TA6 Section 6: Utilities and Services

Section 6 of the TA6 form covers the utilities and services connected to your property. At first glance it looks straightforward — gas, electricity, water, drainage, phone, broadband. But this section regularly generates follow-up enquiries, particularly where drainage is private, services are shared with neighbours, or utility infrastructure crosses other people's land.

The buyer's solicitor will order a drainage search that independently reveals how your property connects to the public sewer network. If your TA6 answers do not match what that search shows, it creates a problem — one that adds days or weeks to your transaction. This guide walks you through how to answer Section 6 accurately and avoid the most common pitfalls.

What does TA6 Section 6 ask?

Section 6 is titled "Utilities and Services". Sitting alongside sections covering topics such as planning, it asks you to confirm:

• Which utility services are connected to the property
• Whether each service is mains or privately supplied
• The name of the supplier for each service
• Whether any services are shared with neighbouring properties
• Whether any utility pipes, cables, or drains cross neighbouring land (or vice versa)

The services covered include gas, electricity, water supply, drainage (foul and surface water), telephone, and broadband. For each one, you need to describe the current position as accurately as you can.

Gas supply

If your property has a mains gas supply, confirm this and name your supplier. If the property is not connected to the gas grid — which is common in rural areas — state this clearly and describe the alternative heating source. Common alternatives include:

• Oil — an oil tank on the property supplies a boiler. Note the location of the tank and whether it is above or below ground.
• LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) — a gas tank on the property, often supplied by companies such as Calor or Flogas. Note whether the tank is owned or rented.
• Electric heating — no gas supply at all; the property relies entirely on electric heaters or a heat pump.
• Solid fuel — coal, wood, or biomass boilers.

If the gas supply enters the property through a neighbouring property's land, or if the gas meter is located in a communal area, mention this.

Electricity supply

Confirm that the property has a mains electricity supply and name the supplier. Most properties in England and Wales are connected to the national grid, but you should note any unusual arrangements such as:

• A shared electricity supply with a neighbouring property
• Solar panels or other renewable generation (and whether they are owned or leased)
• A prepayment meter
• An electricity supply that enters through a neighbour's land

If you have solar panels under a lease arrangement (often called a "rent-a-roof" scheme), this is particularly important to disclose. The lease will need to be assigned to the buyer, and some mortgage lenders have concerns about leased solar panels. Providing this information early avoids surprises later.

Water supply

Confirm whether the property has a mains water supply from the local water company. In England, water companies are regional — your supplier is determined by your location. You can check who your water supplier is at water.org.uk.

If the property has a private water supply — such as a borehole, well, or spring — this must be disclosed. Private water supplies are regulated by local authorities under the Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016. The local authority is responsible for testing private supplies and ensuring they meet drinking water standards. If you have a private supply, provide details of any testing that has been carried out and the results.

Shared water supplies — where your property and a neighbour share a single connection to the mains — should also be disclosed. This is more common than people realise, particularly in older properties, converted houses, and rural settings.

Drainage: the section that causes the most problems

Of all the utilities covered in Section 6, drainage is the one that generates the most additional enquiries from buyers' solicitors. There are two types of drainage to consider:

Foul water drainage

Foul water (from toilets, sinks, baths, and washing machines) can be disposed of in two ways:

• Mains drainage — foul water goes into the public sewer network maintained by the local water and sewerage company. This is the standard arrangement for most urban and suburban properties.
• Private drainage — foul water goes to a private system on or near your property. The main types are:
  • Septic tank — treats sewage through a biological process and discharges treated effluent into the ground (via a soakaway or drainage field) or into a watercourse.
  • Cesspit (cesspool) — a sealed tank that simply stores sewage until it is emptied by a tanker. Cesspits require regular emptying, which can be expensive.
  • Package treatment plant — a more advanced system that treats sewage to a higher standard, producing cleaner effluent that can be discharged to a watercourse.

If you have private drainage, you must disclose the type of system, its location, and its compliance status. Under the Environment Agency's General Binding Rules (which came into effect on 1 January 2020), septic tanks that discharge directly into a watercourse are no longer permitted. If your septic tank discharges to a watercourse, it must be replaced with a compliant system — either a package treatment plant or a septic tank with a drainage field. This is a significant cost (typically £5,000 to £15,000) and the buyer will need to know.

Surface water drainage

Surface water (rainwater from roofs, driveways, and paved areas) may drain to the public surface water sewer, a combined sewer (which carries both foul and surface water), soakaways on the property, or directly into a watercourse. Confirm how surface water is managed at your property.

What the drainage search reveals

The buyer's solicitor will typically order a drainage and water search (CON29DW) from the local water company. This search reveals:

• The location of public sewers on or near the property
• Whether the property is connected to the public sewer
• Whether any public sewers run under or close to the property (which may restrict where the buyer can build)
• The water supply connection
• Any adopted sewers or pumping stations nearby

If this search shows something different from what you stated on the TA6 — for example, your property is not connected to the public sewer despite you saying it was — the buyer's solicitor will raise an enquiry. Answering accurately from the start avoids this.

Telephone and broadband

Confirm whether the property has a telephone line connected and whether broadband is available. While broadband availability is rarely a deal-breaker in urban areas, it can be significant in rural locations where speeds may be limited.

If you know the type of broadband connection, mention it:

• Standard ADSL — delivered over the copper telephone line
• Fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) — fibre to a nearby street cabinet, then copper to the property (typically up to 80Mbps)
• Full fibre (FTTP) — fibre-optic cable all the way to the property (typically up to 1Gbps)
• Cable broadband — delivered via the cable network (Virgin Media/nexfibre in many areas)

Buyers can check broadband availability at their prospective address using Ofcom's broadband availability checker or by contacting providers directly. Providing a helpful note on the TA6 about the type of connection can save time.

Shared services with neighbours

Shared utility services are more common than many sellers realise. They can arise in:

• Converted houses (where a single property was split into flats or maisonettes)
• Semi-detached and terraced houses with shared drains
• Rural properties where water or electricity supplies serve multiple dwellings
• Properties on private estates with communal infrastructure

If any service is shared, explain the arrangement clearly. Include who is responsible for maintenance and repair costs, and whether there is a written agreement governing the shared service. If there is no formal agreement, describe the practical arrangement that has been in place during your ownership.

Utility suppliers: what information to provide

For each connected service, provide the name of the supplier. Here is a summary of what to include:

Common mistakes on Section 6

• Not knowing the drainage type. Many sellers are unsure whether their property has mains drainage or a private system. If you are not sure, check your water bill — if you pay sewerage charges, you are likely on mains drainage. You can also contact your local water company to confirm.
• Failing to disclose a non-compliant septic tank. If your septic tank discharges to a watercourse, it does not comply with the Environment Agency's General Binding Rules. The buyer's solicitor will almost certainly pick this up, and it could delay or endanger the sale if not disclosed early.
• Overlooking shared services. A shared drain running between two semi-detached houses is common but must be disclosed. The drainage search may reveal it even if you did not mention it.
• Not mentioning leased solar panels. If solar panels are on a lease, this creates a third-party interest on the property that the buyer and their lender need to know about before exchange.
• Leaving supplier fields blank. If you do not know your supplier, take a few minutes to check your bills or use the finder tools mentioned above. Blank answers generate needless follow-up enquiries.

Tips for completing Section 6

• Check your bills. Recent utility bills will confirm your suppliers and whether you pay sewerage charges (indicating mains drainage).
• Review your property information form from when you purchased. If you completed a TA6 when you bought the property, it may contain useful information about utilities that you can reference (though you should update anything that has changed).
• Contact your water company. If you are unsure about drainage, your local water and sewerage company can tell you whether your property is connected to the public sewer.
• Photograph your meter locations. Noting where your gas and electricity meters are located can be helpful for the buyer and their surveyor.
• Mention any recent upgrades. If you have recently had full fibre broadband installed, or upgraded from oil to a heat pump, mention this — it is useful context for the buyer.

Sources

• Law Society of England and Wales — Property Information Form (TA6), 4th edition, 2020
• Environment Agency — General Binding Rules for small sewage discharges, January 2020: gov.uk
• Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016 — legislation.gov.uk
• Water UK — Find your water supplier: water.org.uk
• Ofcom — Broadband availability checker: ofcom.org.uk
• Openreach — Fibre availability checker: openreach.com
• Meter Point Administration Service (MPAS) — Find your electricity supplier: findmysupplier.energy
• Gov.uk — Check if your property is connected to the water mains
• HM Land Registry — Title register and title plan search: gov.uk/search-property-information-service
• Misrepresentation Act 1967 — legislation.gov.uk

Related guides

• TA6 Utilities and Services: Common Questions

Frequently asked questions