Buying a house with a PCC? What to check before you exchange

What it means when a home has a PCC

A Professional Consultant's Certificate (PCC) is a certificate signed by a qualified building professional. It says they checked the home at stages while it was being built, or checked it afterwards, and that as far as they could tell it was built properly. You may also hear it called an architect's certificate.

PCCs are common on self-builds, one-off homes, small developments and conversions. Finding one in the sale papers is normal for that kind of home and isn't a warning sign in itself. It is a different thing from a new home warranty, though, so it's worth knowing what you are getting.

What a PCC gives you, and what it doesn't

• It is a professional's certificate, not an insurance policy. If the certificate turns out to be wrong, any claim is against the consultant who signed it. That is why their professional indemnity insurance matters.
• It usually passes to you. On the UK Finance standard form, the consultant stays liable to the first buyers and their lender, and to later buyers and their lenders, for 6 years from the date of the certificate.
• It is not a promise that nothing will go wrong. The consultant confirms what they inspected and what they found. They can't vouch for work nobody could see.
• It is not a survey. A PCC is about how the home was built. A survey is about the condition of the home today. They do different jobs.

Our PCC or structural warranty guide puts the two side by side.

Six things to check

Your solicitor will ask for the certificate as part of the sale. These are the points to go through with them.

1. Which form it is on. Many lenders expect the UK Finance form of certificate. A consultant's own wording can be different, for example on who can rely on it and for how long.
2. Who signed it. The UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook lists the professional bodies a consultant must belong to. Check the name, the qualification and that the person is still a member.
3. The date, and how long is left. The time runs from the date on the certificate, so a certificate that is four years old has less time left than a new one. Some certificates run for longer than the standard form. Read the one you have been given.
4. Who it is addressed to. Make sure it covers later buyers and their lenders, not just the first owner.
5. How the home was inspected. Was the consultant there at stages during the build, or was the certificate arranged after the home was finished? Some lenders treat the two differently.
6. The consultant's insurance. The UK Finance form has the consultant state the level of professional indemnity insurance they keep. Your solicitor can ask for evidence that it is in place.

Ask your own lender early

Many UK lenders accept a PCC, but not all do, and each one sets its own conditions. The seller's lender being happy tells you nothing about yours. Ask your lender or broker in writing, and give the address and type of home: will you accept a Professional Consultant's Certificate for this property, and do you have any conditions?

Do this before you pay for searches and a survey if you can. Our PCC for a mortgage guide lists what lenders usually look at.

Do you still need a survey?

That is your decision, and many buyers of newer homes do have one. The certificate tells you the build was checked by a professional. It doesn't tell you how the home has been looked after since, or about things that fall outside the consultant's inspections. A surveyor can tell you what level of survey suits the home.

If the certificate is missing, or your lender won't accept it

This happens. The papers can't be found, the certificate is on a form the lender won't take, or it turns out there never was one. It doesn't have to end the purchase.

• Ask the seller to look properly. The builder, the architect, their own solicitor and their lender from when they bought may each hold a copy.
• Ask your lender exactly what the problem is. Get it in writing. It may be something that can be put right.
• Ask whether a new certificate is possible. For a finished home, a retrospective PCC can sometimes be arranged from the drawings, Building Control records, photos and an inspection. Whether your lender will accept one is for the lender to say, so ask before anyone pays for it.

The seller usually arranges this, because they hold the records and can give access to the home. Who pays is for the two of you to agree. Our guide to a home with no structural warranty covers the options in full.

Think about your own sale later

If you sell while the home is still under ten years old, your buyer's lender will ask the same questions. Keep the original certificate, the Building Control completion certificate and any drawings together and somewhere safe. They are much harder to find years later. See completion certificate or warranty for why lenders ask for both.

Need a PCC arranged for the home?

If you and the seller have agreed that a certificate is needed, send us the address, what the lender has asked for in writing, any paperwork that exists and the date the sale is working to. We'll tell you whether a PCC looks realistic and give a fixed quote before anyone commits.

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