Upfront information for estate agents

If you are selling your home, you will need to provide a range of details about your property to the buyer and their solicitor. There is an option to supply upfront information for estate agents early on in the transaction, which can help streamline the conveyancing process.

The main form to be complete is Form TA6, the Property Information Form. There is a new version of this form that includes upfront material information relating to the property and the locality. This has been designed with the intention of reducing the number of transactions that fall through and also helping sales to complete more quickly.

At Lockings Solicitors, we have been helping individuals, families and investors with property sales and purchases for many years. We are accredited by the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme in recognition of the high standards of legal advice we provide and the excellent client care we offer.

If you are thinking of selling a property, contact us today and we can assist you with the upfront information for estate agents.

We offer a FREE initial chat so that you can ask us any questions you may have about selling, property information forms and the conveyancing process generally. Call us on 01482 300 200, email us at welcome@lockings.co.uk or fill in our Free Online Enquiry and we will call you back promptly. We have offices in Beverley, Hull and York and represent clients across the East Yorkshire area.

When do I need to fill in an upfront information form for property sale?

Upfront information needs to be provided to your estate agent before your property is listed for sale so the details can go in the listing and be passed on to potential buyers.

Until recently, the TA6 form did not include all this information and was only sent to the buyer’s solicitor with the contract once the seller had accepted an offer and the transaction was under way. There is a new version of the Property Information Form TA6 that includes the upfront information required and where it is used it should be completed before your property is put on the market and can avoid you having to supply the information again to your solicitor because the same form can be used by the estate agent and the solicitors.

Until the new form becomes mandatory, sellers can use either copy of the form but there are clear benefits to a seller using the new form as it makes it easier for them to engage with their solicitor at an earlier stage and avoids duplication and potentially conflicting information.

What upfront information do estate agents need?

The new form TA6 requires a wide variety of upfront material information, including:

• A description of the property
• The Council Tax band
• The asking price
• Whether the property is freehold, leasehold, shared ownership, commonhold or another type of tenure
• The physical characteristics of the property
• The property type
• The material type or materials used in the construction
• What utilities are connected
• Details about the electricity supply
• Water and drainage information
• Heating information
• Broadband and mobile coverage details
• Parking
• Building safety
• Restrictions
• Rights and easements, including if you have the right to cross someone else’s property or their have the right to cross yours, either on foot, in a vehicle or with a pipe or supply cable
• Flood risk and risk of coastal erosion
• Planning permissions and development proposals, including those in the vicinity of the property
• Details of any mining or mining infrastructure in the area

Do I need a solicitor to provide upfront information for estate agents?

While you are likely to be able to provide some of the information, you will need a solicitor to assist with some of the more complex questions. For example, if you ask us to work on the form with you, we can obtain a copy of the legal title and make enquiries of the local authority so that we can fill in details like the property’s Land Registry title number, the tenure, information about rights and restrictions and details of planning consents that have been granted.

We can also request information from other relevant bodies, such as environmental search providers, flood risk assessors and water and drainage companies.

It is important to ensure that the form is filled in correctly as you could face a legal claim if errors are made that lead to a loss on the part of the buyer.

What are the benefits of the new Property Information Form for sellers?

The new form TA6 was created by National Trading Standards’ Estate and Letting Agency Team to try and provide potential buyers with the information they need to make an informed decision on a property purchase at an early stage.

Research has shown that providing this upfront information to estate agents at the time the property is listed can reduce the time taken to complete the transaction. Helping a transaction proceed more quickly can in itself lessen the risk of someone pulling out.

Ensuring that buyers see the information at the start helps ensure success as there are fewer surprises along the way.

The seller’s conveyancer will also be able to identify potential problems at this early stage and take any steps necessary to deal with them. By doing this before a buyer is in place, difficulties and delays can be reduced later on.

It also means the same form can be used by both the solicitors in the transaction and the estate agent which reduces the chances of conflicting information being given and means the seller doesn’t have to do everything twice.

Help with upfront information for estate agents

At Lockings, we can assist in completing form TA6, whether you are using the new version or the old version. If you call us today, we can ensure that you have the forms you need and work with you to collate any information you require.

Where necessary, we will liaise with your estate agent to ensure that your listing has the details necessary. We have provided conveyancing in East Yorkshire and beyond for many years and have excellent working relationships with many local estate agents.

We can assist you in the way that is easiest for you, which could be by phone, email, in person or by videolink. We offer an easy-to-use conveyancing portal so that you can let us have information whenever convenient for you.

Contact our East Yorkshire and York area conveyancing solicitors for help with upfront information for property sales

If you are thinking about marketing a property, call us today and we will be happy to help with the upfront information for estate agents.

You can ring us for a FREE initial chat on 01482 300 200, email us at welcome@lockings.co.uk or fill in our Free Online Enquiry and we will call you back promptly. We have offices in Beverley, Hull and York and represent clients across the East Yorkshire area.