Material information in property listings: the UK checklist for agents

Material information in property listings is the information a buyer or tenant needs to make an informed decision about whether to view, offer or rent. In the UK, leaving it out of an advert isn't just poor practice — under consumer protection law it can be a misleading omission. This checklist explains what's expected, split the way the guidance is split: Parts A, B and C.

This is general information for agents and landlords, not legal advice. The authoritative source is the guidance published by the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT).

Why material information matters

NTSELAT developed the material information framework with agents, portals and software providers to make clear what should be disclosed upfront, on the listing itself — not discovered three weeks into a sale. It was published in phases:

• Part A (2022) — information that is material for every property.
• Parts B and C (published 30 November 2023) — information that should be established for all properties, and information that only matters when the property is affected by a particular issue.

Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket have all added fields for this information, and listings with gaps are flagged to consumers. Even if you never use a portal — say you share listings on WhatsApp or social media — the underlying legal duty not to omit material information still applies to your advert.

Part A: the essentials for every listing

Sales listings must show:

For leasehold properties, buyers also expect the lease length remaining, ground rent (and any review terms) and the service charge, with how often it's paid.

Lettings listings must show:

Why "price on application" is a problem

In May 2022 NTSELAT published an opinion, developed with the Competition and Markets Authority, that "POA" on a property listing is likely to be misleading, because it withholds the asking price from consumers. In practice, if you can't put a price on it, you're not ready to advertise it. That's why, in Relaio Listings, UK listings without a price are saved as drafts until you add one.

Part B: information to establish for every property

Part B is about the physical property and how it connects to services. You should establish it for every listing and include it where relevant:

• Property type and construction — flat, terraced house, bungalow; and anything non-standard about how it's built (timber frame, steel frame, concrete panels).
• Number and type of rooms — bedrooms, bathrooms and reception rooms.
• Utilities — electricity, water and sewerage supply, heating type, broadband and mobile signal.
• Parking — allocated, on-street, permit zone, garage, or none.

Photos help here too: include the parking, the boiler or heat source and any unusual construction details where it's sensible to show them.

Part C: information that depends on the property

Part C covers issues that only need to be disclosed if the property is affected. That includes, for example:

• Building safety — unsafe cladding, risk of collapse, asbestos, or ongoing remediation.
• Restrictions and rights — restrictive covenants, rights of way, listed-building status, conservation areas, tree preservation orders.
• Flood and erosion risk — including any history of flooding. The Environment Agency's flood map is a free first check in England.
• Planning and development — significant permissions or proposals nearby that a buyer would reasonably want to know about.
• Accessibility and adaptations — step-free access, lifts, wet rooms, ramps.
• Coalfield or mining areas.

If none of these apply, you don't need to list them all as "no" — but you do need to have checked.

The checklist

Use this before any UK listing goes live:

Every listing

• Price (sales) or rent and deposit (lettings)
• Council tax band — or a clear reason it isn't available yet
• Property type, rooms and construction if non-standard
• Utilities, heating and broadband
• Parking

Sales only

• Tenure
• For leaseholds: lease remaining, ground rent, service charge
• EPC rating (good practice and widely expected)

If affected

• Building safety issues
• Restrictions, covenants, rights of way
• Flood or erosion risk
• Nearby planning and development
• Accessibility features or adaptations

How to make this painless

The agents who handle material information well do it at instruction, not at listing time. Build these questions into your valuation visit and landlord onboarding forms so the answers exist before you write a word of copy.

When you create a listing in Relaio Listings with your market set to the United Kingdom, the editor adds a UK material information section — council tax band, EPC rating, tenure, lease years remaining, ground rent, service charge, deposit and availability date — and shows a reminder of anything still missing. You can even type "Council tax band C, EPC B, leasehold, 98 years remaining" in your WhatsApp message and the fields fill themselves. Read how to edit and manage listings for the details.

Mistakes we see most often

• "POA" or "price on request" on sales listings.
• Council tax left blank on lettings because "it's the tenant's problem".
• Leasehold flats with no lease length — one of the most common reasons buyers pull out late.
• Old copy reused after the service charge or ground rent changed.
• Material information hidden in a PDF that most people never open. Put the key facts on the listing itself.

The upside

Disclosing material information early feels like it might put buyers off. In reality it filters out the people who were never going to proceed — and the ones who do view arrive informed, which means fewer fall-throughs and faster sales. A complete listing is a professional listing.