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Moving and buying · MB-09

Home Buying Document Checklist

A free printable home buying document checklist — a general, jurisdiction-neutral prompt list of the papers a buyer or a seller tends to have to gather.

First page of the Home Buying Document Checklist — Have a prompt list to work through with whoever is handling the transaction, so documents are found before they are asked for rather than afterwards.
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3 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.

Print it and write on it

Fill it in type and save

The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.

What this sheet is for

Have a prompt list to work through with whoever is handling the transaction, so documents are found before they are asked for rather than afterwards.

Who it is for

Buyers and sellers anywhere, and homeowners assembling a property folder long before they intend to sell.

How to use it

  1. Read it as a prompt list, not a requirements list — cross out everything that does not apply to your property or your country.
  2. Ask your solicitor, notary or conveyancer for their own list and merge the two.
  3. Note beside each line where the document is and who currently holds it.
  4. Order replacements early for anything that has to come from a third party.

What is on the sheet

3 pages, in this order:

Page 1

Printed under the title: The papers a buyer or a seller usually ends up gathering, as a prompt list to work through with whoever is handling the transaction.

Requirements differ — take proper advice. Conveyancing differs enormously between countries, and often between regions of the same country. Nothing here is a legal requirement and nothing here is legal advice — it is a general prompt list. Your solicitor, notary or conveyancer decides what is actually needed, and some of these will not apply to you at all.

Write-on lines: Property · Buying or selling · Acting for you

Who you are, and the money

  • Photo identification for every buyer or seller
  • Proof of your current address
  • Evidence of where the deposit came from
  • Mortgage or loan paperwork, if there is one
  • Paperwork for any gift towards the purchase

The property itself

  • Ownership or title documents, in whatever form applies
  • Plans, boundaries and anything shared with a neighbour
  • Rights of way, access and shared drives
  • Planning or building approvals for past work
  • Sign-off certificates for any building work
  • Guarantees for damp, timber, roofing or structural work

Page 2

Systems and safety

  • Heating installation and service records
  • Electrical installation or inspection paperwork
  • Certificates for gas, oil or solid fuel appliances
  • Energy rating certificate, where one is required
  • Septic tank or private drainage records
  • Private water supply test results
  • Solar, battery or heat pump paperwork and warranties

Bills, charges and running costs

  • Recent utility bills, with the meter numbers
  • Local property charges or taxes on the property
  • Service charges, ground rent or management fees
  • Buildings insurance history and any claims made
  • Broadband and phone contracts, and when they end

Shared buildings and managed estates

  • Lease, share or ownership agreement, where one exists
  • Managing agent or residents' association contacts
  • Accounts, budgets and any planned major works
  • Rules on pets, letting, parking and alterations

What is included in the sale

  • List of fixtures and fittings included and excluded
  • Appliance manuals, warranties and receipts
  • Keys, fobs, remotes and alarm codes
  • Meter readings agreed on the day

Page 3

Ruled lines: Where each one is kept, and who has it

Questions

Is this what the law requires?

No. Conveyancing requirements differ enormously between countries and often between regions of the same country, and they change. This is a general prompt list to work through with a qualified professional, not a statement of what any law requires.

Why gather this before selling?

Because missing paperwork is one of the things that slows a sale down, and certificates, guarantees and approvals from years ago take time to replace. Collecting them early costs nothing and removes a delay later.

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Also in the resources library

The same subject, with a version you can fill in on screen.

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