Material Information Checklist for Estate Agents (Parts A, B & C)

How to use this

The column that matters is the source column. Most compliance failures are not agents ignoring an item — they are agents recording a seller's guess as though it were a fact.

Where the source says Search data, a questionnaire answer is not adequate evidence, because the seller does not reliably know.

Part A — every listing

Item	Reliable source	Notes
Council tax band	Search data / VOA	Verify rather than assume; bands change on alteration.
Price	Agent	Include any known additional costs.
Tenure	Search data / title	Confirm from the register, not from the seller's memory.
Lease length remaining	Title / lease	Leasehold only. State the years remaining, not the original term.
Service charge	Seller / managing agent	State the current annual figure and the review basis.
Ground rent	Lease	Include escalation provisions — this is what affects lending.

Part B — every listing

Item	Reliable source	Notes
Property type and build form	Agent inspection	Detached, semi, terrace, flat, maisonette.
Construction materials	Agent / seller	Non-standard construction affects lending materially.
Number and type of rooms	Agent inspection	Consistent with the floorplan.
Electricity supply	Search data / seller	Supply type and any off-grid arrangement.
Water supply	Search data	Mains or private supply. Private supplies carry obligations.
Sewerage	Search data	Mains, septic tank or treatment plant. Private drainage has ongoing duties.
Heating	Agent / seller	Type and fuel.
Broadband	Search data	Availability and predicted speeds by technology.
Mobile coverage	Search data	By network operator.
Parking	Agent inspection	Allocated, permit, on-street, garage — and any restrictions.

Part C — where it applies

Item	Reliable source	Notes
Building safety	Seller / managing agent	Cladding, EWS position and remediation status.
Conservation area	Search data	Removes or restricts permitted development.
Listed building	Search data	Grade, and what it means for alterations.
Tree preservation orders	Search data	Common cause of post-completion disputes.
Article 4 direction	Search data	Withdraws permitted development rights.
Rights of way	Search data / title	Public footpaths and private rights over the land.
Shared access and easements	Title	Shared drives, service media, access strips.
Restrictive covenants	Title	Especially those restricting use or alteration.
Flood risk	Search data	By source, with defences and insurability.
Coastal erosion	Search data	Where relevant to the location.
Planning permission on the property	Search data	Including conditions and enforcement.
Nearby development proposals	Search data	Applications and local plan allocations.
Coalfield or mining area	Search data	Referral area status and mine entries.
Ground stability	Search data	Natural subsidence hazards, not just mining.
Accessibility and adaptations	Agent inspection	Level access, wet room, stairlift, wheelchair use.

Fifteen of these say 'search data'

That is not a coincidence, and it is not us being self-serving about it. Part C exists precisely because it covers the things a seller cannot be expected to know. The Upfront Information Pack covers the Part C tier plus the connectivity and utility items in Part B in a single order.

The record you should be keeping

For each instruction, keep: what was disclosed, the source for each item, the date, and who checked it. When a complaint arrives eighteen months later, that record is the entire difference between a defensible position and an indefensible one.

Questions

Do we have to complete every item on every listing?

Parts A and B apply to every property. Part C applies where the item is relevant to the specific property. Where a Part C item does not apply, that is fine — but you should have checked rather than assumed.

Can we publish 'not known' for an item?

Yes, where you have made reasonable efforts and it genuinely cannot be established. State that explicitly, and record the efforts you made. Leaving it blank is the risk.

Nine of these come from one search order.

The Upfront Information Pack covers the Part C tier and the connectivity items in Part B.

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