Selling Without a FENSA Certificate

Your house or flat may not have a FENSA certificate but you should still be able to find a buyer quickly by following some straightforward tips.

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Your top questions when selling without a FENSA certificate

✅ What is a FENSA certificate?

Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme, or FENSA, certificates prove the door or window installations at a property are in compliance with all relevant building regulations. They must be issued by a FENSA-approved installers. These businesses range in size from large to small, and they are constantly assessed to ensure their work remains fully FENSA compliant.

✅ How can the lack of a FENSA certificate affect the sale of my home?

Potential buyers and mortgage lenders might be wary of the value of a house or flat where the owner cannot prove the doors or windows were installed in compliance with FENSA requirements. Buyers might fear that the property is unstable and could be subject to enforcement action, whereas lenders may be unwilling to issue loans for buying such homes.

✅ Is there any way to get my installations certified as being in compliance?

Yes, you can contact your local planning authority and ask about getting a retrospective building regulation certificate to prove that the property complies with building regulations, or have a certified inspector visit the home to reach the same conclusion. However, both options can take quite a long time, and retrospective certificates in particular are usually quite expensive.

✅ Should I take out indemnity insurance on my home without a FENSA certificate?

It’s certainly one option, because purchasing such an insurance policy could help to pay for the costs of any enforcement action that might be taken against your property for installing doors or windows that aren’t compliant with building regulations. The local planning authority could sue you for the lack of a FENSA certificate, or sue whoever buys your home without a certificate.

✅ Will I have to pay any fees when selling my home if it doesn't have a certificate?

Not necessarily. You will be liable for paying commission if you try to sell your house or flat through an estate agent or auctioneer, and that commission will be deducted from the sale proceeds. Selling on your own doesn’t come with any fees, but does have other costs. Selling to a fast buyer is often a no-fee option because they usually don’t charge commission.

✅ What is the fastest option for trying to sell a property that lacks a FENSA certificate?

Your best choice will likely be selling to a fast home buyer, such as LDN Properties, because these companies can consider buying any type of home, even those considered to have problems like the lack of a FENSA certificate. And they can complete the buying process within just a handful of weeks, which includes the time it takes to exchange contracts.

✅ Should I attempt to sell my home without a FENSA certificate by myself?

This is usually only an option that you should consider pursuing if you have prior experience with selling homes that don’t have FENSA certificates. Otherwise, you’ll have to handle every aspect of the selling process and this can be stressful, costly and time-consuming. The only benefit is not having to pay any fees, but selling to a fast buyer is stress-free and also has zero fees.

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