heating

13.9 Approximate age of the boiler or heating equipment

13.10 Date the boiler or heating system was last serviced

13.11 Do you hold a service record or gas safety certificate? 13.12 When was the electrical installation last inspected and tested? 13.13 Do you hold an electrical installation condition report or certificate? 13.14 Telephone and broadband 13.15 Broadband provider and approximate speed, if you know it 13.16 Is there cable television, a communal aerial or a satellite dish? 13.17 Are any of the services shared with, or routed through, a neighbouring property? 13.18 Where are the stopcock, consumer unit, meters and any inspection chamber?

14. Transaction information 14.1 Are you buying another property as part of this move? 14.2 If yes, how far has that purchase got? 14.3 Is this sale part of a chain, and if so how many parties are in it as far as you know? 14.4 Preferred moving date 14.5 Is there any date you must move by, or cannot move on? 14.6 Does the sale include any land, garage, parking space, store or outbuilding held under a separate title? 14.7 If yes, give the title number or describe the land 14.8 Have you agreed to sell the property to anyone else, granted an option, or entered into any other arrangement that affects your freedom to sell? 14.9 Is any part of the price to be paid other than in money, for example by way of goods, works or a deferred payment? 14.10 Is a mortgage or other loan secured on the property, and will it be repaid on completion? 14.11 Anything else you think the buyer or their solicitor ought to know

15. Declaration

Read these three statements before you sign. A buyer is entitled to rely on the answers you have given, and to raise the matter with you if they turn out to be wrong.

The answers I have given are true to the best of my knowledge and belief, and I have not left out anything I believe a buyer would want to know. If anything changes, or if I remember something I have missed, I will tell Homebinding and my solicitor straight away and before contracts are exchanged. I understand that the buyer and the buyer's solicitor and lender may rely on these answers when deciding to go ahead and on what terms.

15.1 Name of the person signing

15.2 Date

15.3 Name of the second owner signing, where there is one

Form 2

Fittings and contents

This is the list of what stays and what goes. It is filled in by the seller, it forms part of the contract, and it is the document people argue about on moving day when it has been done in a hurry. Answers are kept in this browser on your own device and are saved to the transaction record when the Homebinding back end is live (demonstration).

Work through the table room by room with the property in front of you if you can. For each item choose one of four answers. Included means it is left behind at no extra cost and the price becomes part of what the buyer is paying. Excluded means you are taking it. None at the property means there is no such item, which is a useful answer in its own right, because a buyer who expects light fittings and finds bare wires has a grievance. Available at a price means you will sell it separately, in which case put the figure in the price column, and be aware that items sold separately are dealt with outside the contract price.

Two rules save trouble. If you take something, leave the fixing safe: a removed light fitting needs a ceiling rose and a bulb holder, not a live cable. And if an item is fixed to the building, such as a fitted wardrobe, a boiler or a bathroom cabinet, the buyer will assume it stays unless this form says otherwise.

1. The item by item list

Item	Included, excluded or none	Price if sold separately	Notes
Heating, power and safety
Boiler or heat pump
Hot water cylinder
Radiators
Underfloor heating controls
Night storage heaters
Immersion heater
Room thermostat or smart heating controller
Solar panels or battery
Electric vehicle charging point
Smoke detectors
Carbon monoxide alarm
Burglar alarm and control panel
Doorbell or video doorbell
Extractor fans
Water softener
Lighting and electrical
Light fittings
Ceiling roses and bulb holders
Lamp shades
Switches and socket plates
Outside lights
Security lights and cameras
Television aerial
Satellite dish
Broadband router
Windows, doors and floors
Curtains
Curtain rails and poles
Pelmets
Blinds
Window shutters
Window locks and keys
Internal doors and handles
External door keys and fobs
Fitted carpets
Other fitted floor coverings
Loose rugs
Door mats
Kitchen
Fitted kitchen units and worktops
Sink and taps
Hob
Oven or range cooker
Extractor hood
Fridge or fridge freezer
Separate freezer
Dishwasher
Washing machine
Tumble dryer
Microwave
Wine cooler
Fitted or freestanding kitchen bin
Breakfast bar stools
Bathrooms and cloakrooms
Bath and taps
Basin and taps
WC and cistern
Shower and shower fittings
Shower screen or curtain
Bathroom cabinet
Bathroom mirror
Heated towel rail
Towel rails, hooks and roll holders
Storage and furniture
Fitted wardrobes
Freestanding wardrobes
Fitted shelving and cupboards
Wall mirrors
Pictures and picture hooks
Beds and mattresses
Sofas and armchairs
Dining table and chairs
Loft ladder and loft boarding
Safe
Outside
Garden shed
Greenhouse
Garden or bin store
Outside tap
Water butt
Rotary drier or washing line
Compost bin
Wheeled bins and recycling boxes
Plants, shrubs and trees
Pots and planters
Garden furniture
Barbecue or fire pit
Garden ornaments and statuary
Hot tub
Gates and gate motors
Stock of oil, gas, logs or other fuel

2. Anything not listed above 2.1 Items being left for the buyer that do not appear in the table 2.2 Items being taken that a buyer might reasonably have expected to stay 2.3 Items offered for sale separately, with the price asked for each 2.4 Total asked for all items offered separately 2.5 Is anything at the property subject to a hire, rental, lease or credit agreement that the buyer would need to take over or that must be settled before completion? 2.6 If yes, list the items and the agreements 2.7 Will the property be left clear of rubbish, with all personal belongings removed, and the garden, loft and outbuildings emptied? 2.8 Instruction manuals, guarantees, keys, fobs, alarm codes and remote controls being handed over

3. Declaration This list is accurate to the best of my knowledge, and every item marked as included will be left at the property in the condition it is in today, fair wear and tear excepted. If I change my mind about any item I will tell Homebinding and my solicitor before contracts are exchanged, and I understand that after exchange the list cannot be changed without the buyer's agreement. I understand that the buyer may rely on this list and that it will form part of the contract of sale.

3.1 Name of the person signing

3.2 Date

Form 3

Leasehold information

This form is filled in by the seller of a flat, a maisonette or a leasehold house, in addition to the property information form. It records what you know about the lease, the landlord, the managing agent and the service charge. Answers are kept in this browser on your own device and are saved to the transaction record when the Homebinding back end is live (demonstration).

Leasehold sales stall for one reason more than any other: the management pack. It is ordered late, it takes weeks to arrive, and until it does the buyer's solicitor cannot report on the building. Fill this form in on the day you go on the market and order the pack at the same time. Where you do not know an answer, say so and name the person who will: half the questions here are properly answered by the managing agent, and your job is to point the buyer's solicitor at the right door rather than to guess.

1. The lease 1.1 Do you hold a copy of the lease and any deed of variation?

1.2 Length of the original term, in years

1.3 Date the term started

1.4 Approximate number of years left to run 1.5 Has the lease ever been varied, extended or replaced? 1.6 If yes, give the date and say what changed

1.7 Current ground rent

1.8 How often it is paid

1.9 How does the ground rent change over the term? 1.10 If the rent is reviewed, describe the mechanism and when the next review falls 1.11 Is the ground rent paid up to date? 1.12 Is there any restriction in the lease on letting, subletting, keeping pets, running a business, or flooring the flat?

2. The landlord and the managing agent 2.1 Name of the landlord or freeholder 2.2 Address and contact details for the landlord 2.3 Is there a managing agent? 2.4 Name of the managing agent 2.5 Address, telephone number and email address for the managing agent 2.6 Who should the buyer's solicitor contact for the pre sale management pack, and what does it cost? 2.7 Has the pack been ordered? 2.8 Date the pack was ordered 2.9 Has the landlord or agent changed during your ownership?

3. Service charges 3.1 Is a service charge payable?

3.2 Amount charged in the last full year

3.3 Amount charged the year before that

3.4 Amount charged three years ago

3.5 How often is it collected?

3.6 How is your share worked out? 3.7 Give the percentage or fraction if you know it 3.8 What does the service charge pay for? 3.9 Are the service charges paid up to date? 3.10 Have you ever withheld payment, or challenged a charge, or been in dispute about one? 3.11 If yes, describe the dispute and how it ended 3.12 Is there a reserve or sinking fund? 3.13 What is the approximate balance of the fund, if you know it? 3.14 Are you aware of any major works proposed, planned or under way, for example to the roof, the lifts, the windows, the cladding or the grounds? 3.15 If yes, describe the works and any figure you have been given 3.16 Have you received a notice about proposed works, consultation or an estimate in the last two years? 3.17 Is a charge payable to a separate estate or rentcharge company, on top of the service charge?

4. Insurance of the building 4.1 Who insures the structure of the building? 4.2 Do you hold a copy of the policy or a summary of cover? 4.3 Is the insurance premium charged through the service charge or billed separately? 4.4 Has a claim been made on the building policy in the last five years, whether by you or by anyone else in the block? 4.5 If yes, give details as far as you know them 4.6 Are you required to insure the contents or anything else yourself under the lease?

5. Alterations and consents under the lease 5.1 Have you carried out any alteration to the flat, however small, since you bought it? 5.2 List the works and the year of each 5.3 Did the lease require the landlord's written consent for any of them? 5.4 Was that consent obtained in writing? 5.5 Do you hold the licence or letter of consent? 5.6 Have you laid hard flooring in place of carpet anywhere in the flat? 5.7 Are you aware of alterations carried out by a previous owner without consent? 5.8 Give details of anything answered yes above

6. Notices, breaches and complaints 6.1 Have you received any notice from the landlord, the management company or another leaseholder? 6.2 If yes, describe each notice and its date, and put a copy on the record 6.3 Have you been told, formally or informally, that you are in breach of any term of the lease? 6.4 If yes, say what was alleged and whether it was put right 6.5 Have you complained to the landlord or the agent about the building, the service or the charges? 6.6 If yes, give details and say whether the matter is closed 6.7 Are you aware of any dispute between other residents, or between residents and the landlord? 6.8 Are you aware of any problem in the building that has not been put right, for example a leak, a lift failure, damp, a fire safety matter or a cladding issue?

7. Management company and share of freehold 7.1 Is there a management company in which the leaseholders hold shares or membership? 7.2 Name of the company and its registered number if you know it 7.3 Do you hold a share certificate or membership certificate? 7.4 Will the share or membership be transferred to the buyer on completion? 7.5 Is there a right to manage company in place? 7.6 Do the leaseholders own the freehold between them? 7.7 If yes, how is the freehold held, and how many flats take part? 7.8 Are you a director or officer of any of these companies? 7.9 When did the company last hold a general meeting, and are accounts produced each year?

8. Extension and enfranchisement 8.1 Has the lease been extended since it was first granted? 8.2 If yes, give the date and the new term 8.3 Have you started, or been invited to take part in, a claim to extend the lease or to buy the freehold? 8.4 If yes, say what stage it has reached and who is acting 8.5 Has the landlord ever offered to sell the freehold or to grant a longer lease? 8.6 Do you hold any valuation or professional advice about a lease extension that you are able to pass on?

9. Declaration The answers I have given about the lease and the building are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. I accept that some of these matters are known only to the landlord or the managing agent, and I have said where that is the case rather than guessing. I will tell Homebinding and my solicitor of any change, and of anything I receive from the landlord or agent, before contracts are exchanged.

9.1 Name of the person signing

9.2 Date

Using the forms

How to fill them in without creating problems for yourself

Say what you know, not what you hope

The duty on a seller is not to know everything about the property. It is to answer honestly, to avoid giving a misleading impression, and not to conceal something you are aware of. "Not known" is therefore a complete answer where it is true. What is not acceptable is a confident "no" given to close a question down, or an answer that is technically accurate but leaves out the part the buyer would care about. If you had a two year argument with a neighbour that ended in a truce, the answer is yes with an explanation, not no because it is over.

Attach the paper as you go

Every answer that mentions a certificate, a guarantee, a consent or a notice will generate an enquiry unless the document is supplied with it. Scan or photograph the paperwork and put it on the record in the same sitting. A file of certificates delivered at the start of a sale removes weeks from the middle of it.

Do the fittings list on your feet

Filling in the fittings form at a desk from memory produces the classic moving day arguments: the missing light fittings, the removed shed, the dug up shrubs, the curtains that went with the curtain rails. Walk the property with the form open. Anything you intend to take, mark excluded now, while there is a buyer who can still decide whether it matters.

Leasehold: start on day one

Order the management pack when you instruct the agent, not when the buyer's solicitor asks for it. Ask the managing agent what the pack costs, how long it takes and what they need from you. Then answer the leasehold form as far as you can and mark the rest as one for the agent. That single step is worth more to a leasehold sale than anything else the seller can do.

None of these forms is a substitute for the searches, the survey or the buyer's own enquiries, and none of them shifts responsibility onto the buyer. They exist to get the facts that only the owner has into the hands of the people who need them, early, in one piece, and in a form that can be checked. That is the whole of the purpose. This is not advice.

On Homebinding

How the site handles the seller forms

Each of the three forms on this page is attached to the transaction record for the property. Answers are held in your own browser as you type, so a half finished form is still there tomorrow, and are written to the record when the Homebinding back end is live. Every form carries the same toolbar: save to the record, print or save as a PDF, download the answers as a file, and clear. Nothing is sent anywhere in this demonstration.

On the record itself the answers sit alongside the documents they refer to, so a building regulations certificate mentioned in section five of the property information form is filed against that answer, and the leasehold form links to the management pack when it arrives. Where an answer changes, the record keeps the earlier version with its date, which matters because the buyer relies on the answers as they stood at the time. The fittings list can be printed as a one page schedule for the removal firm on the day.

Sources: HM Land Registry on titles and restrictions, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on leasehold and on energy performance certificates, the Environment Agency on flood risk and on private drainage discharges, the Health and Safety Executive and UK Health Security Agency guidance on radon, the Competition and Markets Authority on material information in property listings, and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers and the Law Society on conveyancing practice. Homebinding's forms are its own work and are not reproductions of any professional body's forms.

HM Land Registry Check the flood risk Find an energy certificate Leasehold property guidance