What information should Property Portals show about all property listings?

10 February, 2020

National Trading Standards Estate & Letting Agency Team are looking for input from Conveyancers as they consider a list of prescribed material information (under the CPRs) that should be included with all property listings in the UK.

Please respond directly to them 14^th February 2020.

Basic non-optional material information – applicable to all properties marketed in the UK

To be required by property portals from agents and included in property listings

We are working on a list of prescribed material information (under the CPRs) that should be included with all property listings in the UK, regardless of where they are and what sort of property it is, which is a requirement of certain basic material information from agents before allowing a property to be listed. These are the data fields if you like that there will always be an answer for, and was predominantly a response for better information around leasehold property.  This is a non-exclusive list of the basic information which we feel is applicable to all property being marketed, and our vision is that this would be made a requirement by the property portals for all agent listings. Clearly there is going to be other material information which will be relevant to a particular property but this will be on a case by case basis, and may not be applicable to all properties. Restrictive covenants, for example, may be vital to a consumer’s decision about a property – but not all properties are subject to them – hence why they are not included in this list, but agents would clearly be required to disclose them where applicable.

(IMPORTANT: this list is not exclusive, and does not cover material information that may be applicable to a particular property and which should be disclosed in addition to the information specified below).  The list is intended as a starting point for the portals to require the details to be completed for listings on their sites.

1. Location or address of property
2. Physical or structural characteristics, form of construction
3. Accommodation, measurements or sizes.
4. Availability and nature of services, specifically:

• Utilities (electricity, gas, water, etc.)
• Telephone line
• Broadband

5. Price (sales) or Rent charge per calendar month (lettings)
6. Council tax band
7. Tenure (sales)

and if leasehold:

• length of any lease or of the unexpired term of any lease
• amount of any ground-rent, rent or premium, and frequency of any review.
• amount of any service or maintenance charge or liability for common repairs.
• frequency of ground rent/service charge reviews

and if commonhold:

• rights and obligations that apply between the unit-holders, and between the unit-holders and the commonhold association
• any sums payable towards the upkeep of the property
• information concerning where details of the commonhold association such as directors, latest accounts, etc. can be obtained

What we don’t wish to have is simply yes or no answers.  Details must be provided. 

Information relating to EPCs for example, is already a legal requirement, which must be listed.  Our proposed list of material information is to provide the essential foundations for consumers in helping them decide whether to even view the property or not, information which isn’t necessarily a legal requirement, but which, we feel, is material information under the CPRs.

Please can you let me them your thoughts by 14^th February 2020. Mial Emma Cooke at emma.cooke@powys.gov.uk