Will changes to Property Information Forms slow the conveyancing process further?

The Law Society was set to introduce a new Property Information Form (TA6) for conveyancers in October 2025, but although the new form was released, it is not yet compulsory for solicitors and conveyancers to use it. Now the material information form which was planned to accompany it is reported to be ‘paused’ as the guidance has been withdrawn by the National Trading Standards Estate and Lettings Agents Team.

The aim of the new Property Information Form is to facilitate the marketing of a property and to have better informed buyers, which could help reduce the time the process takes and the number of sales that fall through. However, there are concerns that the introduction of the new form could raise issues around the accuracy and consistency of information provided by sellers and cause delays, especially if they struggle to understand and provide the detailed information needed.

Justine Simms, Associate Solicitor at Taylor Walton Solicitors comments: “The new Property Information Form is being trialled by a working group of conveyancing solicitors and some of the language is being updated to reflect efforts to write in plain English, so that it is simpler for sellers and buyers alike to understand. It is designed to provide more detailed information for buyers at an earlier stage in the process. However, the current form is already 16 pages long and the new form is likely to be longer. My concern is that we already see some people struggle to complete the existing forms, especially the elderly and vulnerable individuals, and we are often asked to explain what the questions mean or have to chase sellers to complete the forms in full. Once the new Property Information Form is introduced, we are likely to see conveyancing solicitors involved much earlier on in the process and before the house is listed for sale, so that all of this information can be gathered with the agent, to ensure that sales particulars are accurate and in line with what sellers will be asked later when completing the form.”

“For sellers who are executors and selling a property as part of probate or acting on behalf of the owner as their attorney because the owner has lost capacity, then it may be more difficult for them to fill out the form quickly and accurately as the detailed information required may be harder to find or not known.”

“The new Property Information Form is being designed to provide more information at the start of the process and, therefore, reduce the number of enquiries raised by the buyer’s conveyancing solicitors. Buyers may have to make more detailed enquiries with their conveyancing solicitor to get the answers to specific questions if information in the form is vague or found to be inaccurate prior to contracts being exchanged, which could slow the whole process down further.”

The Law Society has said the withdrawal of the existing fourth and fifth editions of the Property Information Form and the roll out of the new sixth edition is expected to take place in March 2026 and the new sixth edition of the form will be mandatory for use by The Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme members from March 2026.