The short answer
When you sell, buyers and their solicitors are likely to ask about planning, electrical certificates, servicing and warranties for a fixed system. Keeping the installation paperwork together lets you answer those questions quickly and accurately.
On this page
A fixed air conditioning system comes up in a sale in much the same way as a new boiler or a replaced window: through the forms a seller fills in and the questions a buyer's solicitor raises. With the documents from installation to hand, most of those questions are straightforward to answer. The forms and process differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but the documents that answer the questions are the same.
Paperwork to keep
The easiest time to gather these is straight after installation, while the installer is easy to reach. Commissioning and handover covers what a handover pack usually includes.
| Document | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Planning evidence | A Lawful Development Certificate or permission, where one exists |
| Electrical certificates | The new circuit was installed and notified properly |
| Commissioning record | What was fitted, and the refrigerant type and amount |
| Noise calculation | The unit was assessed against the MCS 020(a) standard |
| Warranty documents | What's covered, for how long, and whether it transfers |
| Service records | When it was serviced, and by whom |
| Freeholder consent | Approval under the lease, for leasehold homes |
For a listed building, keep the listed building consent and any planning permission with the rest.
Questions buyers often ask
Planning. Many installations in England are fitted under permitted development, which doesn't produce a planning document. The noise calculation and the installer's notes on how the conditions were met help show the reasoning. A Lawful Development Certificate is the clearest evidence, and it can be applied for after installation as well as before. Do you need planning permission? sets out the conditions.
Electrical work. The forms sellers fill in ask about electrical work and the certificates for it. A new circuit should have an electrical installation certificate and confirmation that it was notified under the Building Regulations, as explained in Building regulations.
Condition and servicing. Service records show how the system has been looked after. Many manufacturers recommend servicing every year, and some warranties depend on it. What a service involves explains what a service covers.
Warranty. Warranty terms vary. Some pass to a new owner automatically, some need the new owner to register, and some don't transfer at all. The warranty documents say which.
Neighbours. The forms also ask about disputes and complaints involving neighbours, which can include complaints about noise.
Answering accurately
The forms ask sellers to answer as accurately as they can, from what they know. Where a document is missing, saying so is better than guessing, and a solicitor can explain the options.
Missing paperwork can often be replaced:
- the installer can usually supply copies of the commissioning record, noise calculation and warranty details
- the electrician, or the scheme they're registered with, may be able to provide copies of electrical certificates
- the council can issue a Lawful Development Certificate for an existing installation
- the manufacturer or installer may be able to confirm warranty registration
What stays with the house
A fixed system is normally treated as part of the property and included in the sale. If you intend to take it with you or remove it, that needs agreeing with the buyer and recording on the list of what's included.
Removing a split system isn't a quick job. A qualified engineer has to handle the refrigerant before the pipes are disconnected, and the holes and fixings left behind need making good. Portable units are different: they're normally treated as contents, like any other appliance.
Handing over
A buyer taking on a system needs the things that let them use and look after it:
- Remote controls and wall controllers, left in the rooms they belong to.
- Manuals, or a note of the model numbers so they can be found.
- App and Wi-Fi access. If the system is linked to an app, removing it from your account, or resetting the connection as the manual describes, lets the buyer set it up as their own.
- Care details. The service history, when the next service is due, and the fact that filters usually need cleaning every few weeks while the system is in regular use.
Related guides
- Do you need planning permission?Usually not in England, where air-to-air heat pumps that aren't used only for cooling count as permitted development if conditions on number, size, position and noise are met. Listed buildings, flats and protected areas follow different rules.
- Building regulationsThe part of the building regulations that most often affects an air conditioning installation is the electrical work. In England and Wales a new circuit is notifiable, so it's done by a registered electrician or notified to building control.
- What a service involvesA service is a clean and check of the whole system, indoors and out, plus tests of how it runs and a look for leaks and wear. Manufacturers typically recommend one regularly, often once a year.
- Commissioning and handoverCommissioning is the set of tests that prove a new system is sealed, safe and working as designed. Handover is when the engineer shows you how to use and look after it and gives you the records and certificates to keep.