The newest version of the TA6 property information form has been unveiled as “less legalistic” and more practical, according to insights shared at the Law Society’s flagship property conference this week.

This latest edition spans 20 pages, includes clearer explanatory notes, integrates more practical examples, and has been tested by both sellers and conveyancers to ensure usability. During the conference’s final plenary session, Sole Practitioner Sarah Dwight and Pennington Manches Cooper Partner Mark Sellers, who co-chair the Law Society’s Conveyancing and Land Law Committee, discussed the extensive effort that went into refining the form.

The working group responsible for the update included contributors to the Conveyancing Handbook, members from firms of varying sizes, and Law Society President Mark Evans, who brings three decades of high street conveyancing experience.

Over the past year, the group met weekly, analyzing 1,200 consultation responses, each categorized by theme or question type. For instance, Dwight managed sections on boundaries and parking, while Sellers handled transaction information.

The TA6 form underwent weekly redrafting. Sellers noted that the word “please” appeared 60 times in older versions but now appears only 24 times, reflecting “a balance between sounding courteous and being efficient and precise.” Dwight highlighted a recurring issue regarding vacant possession, saying: “As practitioners, we know we can get a phone call on Monday where the client says ‘I have been in the garage and all the rubbish is in there.’” The revised form now clearly states that sellers must remove all items before completion.

Other updates clarify the seller’s role, such as distinguishing between owners and trustees. The form now uses more questions beginning with “Are you aware of…”, e.g., asking if sellers are “aware of any disputes or complaints” instead of directly asking if “there have been any disputes or complaints.”

Importantly, this sixth edition does not address material information. Plans for a separate form were paused after the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team unexpectedly withdrew the guidance that the fifth edition had been designed to support.

The government is currently consulting on home buying reforms that could require sellers to provide upfront information beyond what qualifies as “material information” in listings. “If [material information] reappears, the Law Society will develop a TA6 material information form,” Sellers confirmed.

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Source: Law Gazette