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Selling a home takes about 5 months on average. The process can take longer if you鈥檙e part of a chain of buyers and sellers.听

To sell your home, you鈥檒l need to:

• check how much you owe on your mortgage (if you have one)
• find out how much your home is worth
• decide whether to use an estate agent to sell your home听
• choose a solicitor or conveyancer who will do the legal work involved in transferring ownership
• give potential buyers the right paperwork, including an Energy Performance Certificate for your home
• decide on a selling price听
• accept or negotiate an offer听
• exchange contracts听
• transfer ownership and move out (called 鈥榗ompletion鈥�)

Selling a rented property听

If you鈥檙e selling a property you rent out to tenants, you鈥檒l also need to:

• check if you need to pay Capital Gains Tax
• give your tenants notice and end the tenancy (if needed)听

You can get help from a solicitor.

Selling a property for someone else

There may be extra steps to sell a property if:

• the other owner has lost mental capacity
• you鈥檙e selling someone鈥檚 home after they die (through 鈥榩robate鈥�)听听
• you鈥檙e selling for someone else using power of attorney

Check what you need to do to sell a property for someone else.

Selling a specialist retirement property

If your home is a specialist retirement property, you鈥檒l need to consider if:

• any charges or exit fees need to be paid
• there are any conditions on the sale of the property

Protecting yourself from fraud

There鈥檚 a risk of fraud when selling a home as this involves transferring large sums of money. It鈥檚 important to check that you:

• are speaking to or emailing the person or business you think it is
• transfer money to the correct bank account/s听
• do not reveal too much personal information on social media

Find out how to protect your property from fraud.

You can also speak to your legal professional for help and advice about property fraud.

If you have a mortgage on the property you鈥檙e selling, you鈥檒l need to move the mortgage to your new property, or pay it off.

Check how much it costs to sell

Contact your mortgage lender to check:

• how much mortgage you owe
• if there are early repayment charges
• if there are fees to move your mortgage

You may also need to pay:

• any other outstanding debts secured against your home
• estate agent fees
• legal fees
• removal costs
• Capital Gains Tax if the property is not your main home or includes a lot of land
• for essential home repairs or improvements
• resolving issues in the deeds to the property

You can find a list of costs on the .

Find out how much your home is worth

You鈥檒l need to find out how much your home is worth so you can compare it to the outstanding balance on your mortgage and other moving costs.听

Knowing the value of your property will also help you to set the right asking price when you鈥檙e ready to sell.听

You can find out how much your home is worth by:

• researching local house prices online听
• finding out what homes in your area recently sold for using
• asking estate agents to value your home听

You may want to get a formal home valuation. They are carried out by a qualified valuer who will charge for this service.听

Get the paperwork you鈥檒l need together听

Before you put your home on the market, you鈥檒l need to make sure you have all the right paperwork to give to a prospective buyer.听

This might include:

• property title deeds
• information on the type of ownership the property has (tenure) - freehold or leasehold
• an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
• planning permission and building regulation certificates
• FENSA or CERTASS certificates for windows
• guarantees, warranties and surveys
• electrical checks
• party wall agreements听

Get help from a professional

An estate agent and a legal professional can help you gather this information.

Identity checks听

You鈥檒l also need to prove your identity and your address to your:

• estate agent
• solicitor or conveyancer
• mortgage lender

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) tells you how energy efficient a property is. You must have an EPC when you鈥檙e:听

• selling a property
• renting out a property
• building a new property

You must order an EPC for potential buyers and tenants before you market your property to sell or rent.

In Scotland, you must display the EPC somewhere in the property, for example in the meter cupboard or next to the boiler.

An EPC contains:

• information about a property鈥檚 energy use and typical energy costs
• steps to improve a property鈥檚 energy efficiency and save money

An EPC听gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (best) to G (worst) and is valid for 10 years.

Check if a property has a valid EPC

It鈥檚 free to check if a property has a valid EPC.

How to get an EPC

If your property does not have an EPC or it has expired, you鈥檒l need a new one before you get your property ready to sell or rent.听

You鈥檒l need to pay for an EPC from an accredited assessor. Your estate agent may be able to help arrange this.

The person selling the house, the landlord or the letting agent must show you the EPC if you鈥檙e buying or renting.

When you do not need an EPC

You do not need an EPC for:

• temporary buildings that will be used for less than 2 years
• stand-alone buildings with total useful floor space of less than 50 square metres
• industrial sites, workshops and non-residential agricultural buildings that do not use a lot of energy
• some buildings that are due to be demolished
• holiday accommodation that鈥檚 rented out for less than 4 months a year or is let under a licence to occupy
• listed buildings - you should get advice from your local authority conservation officer if the work would alter the building鈥檚 character
• residential buildings intended to be used less than 4 months a year
• places of worship

Get help finding an EPC or assessor

Contact the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) if you need help with finding an EPC or accredited assessor.

You can sell your home yourself or use an online, high street or hybrid estate agent.

If you decide to use an estate agent, you must sign a legally binding contract with them.听

Fees

Check your contract with the estate agent to find out:

• how much they charge
• what鈥檚 included in their fee

If you use more than one estate agent, you may need to pay fees to more than one of them when your home sells (called dual fees). This will depend on the type of contract you sign with the estate agent and whether they have sole selling rights to your home.

You must stick to the terms of the contract or you could be taken to court.

Estate agents are also legally obliged to pass on any other offers for your home right up to when contracts are exchanged.

Recommendations from estate agents or mortgage lenders

Your estate agent and mortgage lenders might recommend legal professionals, mortgage brokers or surveyors to you.

You must be told if the estate agent or mortgage lender gets a payment (a 鈥榬eferral fee鈥�) from the company they鈥檙e recommending.

You do not have to use the company that鈥檚 been recommended to you.

A legal professional can handle the legal work involved in transferring the ownership of your home (conveyancing). They can advise you on the different stages before you put your home on the market. However, you can choose to do your own conveyancing.

There are various legal professionals who are qualified to carry out conveyancing work:

Check that your legal professional is regulated by the appropriate body.

Choosing a buyer

Buyers can make offers verbally (over the phone or in person) or in writing.听

If you鈥檙e using an estate agent to sell your home, buyers must make an offer through them. Your estate agent must inform you of any offers made.听

If you鈥檙e selling your home privately, buyers can make offers directly to you.听

During this stage, negotiations may take place between you and the buyer.

An offer is not legally binding in England and Wales until contracts are exchanged.

Enquiries

The buyer鈥檚 solicitor or conveyancer will ask you questions about:

• the title
• searches
• the mortgage offer
• the property听
• the transaction听

A legal professional can advise you on how you should answer these if you鈥檙e not sure.听

Accepting an offer

Once you鈥檝e accepted an offer, the buyer鈥檚 solicitor or conveyancer will arrange searches and a review of the property鈥檚 title.听

Your property is not legally sold until you鈥檝e exchanged written contracts with the buyer.

After you鈥檝e accepted an offer, you鈥檙e responsible for drawing up a legal contract to transfer ownership.

The contract needs to include details about:

• the sale price
• the property boundaries
• which fixtures and fittings (like carpets and kitchen units) are included
• any legal restrictions or rights, like public footpaths or rules about using the property
• any planning restrictions
• services to the property, like drainage and gas
• when the sale will complete

If you鈥檝e hired a solicitor or conveyancer, they will:

• draft the initial contract
• answer questions from the buyer鈥檚 solicitor or conveyancer (with your help)
• negotiate the details of the contract if necessary

Exchanging contracts

When both you and the buyer are happy with the contract, you鈥檒l both sign final copies and send them to each other.听

The agreement to sell and buy is then legally binding. Usually, neither of you can pull out at this point without paying compensation.

Completion

Once you exchange contracts and deal with any remaining checks the buyer has asked for, their solicitor or conveyancer will transfer the money.

Your solicitor or conveyancer will then pay off:

• the mortgage
• any secured debts (if you have them)
• stamp duty (if you鈥檙e buying another property)
• any outstanding estate agent fees (if you鈥檝e used one)
• services charges (if relevant)
• their fee as your legal representative

The remaining balance will then be sent to your account. You鈥檒l also need to send the legal documents needed to transfer ownership to the buyer.听

You must leave the property in the state agreed in the contract when you move out.听

Citizens Advice has more advice about .

Capital Gains Tax

You do not pay Capital Gains Tax when you sell (or 鈥榙ispose of鈥�) your home if all of the following apply:听听

• you鈥檝e lived in it as your main home for all the time you鈥檝e owned it听听
• you have not let part of it out or used part of it for business only听听
• the grounds, including the buildings, are smaller than 5,000 square metres (just over an acre)

This is because you automatically get a tax relief called Private Residence Relief. You do not need to do anything.

If you do not meet all these criteria you may have to pay some Capital Gains Tax.

You can contact a legal professional if you need help selling a property in special circumstances.

Selling a home if the other owner has lost mental capacity

You鈥檒l have to apply to the Court of Protection if you want to sell the property but the other owner has lost mental capacity. Losing mental capacity means someone cannot make a decision for themselves at the time it needs to be made.

Selling a home after an owner has died

Probate is the legal right to deal with someone鈥檚 property, money and possessions (their 鈥榚state鈥�) when they die.

Check if you need to apply for probate.

Selling under power of attorney

A power of attorney gives someone else the right to make or help make decisions about someone else鈥檚 property, including selling their home.

Selling property under power of attorney will depend upon what type of power of attorney is in place - a lasting power of attorney or an enduring power of attorney.

You can make a complaint to a company involved in the sale if you鈥檙e unhappy with their service. Follow the company鈥檚 complaints procedure.

If they do not respond or you鈥檙e not happy with their response, you can complain to the relevant ombudsman service or scheme.听

That ombudsman will investigate the complaint for free.

Complain about an estate agent

You can complain to one of the following:听

Ask the estate agent which scheme they belong to.听

has more advice on how to make a complaint about an estate agent.听

Complain about a legal professional听

Contact .

has more advice on how to make a complaint about a solicitor or conveyancer.

Complain about a mortgage lender

Contact .