Selling a house with missing certificates: what to do
Your buyer's solicitor has asked for a certificate (windows, boiler, electrics, an extension) and you can't find it. This is one of the most common hold-ups in a house sale, and it is usually fixable. Here is the order to tackle it in.
Why the solicitor is asking
The Law Society's TA6 property information form asks sellers about replacement windows since 1 April 2002, extensions, conversions and other building work, and about gas, heating and electrical work. For each one you say whether you can supply the planning permission, building regulations approval, completion certificate or competent person certificate: attached, to follow or not available. The buyer can rely on your answers, so the solicitor will chase anything marked as missing. Our guide to the TA6 form goes through the questions one by one.
There is no law that says you must hold every certificate before you can sell. But buyers, and the lenders behind them, want to know that the work was done properly, and a missing certificate is a reason for them to pause, ask for a discount or ask for insurance.
Step 1: work out which certificates you should have
It depends on the work, not on the house.
| Work | The certificate | Who holds the record |
|---|---|---|
| Replacement windows or doors since April 2002 | FENSA or CERTASS certificate, or a council completion certificate | FENSA, CERTASS, or the council |
| New boiler or other gas appliance | Building Regulations Compliance Certificate from the installer | Gas Safe Register (or historic CORGI archives) |
| Rewire, new consumer unit or new circuits (since January 2005) | Installer's compliance certificate, completion certificate or electrical installation certificate | NICEIC, ELECSA, NAPIT or the council |
| Extension, loft or garage conversion, removed walls | Council completion certificate (or a final certificate from a private approved inspector) | The council or the inspector |
| Solar panels or a heat pump | MCS certificate and a building regulations notification | MCS, the electrical scheme, or the council |
Our certificate checklist lets you tick the work done on your property to see which certificates your buyer's solicitor will ask for and why each one is needed.
Step 2: check your own paperwork first
- The papers you were given when you bought the house, including the conveyancing pack from your own solicitor.
- Emails and invoices from the installer. A certificate is sometimes attached to the final invoice email.
- Anything the previous owner left behind: drawers, the loft, or the airing cupboard next to the boiler.
- The original installer, if you still have their details and they are still trading — though many firms no longer hold historic paperwork or have since closed.
Step 3: search the schemes and council archives
Even when the paper certificate is lost, the central schemes and local authority archives keep the notification record. The catch is that records are split across eight separate competent person schemes, historic archives and over 300 local councils — each with its own search rules, cut-off dates, proof-of-ownership requirements and replacement fees. Without knowing which scheme the tradesperson belonged to, you have to check each archive in turn.
Order a My Certs search and we check every register and your council for your address, email first written findings within 1 working day, and include up to 2 official replacement copies in the £79 fee (backed by our no record, no fee refund guarantee).
Step 4: if there is no record
If the work was never notified, there is nothing to copy. You have three usual routes, and your solicitor will tell you which suits your sale:
- Ask the installer to certify the work. This only works if they were registered with a scheme at the time or are now, and they may want to inspect it first.
- Apply to the council for a regularisation certificate. GOV.UK describes regularisation as retrospective approval for work done without consent, for work carried out after 11 November 1985. The council may ask you to make changes before it agrees the work complies.
- Building regulations indemnity insurance. A one-off policy that is often offered to buyers instead. It has real limits, covered in our indemnity insurance guide.
Speak to your solicitor before you contact the council. Many indemnity policies are written on the basis that the council has not been told about the missing certificate, and a regularisation application tells it. Tick public register check only on our order form if you want us to check your council's online register without contacting the council directly.
Questions
What do I put on the TA6 if I can't find the certificate?
Be honest. For each piece of work, give the details and the date if you know them (or say they are not known), and choose to follow if you are getting a copy or not available if it can't be found. The Law Society's notes say that if you don't know an answer you must say so, and that misleading answers can lead to a compensation claim after completion.
The work was done before I bought the house. Is it still my problem?
The buyer's solicitor will still ask. The TA6 accepts that you may not know what happened during a previous owner's time, but you must include what you do know. Records stay with the scheme even when paperwork is lost, so a register search by address often turns up the certificate.
How long does it take to get a replacement?
With My Certs, you receive first written findings from the online registers within 1 working day of ordering, and we order the official copies the same day. Registers then issue copies in 1 to 15 working days (councils range from 5 to 28 working days), and we pass each one on as soon as it arrives.
Can I sell without the certificate at all?
Legally yes, but in practice it depends on the buyer and their lender. Some will accept an indemnity policy or a price reduction. Your solicitor can tell you what the other side is likely to accept.
Want us to look for you?
Give us the address and we search every register and your council, then order the official copies. £79 including the register fees for up to 2 copies, and no record means no fee.
Related guides
Official guidance & references
- GOV.UK: Competent person schemes, current schemes and how they are authorised
- GOV.UK: Building regulations approval, how to apply (including regularisation)
- The Law Society: TA6 (6th edition) explanatory notes for sellers and buyers
My Certs is an independent service, not part of or endorsed by any scheme, council or regulator named here.