Selling a house: plans, alterations and permits
Quick answer: Compare the actual house with plans and register records. Assign unresolved questions and clarify the necessary steps before making promises to a buyer.
Start with the records you already have
Gather plans, projects, existing permits or notices, invoices and specialist reports. Record the year and building or work covered by each item. A plot can contain structures with different histories. Do not describe the whole property as fully documented solely because one record exists for the main house.
Compare the plan with the actual building
Walk through the rooms and note differences such as moved walls, extensions, an occupied attic or changed systems. Separate established facts from items to check. Everyday use of a space does not itself establish its documented status. Ask the municipality’s building specialist which records are needed for the particular work if its significance is unclear.
A missing document has no universal answer
Do not promise that a missing record can certainly be obtained quickly or at a fixed cost. The building’s age, extent of work and available evidence can affect the situation. Ask for a specific action list and distinguish an official response from an initial estimate. The buyer needs clarity about both the issue and who will address it.
Record the responsibilities
The Chamber of Notaries recommends recording required permits and consents and, where missing, who will obtain and pay for them. List unresolved items with the buyer before the appointment. Specify the intended result, deadline and how completion can be checked. “We will sort it out later” does not create a shared action plan.
What should you send for an initial offer?
Send the address, overview photographs, known floor area and a short list of records. Describe discrepancies or ongoing paperwork honestly. An initial discussion does not require processing the entire archive, but material uncertainty should not be hidden. An offer should identify the checked information and state any remaining assumptions.
Describe alterations individually
Create a work history stating what changed, when, who did it and which records survive. Include old and new plans where available. Distinguish the owner’s recollection from documented facts. A removed wall, an extension and a replacement heating system raise different questions; saying that the house was renovated does not answer them. Refer unresolved matters to the municipality or an appropriately qualified specialist before assuring a buyer that everything is properly documented.
Agree how missing information will be resolved
A written action plan should identify the question, responsible person, expected document and deadline. If resolution depends on an authority, do not promise an estimated response date as a guarantee. Compare selling in the current condition with selling after records are clarified; the buyer needs the same factual disclosure in either case. Agree who pays for surveys or document preparation. A buyer knowing about a problem is not the same as that problem having been technically or legally resolved.
Official information
This guide helps you prepare. Confirm the terms and required documents for your particular transaction with the notary.