Material Information Pack

Since 2026, estate agents must include material information in every property listing. As a seller, you need to provide this information before your property goes on the market. Here is exactly what that means and how to prepare.

Updated for the TA6 6th Edition · DMCCA 2024 compliant · Covers Parts A, B & C

What is material information?

Material information is any fact about a property that would affect a reasonable buyer's decision to buy it or how much they would offer. This includes obvious things like the price and tenure, but also less obvious details like flood risk, neighbour disputes, or missing building regulations sign-off.

The concept is not new — the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 already required traders (including estate agents) not to mislead by omission. What has changed is that National Trading Standards published specific guidance on what must be disclosed, and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 gave these requirements stronger enforcement teeth.

For sellers, this means you need to provide more information to your estate agent earlier in the process. The easiest way to gather it all is by completing your sale-ready pack before listing.

Part A — Always required in the listing

This information must appear in every property listing from day one. No exceptions.

Asking price

Property tenure (freehold/leasehold)

Council tax band and annual amount

EPC rating

Part B — Include where available

This information should be included in the listing or made available to buyers before they commit. Most of it comes from your TA6 form and supporting documents.

Utilities — gas, electricity, water, drainage, broadband
Parking arrangements
Building safety information (cladding, EWS1, fire risk)
Flood risk and history
Rights of way, easements, and shared access
Planning permissions and building control sign-off
Service charges and ground rent (leasehold)
Restrictive covenants

Part C — Anything else a buyer should know

This is the catch-all category. If you know about something that could affect a buyer's decision, it should be disclosed. The TA6 form asks about most of these directly.

Common Part C disclosures

!Neighbour disputes or anti-social behaviour
!Known structural issues (subsidence, damp, Japanese knotweed)
!Ongoing or recent planning applications nearby
!Environmental contamination
!Mining or geological instability
!Any other matter a reasonable buyer would want to know

How to prepare your material information

The good news is that most material information comes from documents you already have or from the TA6 Property Information Form. Here is a practical checklist:

Complete your TA6 form — the 6th edition covers most Part B and C requirements directly. Answer every question honestly and thoroughly.
Gather your certificates — FENSA, building regulations, gas safety, electrical installation, boiler service records, and any guarantees for work done.
Check your EPC — use our free EPC checker to confirm your certificate is valid and understand what your rating means for buyers.
Confirm your council tax band — available on the Valuation Office Agency website.
Know your flood risk — check the Environment Agency flood map. If your property has flooded before, you must disclose this.
Review planning history — check your local authority planning portal for any applications affecting your property or nearby land.

What happens if you get it wrong?

Sellers who provide incomplete or inaccurate information on their TA6 form risk misrepresentation claims after completion. The buyer can seek damages for any loss caused by information you knew about but failed to disclose.

Estate agents who market properties without required material information face enforcement action from Trading Standards, including fines under the DMCCA 2024. This is why agents are increasingly asking sellers to provide material information before the property goes live.

How Pine helps

Pine walks you through the material information requirements question by question, in plain English. We translate your answers into the correct legal forms, flag where you are missing documents, and build your complete sale-ready pack — so your agent has everything they need from day one and your solicitor can start work immediately when you accept an offer.

Frequently asked questions

Material information is any fact about a property that would influence a reasonable buyer’s decision to purchase it or how much they would pay. Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, estate agents must disclose material information in property listings. Failing to do so can result in enforcement action from Trading Standards.

National Trading Standards divided material information into three parts. Part A covers information that must always be included in every listing: council tax band, property tenure, price, and EPC rating. Part B covers information that should be included where available: utilities, parking, building safety, and flood risk. Part C covers anything else that could affect a buying decision: planning applications, neighbour disputes, structural issues, or ongoing legal matters.

Sellers are not directly regulated by the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations — those rules apply to estate agents as traders. However, your estate agent cannot disclose what they do not know. If you withhold information from your agent and the buyer suffers a loss as a result, you could face a misrepresentation claim. In practice, sellers need to provide complete and honest information to their agent, which is exactly what the TA6 form is designed to capture.

The TA6 6th Edition, mandatory for CQS-accredited firms from March 2026, expanded several sections to align with material information requirements. New questions cover building safety (including cladding), flood risk history, energy efficiency measures, broadband speeds, and mobile signal. The form also asks sellers to confirm whether they are aware of anything that could materially affect the buyer’s decision.

If an estate agent markets a property without required material information, they risk enforcement action from Trading Standards, including fines and potential criminal prosecution under the DMCCA 2024. For sellers, incomplete information can lead to buyer enquiries that delay the sale, renegotiation after surveys reveal undisclosed issues, or in worst cases, the buyer pulling out entirely.

Start by completing the TA6 Property Information Form thoroughly and honestly. Gather supporting documents: your EPC certificate, council tax band confirmation, title deeds, any planning permissions, building work certificates, and guarantees. Check whether your property is in a flood zone, a conservation area, or affected by any planning applications. Pine guides you through this process step by step, flagging gaps before your agent needs them.

No. Material information provides the buyer with upfront facts to make an informed viewing and offer decision. The buyer’s solicitor will still carry out formal property searches (local authority, environmental, water and drainage) as part of the conveyancing process. However, having material information ready upfront reduces the number of additional enquiries the buyer’s solicitor needs to raise, which speeds up the transaction.

Get your material information
sorted before you list

Pine guides you through every disclosure requirement in plain English. No legal jargon, no guesswork.

Covers TA6 6th Edition requirements

Flags missing certificates and documents

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