Material Information Reports Explained: Parts A, B and C for Estate Agents

Material Information Reports Explained: Parts A, B and C for Estate Agents

Material information is anything a buyer or tenant would need to make an informed decision about a property. Since 6 April 2025 the duty to disclose it has sat in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act), which repealed and replaced the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs).

The structure most agents still work to is older. National Trading Standards' Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) published its guidance in three parts: Part A in 2022 and Parts B and C on 30 November 2023. The portals built their listing fields around it.

That guidance was withdrawn on 8 May 2025. The duty to disclose was not. So what should a material information report contain as of October 2026, and how do you build one before a property goes live?

What are Parts A, B and C of material information?

Parts A, B and C are the three tiers NTSELAT used to group material information. Part A applies to every property. Part B must be established for every property. Part C applies only where the property is affected by the issue.

Part C is where most listings fall short. A restrictive covenant against running a business, a right of way across the garden, or a planning application for the field behind the house will all change some buyers' decisions. None of them shows up on a floor plan.

Is the NTSELAT material information guidance still in force?

No. NTSELAT withdrew the guidance with effect from 8 May 2025. Its webpage said the CPRs it was written under had been replaced by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.

The duty itself carried over. Chapter 1 of Part 4 of the DMCC Act, in force from 6 April 2025, keeps misleading omissions as an unfair commercial practice. The Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) guidance for businesses, last updated on 3 December 2025, describes them as "not telling consumers something they need to know" or giving important information "too late or in a way that means a consumer is unlikely to see it".

We could find no property-specific replacement as of October 2026. Propertymark said in May 2025 that it was pressing the CMA for sector guidance.

The guidance was withdrawn. The duty to tell buyers what they need to know was not.

In practice, Parts A, B and C remain the clearest checklist available. The portals built their listing fields around them, and the withdrawal did not change what a buyer needs to know about a property.

What is the enforcement risk for estate agents?

The risk is higher than it was under the CPRs. The DMCC Act gave the CMA direct enforcement powers from 6 April 2025. It can decide for itself whether consumer law has been broken and fine a business up to 10% of global turnover, without first going to court.

Trading Standards still enforces too, but through the courts. Redress schemes sit alongside both. The Property Redress Scheme notes that consumers can be awarded compensation where an agent's conduct falls short.

Three practical exposures for a sales agency:

• A missing Part C item. Failing to mention a known flood history, a shared driveway or a pending planning application is the classic misleading omission.
• Information given too late. Disclosing a restrictive covenant at memorandum of sale stage, after the buyer has paid for a survey, fits the CMA's description of information given "too late".
• A fall-through you could have prevented. Every Part B and Part C answer that turns up during conveyancing instead of at listing is a chance for the buyer to walk away.

For a large agency group, a cap set at 10% of turnover is a serious number.

What should a material information checklist include?

A usable material information checklist matches each item to a source and a point in the instruction when you collect it. This is the version to copy into your onboarding pack.

Propertymark's Property Information Questionnaire was reworked in March 2024 to cover Parts B and C. If you are a member, it is the quickest way to capture what only the vendor knows.

Where does the material information data come from?

Most of it comes from a handful of public datasets, plus the vendor.

• HM Land Registry title register and title plan. Tenure, title number, restrictive covenants, rights of way and charges. Read the whole register, including the charges and proprietorship sections, and order any documents it refers to.
• The EPC register. Current energy rating, heating system, construction type and total floor area. Check the certificate is still valid and matches the property as it stands.
• Flood risk. The Environment Agency's long-term flood risk service covers England. Properties in Wales use Natural Resources Wales. Ask the vendor about any past flooding, because a model will not tell you that.
• Planning. The local planning authority's portal shows applications on the property and nearby. Also check for conservation area, listed building and Article 4 status.
• Broadband and mobile. Ofcom's checker gives availability and coverage by postcode.
• Coal and mining. The Mining Remediation Authority, called the Coal Authority until November 2024, has an interactive map that shows coalfield and development high risk areas. Other mining (tin in Cornwall, for example) needs a separate check.

A material information report is only as good as the oldest dataset in it. Date every check.

How do you prepare material information before listing?

Start at the market appraisal. The earlier you find a Part C issue, the more options you have for handling it.

1. At appraisal, pull the title. Read the register before you agree a price. A short lease or a restrictive covenant changes the comparables you should use.
2. Send the PIQ with your terms. Ask the vendor to complete it before photography, so answers can be checked on the visit.
3. Run the desk checks. EPC, flood, planning, broadband and mining, each saved with the date checked.
4. Reconcile. Where the vendor's answer and the data disagree (a "no" to flooding in a high risk zone, say), raise it now.
5. Publish and record. Fill every portal field. Keep a dated copy of the material information report on file in case of a complaint.
6. Recheck before exchange. Planning and flood data change. A listing that has been live for 90 days deserves a second look.

Planning is the item most likely to change while a property is on the market. Propalt records 216 planning applications in Coventry's CV5 postcode district in the 12 months to 26 October 2026, so a listing that went live in the summer may already have a new application nearby.

In Propalt, Property Reports auto-fill property details, planning data and comparables into a branded seller report, so the step 3 desk checks start from the same record at appraisal.

This is not legal advice. Take advice from your redress scheme, Propertymark or a solicitor on any specific disclosure question.

📌 KEY TAKEAWAY

NTSELAT's Parts A, B and C guidance was withdrawn on 8 May 2025, but the DMCC Act has required traders to disclose material information since 6 April 2025, and the CMA can now fine businesses up to 10% of global turnover without going to court. Parts A, B and C remain the most practical checklist. Build the material information report at appraisal, source each item from the title register, the EPC, flood, planning, broadband and mining data, and date every check. Property Reports auto-fill property details and planning data into a branded seller report, so the groundwork starts before you walk through the door.

SOURCES & DATA REFERENCES

1. legislation.gov.uk (2025). 'The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/272).' Commencement of Part 4 Chapter 1 on 6 April 2025; Explanatory Note confirms it repeals and replaces the CPRs 2008. legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/272/made
2. National Trading Standards (February 2022). 'Material information for property listings announced.' Part A contents and end of May 2022 deadline. nationaltradingstandards.uk/news/material-information-for-property-listings-announced
3. National Trading Standards (30 November 2023). 'Full material information guidance published.' Publication of Parts B and C. nationaltradingstandards.uk/news/full-material-information-guidance-published
4. The Property Institute (November 2023). 'Material information quick guide for agents, v1.0.' Item-by-item list of Parts A, B and C. tpi.org.uk/media/upzeug2t/material-information-qg-for-agents-v10.pdf
5. Today's Conveyancer (12 May 2025). 'NTSELAT material information guidance withdrawn, but duty to report remains.' Withdrawal effective 8 May 2025 and NTSELAT's statement. todaysconveyancer.co.uk/ntselat-material-information-guidance-withdrawn-but-duty-remains/
6. Propertymark (9 May 2025). 'Material Information guidance withdrawn as the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act takes over.' No sector guidance yet; Propertymark engaging with the CMA. propertymark.co.uk/resource/material-information-guidance-withdrawn-as-the-digital-markets-competition-and-consumers-act-takes-over.html
7. Competition and Markets Authority (April 2025, updated 3 December 2025). 'What businesses need to know about unfair commercial practices.' Definition and examples of misleading omissions. gov.uk/government/publications/what-businesses-need-to-know-about-unfair-commercial-practices
8. Competition and Markets Authority (April 2025). 'CMA to boost consumer and business confidence as new consumer protection regime comes into force.' Direct enforcement and fines up to 10% of global turnover. gov.uk/government/news/cma-to-boost-consumer-and-business-confidence-as-new-consumer-protection-regime-comes-into-force
9. Property Redress Scheme (2025). 'The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.' CMA direct powers, Trading Standards court route, compensation. propertyredress.co.uk/resources/the-digital-markets-competition-and-consumers-act-2024
10. The Negotiator (5 March 2024). 'Propertymark issues new material information guidance.' PIQ updated for Parts B and C. thenegotiator.co.uk/news/propertymark-issues-new-material-information-guidance/
11. Ofcom (accessed October 2026). 'Broadband and mobile coverage checker.' Source for Part B broadband and mobile items. ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/ofcom-checker
12. Environment Agency (accessed October 2026). 'Check long term flood risk.' Source for Part C flood risk in England. check-long-term-flood-risk.service.gov.uk
13. Mining Remediation Authority, formerly the Coal Authority (accessed October 2026). 'Property development and the Coal Authority interactive map.' Source for Part C coalfield items. gov.uk/coal/property-development. Name change: GOV.UK (28 November 2024), 'New era as Coal Authority becomes Mining Remediation Authority.' gov.uk/government/news/new-era-as-coal-authority-becomes-mining-remediation-authority
14. Propalt (October 2026). Planning applications recorded in the CV5 (Coventry) postcode district in the 12 months to 26 October 2026 (216). propalt.ai