How Long Are You Liable After Selling a House in the UK?

In the UK, a seller can usually be sued for up to six years after completion in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for up to five years in Scotland, but only if they gave false or misleading information, broke the contract or hid a problem. For fraud or deliberate concealment in England and Wales, the six years doesn’t start until the buyer discovers it, so there’s no fixed end date. In Scotland, the contract itself (the missives) normally stops being enforceable two years after settlement.

How long are you liable after selling a house in the UK?

The answer depends on where the property is and what the claim is about. This table sets out the usual periods. Your solicitor will confirm how they apply to your sale.

Type of claim	England and Wales	Scotland	Northern Ireland
Breach of contract	6 years from the breach (usually completion)	5 years; missives usually unenforceable 2 years after settlement	6 years
Misrepresentation	Generally 6 years from when the buyer suffered loss	5 years	6 years
Hidden damage caused by negligence	Possible extra 3 years from discovery, 15-year long-stop	5 years from when the buyer knew or should have known, subject to a long-stop	Similar rules to England and Wales
Fraud or deliberate concealment	Time runs from discovery	Time runs from discovery	Time runs from discovery

England and Wales

The Limitation Act 1980 sets six years for breach of contract, starting from the date of the breach, which for a house sale is usually completion. Misrepresentation and other claims in tort generally have six years from when the buyer suffered loss. Where negligence caused damage that couldn’t be seen, the buyer may have an extra three years from when they knew or should have known, subject to a 15-year long-stop. If you lied or deliberately covered something up, the clock doesn’t start until the buyer discovers it, or could reasonably have done so.

How long are you liable after selling a house in Scotland?

Scotland works differently. Most claims for breach of contract or misrepresentation prescribe after five years under the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, as amended by the Prescription (Scotland) Act 2018. The five years runs from when the buyer knew, or could reasonably have known, that they had suffered loss.

In practice, the contract is often the tighter limit. Most sales use the Scottish Standard Clauses, under which:

• The missives stop being enforceable two years after the date of settlement, unless court action has started by then (a few clauses last longer).
• Central heating, drainage and other systems must be in working order, allowing for their age, at settlement, and the buyer has only five working days after settlement to report a fault in writing.
• The seller must give vacant possession and remove all moveables not included in the price.

The Home Report, which you must provide to buyers, also sets expectations about condition.

Northern Ireland

The Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 sets a general six-year limit for contract and tort claims, with rules on hidden damage and fraud similar to England and Wales.

What is a seller liable for after selling?

In England and Wales, the starting point is caveat emptor, “let the buyer beware”. You don’t have to point out every physical defect, and it’s the buyer’s job to inspect, survey and ask questions. But once you answer a question, your answer must be accurate. The three routes to liability are:

1. Misrepresentation: a false statement of fact that persuaded the buyer to go ahead.
2. Breach of contract: not doing something the contract required, such as leaving fittings you agreed to include or giving vacant possession.
3. Fraud or deliberate concealment: knowingly lying or hiding a defect, such as painting over damp or filling subsidence cracks before viewings.

The three types of misrepresentation

The Misrepresentation Act 1967 applies in England and Wales.

Type	What it means	Example
Innocent	You believed it was true and had reasonable grounds	You say the boiler was serviced last year, relying on an engineer’s certificate that turns out to be wrong
Negligent	You had no reasonable grounds for believing it	You tick “no” to flooding without checking what happened before you owned the house
Fraudulent	You knew it was false, or didn’t care whether it was true	You deny a neighbour dispute that has been going on for months

Under section 2(1), once the buyer shows a statement was false, it’s for the seller to prove they had reasonable grounds to believe it. Remedies include damages and, in serious cases, setting the sale aside.

The TA6 and your replies to enquiries

In England and Wales you’ll usually complete the Law Society’s Property Information Form (TA6). The sixth edition became mandatory for firms in the Conveyancing Quality Scheme from 30 March 2026 and asks more detailed questions, covering boundaries and disputes, planning and building regulations approval, guarantees, flooding and Japanese knotweed, services such as heating and drainage, and who lives at the property.

Answer from your own knowledge, attach documents where you have them, and use “not known” when you don’t know. If anything changes before completion, such as a new leak or a letter about a neighbour’s planning application, tell your solicitor so the answers can be updated.

Are you liable for repairs after selling a house?

Usually not. Once the sale completes, the property and its repairs belong to the buyer. A buyer who finds a leaking roof or a failing boiler after moving in can only claim against you if you misled them about it, broke a term of the contract, or deliberately hid it. Defects the buyer’s survey could have picked up, and that you didn’t misdescribe, are their responsibility.

A retention is the exception worth knowing about. If a specific problem is spotted before completion, such as missing certificates, the buyer’s solicitor may ask to hold back part of the price until it’s resolved. That has to be agreed in the contract; it can’t be imposed afterwards.

What not to fix when selling a house in the UK

You don’t have to repair anything before selling, and costly work rarely pays for itself. What matters for liability is honesty, not perfection. Generally, it’s worth leaving:

• Major structural or cosmetic renovations, such as a new kitchen or bathroom. Buyers price in their own plans.
• Issues you’d be “hiding” rather than fixing. Patching over damp or cracks without dealing with the cause can turn a known defect into a concealment claim.
• Work that needs approval you won’t have time to get. Unsigned-off building work creates more questions on the TA6 than it answers.

Small jobs that remove doubt at viewings, such as a dripping tap or a sticking door, are usually worth doing.

Do you have to fill holes when selling a house in the UK?

There’s no law that says you must fill every picture hook hole. The practical rule comes from the Fittings and Contents Form (TA10): anything you take away that is fixed to the wall, such as a TV bracket, shelving or a mirror, should be removed with reasonable care so damage is kept to a minimum. If you take a light fitting, leave a safe ceiling rose, flex and bulb holder. A few small nail holes are normal; large rawlplug holes and torn plaster left by a bracket are the sort of thing buyers raise with their solicitor. Filler and a dab of paint takes minutes and avoids an awkward email.

What goes into the house sale contract?

In England and Wales, the contract is usually based on the Standard Conditions of Sale and becomes binding at exchange. It includes the price, the completion date, what’s included (from the TA10) and the requirement to give vacant possession. The TA6 and replies to enquiries sit alongside it and are the statements a buyer relies on. In Scotland, the contract is formed by the exchange of missives, usually incorporating the Scottish Standard Clauses.

Other responsibilities after completion

Pass on guarantees for windows, damp proofing, boilers and building work, give final meter readings, and keep buildings insurance until completion. If you sell a second home or buy-to-let, you must report and pay any Capital Gains Tax within 60 days of completion.

How to protect yourself as a seller

1. Be accurate, not optimistic. A buyer who knew about an issue before exchange can’t later say they were misled.
2. Gather paperwork early: planning consents, building control certificates, FENSA or CERTASS window certificates, gas and electrical certificates, and guarantees.
3. Keep copies of the TA6, TA10, replies to enquiries and supporting documents for at least six years.
4. Leave the house clear and clean. It won’t change liability for defects, but it removes the most common reason buyers ring their solicitor in the first week.

There’s no specific duty to deep clean, but rubbish and belongings left behind can breach the vacant possession term. Our guide to how clean a seller must leave the house covers the detail, and the moving out checklist and timeline helps you plan the last few weeks. Many sellers book a deep clean once the removal van has gone: see our fixed prices by property size, from £175 for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom home. A dated invoice is useful if a buyer later claims the house was left dirty. If a relative’s house has years of belongings to clear, read our hoarder cleaning guide first.

Frequently asked questions

Getting ready to hand over the keys? Book a fixed-price move-out deep clean at tenancy.cleaning/booking, or ask for a free quote for a larger clear-out. Find vetted local teams on our areas page, including cleaners across Greater London.