Before the next chapter, rediscover the history of your home

When you decide to sell your house, you already start to picture it through someone else’s eyes. The light in the living room, the terrace on summer evenings, that room that could become a child’s bedroom.

Then you open a drawer and find the old deed of sale. Within those pages lies the beginning of your story in that house. And that is precisely where you should start when preparing its next chapter.

The title deed, the land registry extract and the cadastral plan are the first documents you’ll need to gather. They explain how you acquired the property, identify the property and show its layout. If the house was inherited, you’ll also need to gather the probate documents, which must be checked by the notary.

But over the years, a house changes along with those who live in it. A wall is moved to enlarge the living room, a second bathroom is added, two rooms are merged into one. These alterations are simply remembered in the family as ‘the building work done a few years ago’, but before the sale they must be substantiated in the documents.

This is why you need the building records (the permits and filings for past works), to be handed to a surveyor who can check that the property as it stands today matches what was authorised. Merely matching the cadastral plan is not enough: compliance with town planning regulations requires a separate check.

Documents relating to the certificate of occupancy must then be sought. Their absence does not automatically mean that the house cannot be sold, but it is a matter that needs to be investigated in good time, so as to provide the buyer with clear information.

There is also the APE, the energy performance certificate: barring any exemptions, this must be available at the start of negotiations and enables the required energy data to be included in the property advert. The picture is completed by information on service charges, any extraordinary works that have been approved and, if the property is let, the registered tenancy agreement.

Getting everything ready may seem like a bureaucratic detour at a time already full of decisions. The temptation is to put it off: first we’ll find someone interested, then we’ll sort out the paperwork.

Yet it is precisely when someone falls in love with the property that you’d like to be able to talk about the future, without having to chase up paperwork from the past. Knowing in advance what’s in order and what’s missing helps to safeguard the negotiations and the trust between people.

At Valori & Partners, we help you prepare for this step by organising the documentation and coordinating checks with the relevant professionals. Because leaving a home is a major decision. Doing so with everything in order makes the process much more peaceful.