It’s understandable that when you’re selling your property, you’ll want to make it look as good as it can look so you get a rapid sale and a decent (or even great) price. In the UK, you have to disclose everything about your property to potential buyers and this includes the good, the bad and the ugly.
You may be tempted to cover up or “forget” the downsides of the property so that buyers don’t reduce their offer or withdraw it altogether, but this is against the law.
You must tell the truth and the whole truth…
As a seller, you’re obligated to declare everything about the property, including the positive and negative details. Buyers need to have all the information available in order to make an objective decision.
What you must declare when selling
There are lots of forms to complete when you’re selling your property and one of them is the Property Information Form (TA6). This is one of the first documents you’ll fill out and you can get help from the explanatory notes published by The Law Society. TA6 is written so that you can fill it out without referring to other material.
Here’s what you’ll need to detail in TA6
• property boundaries and boundary features;
• any disputes with or complaints from neighbours;
• any notices;
• any alterations, planned developments or permissions;
• guarantees and warranties on any appliances or structures within the property;
• the council tax band;
• any environmental issues;
• any formal or informal arrangements;
• the details of any occupiers or tenants;
• the transaction information;
• services to the property, including drainage, gas and electricity;
• the reasons for previous sales falling through (if any);
• any planned developments nearby;
• any known structural issues, and
• whether there have been any burglaries in the area recently.
It’s vital that you’re honest while filling out this form so that there are no delays or further queries throughout the process. The answers you give will actually form part of the contract of sale, so think carefully. If you don’t know the answer to some of the questions, then answer with <> rather than guess.
