The contract pack that cannot go out
The seller was sent the property information form and the fittings and contents form on the day they instructed. Two weeks later they come back by post. Several boxes are blank, a few say 'don't know', one says 'see estate agent', and none of the documents the answers refer to (guarantees, planning permissions, the boiler service record) are enclosed.
The case handler writes to the seller asking for the missing parts. Meanwhile the buyer's conveyancer is asking when the contract pack will arrive.
Why sellers struggle with the forms
The forms are long, and many questions assume knowledge sellers do not have: what a boundary responsibility is, whether a particular works needed consent, what counts as a guarantee worth mentioning. Faced with that, people leave blanks or write 'don't know' rather than risk getting it wrong.
Documents are the other gap. The form asks whether there is a certificate for something, and the seller ticks yes, but finding the actual paper in a drawer is a separate job that gets left.
| Form issue | Result |
|---|---|
| Questions not understood | Blank answers or 'don't know' |
| Documents mentioned but not supplied | Case handler has to chase separately |
| Paper or PDF form | Handwriting to read, pages missing |
| No check before sending | Gaps found only when the case handler reviews it |
What incomplete forms cost
The contract pack is delayed, and with it the buyer's review, enquiries and ultimately exchange. Case handlers write several rounds of letters. Answers left blank now become enquiries later, which take longer to resolve through two firms than they would have taken to answer at the start.
Sellers also feel frustrated, and they often blame their conveyancer for the delay.
Retyping adds to the work. Handwritten forms are often typed up before they go into the contract pack, and a case handler or assistant who is typing a form is not checking it for sense. Questions answered inconsistently (a boundary described one way on page two and another on page five) slip through for the buyer's side to find.
How we build guided seller forms
- Online forms that follow yours: we build the property information and fittings and contents forms your firm uses as online forms, keeping the official questions and wording intact.
- Plain explanations: next to each question, a short explanation written or approved by your firm says what the question is about, without advising the seller how to answer.
- Documents at the right moment: when the seller answers that a certificate, guarantee or consent exists, they are asked to upload or photograph it then, with a note to say if they cannot find it.
- Save and return: sellers can complete the form over several sittings and invite a joint owner to check it.
- Gap check: before submission, the form lists unanswered questions and missing documents, so the seller can fill them or say why not.
- Completed form on file: the case handler receives the completed form in the standard layout plus the uploaded documents, with any gaps listed for follow-up.
What case handlers receive instead
A completed form, typed, with documents attached and any remaining gaps already listed. The contract pack can be put together sooner, and the follow-up letter to the seller is short and specific. Buyers' conveyancers get fewer blanks, which means fewer enquiries later.
Sellers understand what they are being asked and feel less lost.
Is your firm dealing with this?
- Seller forms come back with blanks and 'don't know'.
- Documents referred to in the forms are not enclosed.
- Case handlers write several letters to complete one form.
- Contract packs are held up waiting for seller forms.
- Handwritten forms are hard to read.