You have known the house for years. You know where a switch is, which instructions belong to the heating system and whom you have contacted for maintenance so far. For a buyer this everyday knowledge is helpful, but it should not be confused with a technical confirmation of functionality. Our editorial recommendations for Austria and Germany organise the passing on of existing information. They do not provide operating or repair instructions for a specific installation.
Begin with the device that is actually present
Record the installations that are intended to remain in the house after the planned sale. Allocate any original documents, invoices and specialist certificates that exist. Model designation and actual location help to avoid passing on the manual of a device that was replaced earlier.
Mark missing documents. A note you have written yourself can explain where something was found, but it does not replace complete technical documentation. If you only know something from memory, write this down as a memory and not as a confirmed manufacturer’s statement.
Distinguish three types of information
The first type is orientation within the building: where certain controls or existing documents are located. The second is your previous everyday experience, for example which contact was used in the event of a fault. The third consists of technical statements about safety, condition and suitability. For the latter, the appropriate expert basis is required.
Do not write your own improvised operating rules that could deviate from the manual or professional guidance. If you have noticed an unclear ad hoc solution, it will be treated as a specific need for inspection. The article does not recommend tampering with protective or supply devices.
A made-up note beside the heating system
A seller once noted a specific sequence of switch positions. She no longer knows whether this matches a change that took place in the meantime. Instead of copying the note as a finished instruction, she gathers existing documents and asks the responsible specialist body for the current classification.
The information later passed on thus distinguishes confirmed documentation from personal recollection. An apparently helpful handover would otherwise have perpetuated an unverified habit as a generally correct method of operation.
Limit a demonstration to its intended scope
If a normal operational demonstration is planned, agree the permissible safe scope and the responsibility. An observed start is not a confirmation by this article of complete functionality or safety. A separate specialist appointment will be organised for further questions.
Record which documents are actually handed over and which questions remain open. The legal significance of descriptions, promises and testing limits belongs in specific contractual advice. This article does not formulate a blanket disclaimer of liability for that purpose.
Explain the fault contact appropriately
A company contact previously used can be mentioned as existing information. Whether the company remains responsible, whether a contract continues to exist or whether services must be newly commissioned will be explicitly checked. Old personal arrangements are not quietly presented as an already existing service of the buyer.
This keeps your knowledge usable without the new owner having to confuse orientation, memory and technical confirmation. The sale gains a traceable documentation trail instead of a collection of well-meaning but unverified household habits.