Before an offer, establish the property facts, funding assumptions and terms you would be agreeing. Ask the party who can answer each question, keep the supporting record where appropriate, and leave unresolved points visible before you commit.
Twelve questions to take into the conversation.
Use this as a discussion sheet. The suggested responding party is a starting point, not a claim that they alone can verify every issue. Your actual transaction may require additional documents or qualified advice.
| Ask | Question | Useful evidence or answer |
|---|---|---|
| Seller or agent | Who is registered as the owner, and who has authority to agree and sign? | Ask for the relevant ownership record and how any representative’s authority will be checked. A listing or a verbal assurance does not complete that check. |
| Seller and relevant bank | Does the seller have a mortgage, and what is the release sequence? | Ask what bank documents and coordination steps remain and who is responsible for obtaining them. Your own cash purchase does not remove a seller’s finance dependency. |
| Seller or agent | Who occupies the property, and what handover is actually proposed? | Ask for the relevant occupation records and the written handover terms. A promised move-in date needs an individual contract and rights review where unresolved. |
| Seller and managing party | What are the recurring service charges and any outstanding balances? | Request the relevant charge information and a separate account of amounts outstanding. A published annual service-charge figure does not prove that arrears are cleared. |
| Your chosen inspector | What condition questions should be assessed before commitment? | Agree the inspection scope, access, exclusions and report deliverable. A viewing and a registration-document check serve different purposes. |
| Your lender | What loan amount is confirmed, what is conditional, and when can funds be available? | Ask about property acceptance, valuation, expiry dates, documents and all quoted costs. Record the lender’s actual answer; do not infer final approval from a calculator. |
| Agent and proposed provider | Who will provide each service, what does it cover, and who pays? | Ask for the provider name, scope, VAT-inclusive fee, exclusions and payer in writing. A bundled description needs clarification before you add its amount to other quotations. |
| Relevant receiving party and adviser | How will any deposit or security cheque be held and applied? | Ask about payee, custody, release conditions and the actual agreement. An uncashed cheque is not a credit towards the price; disputed consequences need qualified advice. |
| Developer and coordinator | Which developer documents or clearances remain, and who obtains them? | Ask for the current requirement, responsible party and dependencies. A registration appointment alone does not establish that earlier preparation is complete. |
| Your qualified adviser | What happens under this agreement if funding, timing or handover changes? | Take the actual proposed terms and unresolved assumptions for review. A generic checklist cannot decide your cancellation, refund or enforcement rights. |
| Bank, registration channel and coordinator | Who confirms the payees, payment method and order of payments? | Obtain the instructions through verified channels used by the actual receiving parties. Do not rely on an isolated forwarded message to change payment instructions. |
| Each responsible party | What remains open, who will answer it, and what is the next action? | Keep an owner and status for every unresolved item in your buying plan. Do not turn silence, a requested document or a ticked box into a confirmation. |
Give each action a responsible party.
A buyer can hear “the transfer is being handled” and still not know who is obtaining a missing document. Ask about the actual deliverable. A registration channel’s role, a developer’s clearance, the bank’s finance decision and a coordinator’s agreed preparation work are separate parts of the purchase.
For example, DLD’s sale-registration service lists a developer e-NOC for freehold areas. Its registration procedure includes document checks and transaction processing. Use that distinction to ask who will obtain the applicable clearance before the appointment. It does not establish what any particular centre or provider has separately agreed to do for you.
A more precise question.
“Who is obtaining the developer clearance, what must happen first, and how will I know it is ready?” gives you an action to follow up. Ask the same way about bank documents, representation, occupation and payment instructions.
Before signing or handing over money.
Keep the proposed documents together with the assumptions on which you are acting. If a term depends on finance, a move-in date, a clearance or another party’s action, ask how the actual agreement addresses it. Where the consequences are unclear, obtain qualified advice on those terms before proceeding.
For agreement-specific explanations, use the related Cendale resources FormB and FormF. This page organises preparation; it does not determine when a deposit is refundable, whether a clause is enforceable or whether you should sign.
Separate purchase money from provider fees. Confirm the receiving party and the purpose of each amount. A quote for coordination does not itself establish that official or third-party charges are included. Ask for the precise scope and exclusions rather than making that assumption.
From Cendale’s Conveyance Desk podcast: The point of no return ↗ · The clock and the promise ↗
Keep an answer trail, not just a tick.
For each question, record the response date, who answered, which document or message supports it, and what remains to do. A simple status is enough: not confirmed, answer requested, or confirmed by you. It is helpful to note when an answer applies only under a specific assumption.
Do not publish your documents or place identity, deed-number or account details into the BeforeYouBuy planner. The planner records categories and amounts; sensitive evidence belongs in the secure channel agreed with the party receiving it.
When a new answer changes the price, funding or fee allocation, update the cash plan as well. Keep confirmed price credits separate from fees so money paid towards the price is deducted once. If the loan is uncertain, the two-loan comparison can show how the remaining price contribution changes.
When coordination becomes a useful next step.
If your remaining questions concern the transaction sequence, documents, clearances and supported registration route, ask a coordinator to explain their scope and fee. If they concern legal rights, lending eligibility or physical defects, take them to the relevant qualified professional. One appointment need not answer every type of question.
The buying planner turns your route and unresolved checks into an editable preparation record. You can keep it, use another provider, or prepare an enquiry for Conveyance. The shared Cendale ownership is disclosed; this is not an independent endorsement.
Put the questions in my planSources and further reading
Source review: 13 October 2026. Check the current requirements with the party receiving the documents or payments.
Editorial responsibility: Cendale. BeforeYouBuy is a preparation aid. Individual contractual, lending and legal questions require the appropriate professional review.