Pre-Contract Enquiries Explained for Sellers

Once you accept an offer on your property, the legal process begins in earnest. Your solicitor sends a draft contract pack to the buyer's solicitor, and within a week or two a list of written questions comes back. These are pre-contract enquiries, and the speed and quality of your answers will directly influence whether your sale completes on time or stalls for weeks.

This guide explains what pre-contract enquiries are, how they differ from raised enquiries, which Law Society forms are used, the most common topics they cover, and how to prepare answers that prevent unnecessary follow-up rounds. If you are selling a property in England or Wales, understanding pre-contract enquiries can save you significant time and reduce the risk of your sale falling through.

What are pre-contract enquiries?

Pre-contract enquiries are formal written questions that the buyer's solicitor (or licensed conveyancer) raises during the period between an offer being accepted and contracts being exchanged. Their purpose is to investigate anything about the property, its legal title, or the proposed terms of sale that is unclear, incomplete, or potentially risky for the buyer.

The buyer's solicitor has a professional obligation — enforced by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for solicitors and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) for licensed conveyancers — to carry out reasonable due diligence before advising their client to proceed. Pre-contract enquiries are the primary mechanism for doing this. For a broader overview of how enquiries fit into the conveyancing process, see our guide on what conveyancing enquiries are and how sellers should respond.

Pre-contract enquiries vs raised enquiries

The term "pre-contract enquiries" is sometimes used interchangeably with "raised enquiries", but they are not quite the same thing. Understanding the distinction helps you anticipate what to expect.

Standard pre-contract enquiries are routine questions that the buyer's solicitor asks in virtually every residential transaction. They are largely answered through the information you provide in the Law Society's TA forms — principally the TA6 Property Information Form. If your TA6 is completed thoroughly and supported by relevant documents, many of these standard questions will already have been addressed.

Raised (or additional) enquiries are specific questions that arise from the buyer's solicitor's own review of your contract pack, title documents, or property search results. These are tailored to your particular property. For example, if a local authority search reveals a tree preservation order on your land, the buyer's solicitor will raise a specific enquiry asking what you know about it and whether it restricts any planned work.

CPSE vs residential pre-contract enquiries

If you have come across the term CPSE in your research, it stands for Commercial Property Standard Enquiries. These are a standardised set of pre-contract questions published by the London Property Support Lawyers Group, designed specifically for commercial property transactions — offices, retail units, warehouses, and development land.

CPSE enquiries do not apply to residential house sales. The residential equivalent is the Law Society's suite of TA (Transaction) forms:

• TA6 — Property Information Form (the main form for residential sales)
• TA7 — Leasehold Information Form (for leasehold properties)
• TA10 — Fittings and Contents Form
• TA13 — Completion Information and Undertakings

If you are selling a residential property, your solicitor will ask you to complete the TA6 (and TA7 if leasehold) as part of the contract pack. These forms, together with the draft contract and title documents, form the foundation of the pre-contract enquiry process.

How the TA6 form answers pre-contract enquiries

The TA6 Property Information Form is, in practical terms, your pre-contract answers delivered in a structured format. Its 14 sections cover boundaries, disputes, notices, alterations and planning, guarantees and warranties, insurance, environmental matters, rights and informal arrangements, parking, other charges, occupiers, services, utility connections, and transaction information.

When you fill in the TA6 with specific, detailed answers and attach copies of supporting documents, you pre-empt the majority of standard enquiries. When you leave sections blank, give one-word answers, or fail to attach relevant paperwork, you virtually guarantee that the buyer's solicitor will raise additional questions. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see our guide on what the TA6 form is and how to complete it.

Consider this example. If Section 4 of the TA6 asks about alterations and you write "Extension built 2019", the buyer's solicitor will immediately raise enquiries asking whether planning permission was obtained, whether the work was under permitted development rights, whether a building regulations completion certificate was issued, and who carried out the work. That is four follow-up questions from a three-word answer. If instead you write "Single-storey rear extension completed June 2019 under permitted development rights. Building regulations completion certificate issued by [Council] on [date], reference [number] — copy attached. Built by [Company Name]", you have answered all four enquiries before they were raised.

The most common pre-contract enquiry topics

While every property is different, certain subjects appear in enquiries again and again. The table below lists the topics that buyer's solicitors raise most frequently, based on common practice reported by the Law Society and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers.

Additional enquiries triggered by searches and surveys

Beyond the standard questions answered through the TA6, the buyer's solicitor will raise additional enquiries based on anything unexpected that turns up in property searches or the buyer's survey. Common triggers include:

• Local authority search results — revealing planning applications nearby, tree preservation orders, conservation area restrictions, road widening schemes, or smoke control zones
• Environmental search results — showing contaminated land nearby, flood risk zones, radon-affected areas, or historic landfill sites
• Drainage and water search results — revealing a public sewer running under or near the property, or that the property is not connected to mains drainage
• Survey findings — the buyer's surveyor identifying damp, subsidence, roof defects, or structural movement that prompts the solicitor to ask what you know about these issues

You cannot always predict what additional enquiries will arise, but you can prepare by being aware of known issues and disclosing them proactively in your TA6. A buyer's solicitor is far more concerned by something that surfaces unexpectedly in a search than by an issue you have already disclosed and explained.

How to prepare answers that prevent follow-up rounds

The difference between a sale that exchanges in eight weeks and one that drags on for four months often comes down to the quality of your enquiry answers. Follow these principles to minimise back-and-forth:

Be specific and factual

Replace vague statements with precise details. Instead of "some work was done to the bathroom", write "The bathroom was fully refitted in April 2021 by [Company Name]. The work included re-tiling, new sanitary ware, and rerouting of waste pipes. Building regulations approval was not required as the work did not involve changes to the building's structure or drainage layout. Invoice attached." Specific answers leave no room for follow-up questions.

Attach every supporting document

Wherever a document exists that supports your answer, attach a copy. This includes building regulations completion certificates, planning permission decision notices, FENSA certificates, electrical installation certificates, gas safety records, guarantees, warranty documents, and any correspondence relating to disputes or notices. Documents carry more weight than verbal assurances and can resolve an enquiry in one round.

Use "not known" honestly

If you do not know the answer, say so and explain why. For example: "Not known — this work was carried out by a previous owner before our purchase in 2013. We have no documentation relating to it." An honest "not known" with context is always safer than guessing, which could expose you to a misrepresentation claim after completion.

Anticipate follow-up questions

When answering an enquiry about building work, ask yourself: will they want to know who did it, when it was done, whether it had approval, and whether there is a certificate or guarantee? Answer all of those points in your first response. Thinking one step ahead prevents the next round of questions.

Legal consequences of giving wrong answers

As a seller, you have a legal duty to answer pre-contract enquiries honestly. Two pieces of legislation are particularly relevant:

The Misrepresentation Act 1967 provides that if you make a false statement of fact that induces the buyer to enter into the contract, the buyer may have a right to rescind the contract or claim damages. This applies to statements made in the TA6 form and in response to raised enquiries. Importantly, even negligent misrepresentation — where you were careless rather than deliberately dishonest — can give rise to a claim. The burden is on you to prove that you had reasonable grounds for believing your statement was true.

The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) go further. They make it a criminal offence for a trader to engage in unfair commercial practices, including misleading actions and misleading omissions. In property sales, the CPRs apply to estate agents and, in some circumstances, to sellers. Failing to disclose material information — such as a known structural defect or an ongoing dispute — can constitute a misleading omission. For a detailed look at your disclosure obligations, see our guide on what to disclose when selling a property.

The practical takeaway is straightforward: always tell the truth, err on the side of disclosure, and never guess. If you are unsure about the accuracy of an answer, discuss it with your solicitor before sending it.

Your solicitor's role vs your role

Not every enquiry needs your direct input. Understanding who handles what helps you respond faster and avoid unnecessary delays.

Your solicitor will forward the enquiries that need your input and will review your answers before sending them back to the buyer's solicitor. This review is important — your solicitor can flag anything that might be legally problematic and suggest better phrasing. Never send answers directly to the buyer's solicitor without going through your own solicitor first.

Typical timeline for enquiry rounds

Enquiries sit at the heart of the conveyancing timeline. They cannot be fully raised until the buyer's solicitor has received your contract pack and search results, and exchange of contracts cannot happen until all enquiries are resolved. This makes enquiries the critical path in most transactions.

Here is what a typical enquiry timeline looks like:

• Week 1-3 — Buyer's solicitor receives your contract pack and search results, reviews everything, and raises the first round of enquiries
• Week 3-4 — Your solicitor forwards enquiries to you; you provide answers within a few working days
• Week 4-5 — Your solicitor reviews and sends your answers; buyer's solicitor reviews them
• Week 5-6 — Possible second round of follow-up enquiries (if initial answers were incomplete or raised new concerns)
• Week 6-8 — All enquiries resolved; parties move toward exchange

According to the HomeOwners Alliance, slow responses to solicitor correspondence — including enquiries — are one of the most common reasons conveyancing takes longer than expected. Each additional round of enquiries typically adds one to two weeks. If you want practical steps to keep things moving, our guide on how to speed up conveyancing as a seller covers the key actions.

Getting ahead of enquiries with upfront preparation

The most effective way to handle pre-contract enquiries is to prepare for them before your property goes on the market. Sellers who take this approach consistently experience fewer enquiry rounds, shorter timelines, and fewer fall-throughs.

The key actions are:

1. Complete your TA6 form thoroughly. Answer every question in detail, use "not known" with an explanation rather than leaving blanks, and attach all relevant documents.
2. Gather all building work documentation. Collect planning permission decision notices, building regulations completion certificates, FENSA certificates, electrical installation certificates, gas safety records, and guarantees.
3. Review your title register and plan. Download these from HM Land Registry for £3 each at gov.uk/search-property-information-service. Check for restrictions, charges, or boundary issues that might prompt enquiries.
4. Address known issues in advance. If you know a building regulations certificate is missing, discuss indemnity insurance or regularisation with your solicitor before a buyer is found.
5. Consider ordering property searches upfront. If search results are already available when the buyer's solicitor starts their review, all enquiries can be raised in a single round rather than in batches as searches trickle in.

Pine is built to help sellers with exactly this preparation. By guiding you through your TA6 answers with plain-English explanations, flagging where supporting documents are needed, and helping you assemble a solicitor-ready pack before you list, Pine aims to significantly reduce the number of enquiries the buyer's solicitor needs to raise — keeping your sale on the fastest possible track toward exchange.

Sources and further reading

• Law Society of England and Wales — Conveyancing Protocol (5th edition), TA6 Property Information Form (4th edition, 2020), and standard pre-contract enquiries (lawsociety.org.uk)
• Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) — Code of Conduct for solicitors, standards and regulations (sra.org.uk)
• Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) — Regulatory standards and licensed conveyancer guidance (clc.gov.uk)
• Gov.uk — Planning permission guidance, building regulations overview, and permitted development rights (gov.uk/planning-permission-england-wales)
• HM Land Registry — Title register and title plan services (gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry)
• HomeOwners Alliance — Research on conveyancing delays and consumer guidance for home sellers (hoa.org.uk)
• Misrepresentation Act 1967 — legislation.gov.uk
• Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 — legislation.gov.uk
• RICS — Information Paper: Japanese Knotweed and Residential Property (rics.org)

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