Reference

Material information in UK property listings

What “material information” actually means when a UK property is marketed, what the law requires agents to disclose, and how the rules shifted in 2025. Written plainly, with the primary sources linked so you can check the detail yourself.

In one paragraph

Material information is any fact about a property that the average buyer or renter would need in order to make an informed decision — tenure, price, council tax band, and known issues like flood history or short leases. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, in force since 6 April 2025, omitting such information can be an unlawful “misleading omission”. The Act replaced the 2008 Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations for these purposes, and the Competition and Markets Authority can now enforce directly. The previously published NTSELAT Parts A/B/C lists were withdrawn in 2025 pending updated guidance, but the core duty not to mislead by omission still applies.

What typically counts as material

There is no single closed list, and what is material depends on the property. In practice the facts most often treated as material for a sale include:

Price and tenure

Asking price, and whether freehold, leasehold or commonhold.

Council tax band

The current band and the billing authority.

Lease detail

For leasehold: years remaining, ground rent and service charge.

Known physical risks

Flood history, subsidence, structural issues or non-standard construction.

Rights and restrictions

Restrictive covenants, easements, rights of way, shared access.

Utilities and connectivity

Heating type, broadband and mobile availability, parking.

This is a general summary, not a definitive disclosure checklist. What is material varies by property and the rules are evolving — agents should take their own compliance advice.

The Parts A, B and C checklist

Before it was withdrawn, the National Trading Standards guidance grouped material information into three parts, rolled out with the major property portals. The grouping is no longer formal guidance, but it remains the most useful practical checklist of what buyers and renters expect to see, so it is worth knowing. The three parts were:

A

Required for every listing

The baseline facts the guidance said should appear on every property advert from the start.

  • Asking price or rent
  • Tenure (freehold, leasehold or commonhold)
  • Council tax band, or rate for lettings
  • For leasehold: lease length remaining
  • For leasehold: ground rent and any review terms
  • For leasehold: service charge
B

Should be established for all properties

Information expected for every property, because most buyers and renters will want it regardless of the property.

  • Property type and construction materials
  • Number and type of rooms
  • Electricity supply (and any non-standard supply)
  • Water supply and sewerage type (mains, septic tank, private supply)
  • Heating type
  • Broadband type and speed
  • Mobile signal and coverage
  • Parking arrangements
C

Only if the property is affected

Conditional facts that must be disclosed when they apply to the specific property, and that are easy to leave out by omission.

  • Building safety issues
  • Restrictions, including listed status and conservation areas
  • Rights and easements, including shared access and rights of way
  • Flood risk and any history of flooding
  • Coastal erosion risk
  • Planning permission and nearby proposals
  • Accessibility and adaptations
  • Whether the property is in a coalfield or mining area

The Parts A/B/C lists above describe the framework of the withdrawn guidance and are offered as a practical reference, not a statement of current legal requirements. The binding duty is the one in the DMCC Act not to mislead by act or omission.

What changed: from the CPRs to the DMCC Act

For most of this period the rule lived in the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. The DMCC Act re-enacts the same core ideas — a ban on misleading actions and misleading omissions in commercial practices — but changes who enforces it and how hard. The practical shift for property marketing is less about the definition of material information and more about the teeth behind it:

Before (CPRs 2008)

  • Misleading omissions already prohibited.
  • Enforced mainly through Trading Standards and the courts.
  • Penalties pursued through criminal or civil court routes.

Now (DMCC Act 2024)

  • Same prohibition on misleading acts and omissions.
  • The Competition and Markets Authority can enforce directly, without going to court first.
  • The CMA can impose significant fines for breaches, raising the stakes of getting disclosure wrong.

In short: the standard you are held to has not really changed, but the cost of falling short has. Confirm the detail against the primary sources below before relying on it.

How the rules changed

  1. 2008

    Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations

    The CPRs introduced the prohibition on misleading actions and misleading omissions in commercial practices, which Trading Standards applied to property marketing.

  2. 2023–2024

    NTSELAT material information guidance (Parts A, B, C)

    National Trading Standards published staged guidance setting out which fields — such as tenure, council tax band and price — agents should include in listings, rolled out with the major property portals.

  3. 6 April 2025

    DMCC Act consumer provisions commence

    The consumer protection provisions of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 came into force, replacing the CPRs for these purposes and giving the Competition and Markets Authority direct enforcement powers.

  4. 2025

    NTSELAT Parts A/B/C guidance withdrawn

    Following the DMCC Act, the detailed Parts A/B/C material information guidance was withdrawn pending an updated version. The legal duty not to mislead by omission continued to apply.

  5. Late 2025

    MHCLG consultation on home buying and selling

    The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government consulted on improving the home buying and selling process, including earlier and more consistent disclosure of property information.

What this means for you

If you are buying: you are entitled to the material facts before you make an offer. If a listing is silent on tenure, council tax band, lease length or a known risk, ask — and check the public record yourself rather than assuming no news is good news.

If you are an agent or developer: the duty not to mislead by omission applies now, regardless of which guidance document is current. Gathering disclosable facts early — tenure, band, sold-price context, flood and planning history — reduces the risk of a misleading-omission complaint.

Check the facts on a specific address

A PropertyReportUK report pulls many of the facts that count as material — tenure indicators, council tax band, sold-price history, flood risk, EPC and planning — from official records in one place. For buyers, it is a way to see what a listing may have left out. It is information only, not legal advice.

Run a report on an address

Common questions

What is material information in a UK property listing?

Material information is anything a buyer or renter would need to make an informed decision about a property — for example tenure, council tax band, price, and any known issues such as flood history or restrictive covenants. Under UK consumer protection law, leaving out information that would cause the average consumer to take a different decision can be an unlawful omission.

Which law governs material information now?

Since 6 April 2025, the relevant consumer protection rules sit in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (the DMCC Act), which replaced the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 for these purposes. The DMCC Act prohibits misleading actions and misleading omissions in commercial practices, which includes how property is marketed.

Are estate agents legally required to disclose material information?

Agents must not mislead consumers by action or omission. Failing to disclose material information a buyer needs can amount to a misleading omission under the DMCC Act. Enforcement sits with Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority. The exact list of what must appear on a listing has been in flux since the previous detailed guidance was withdrawn in 2025.

What happened to the NTSELAT Parts A, B and C guidance?

The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team had published staged guidance (Parts A, B and C) on what material information to include in listings. That guidance was withdrawn in 2025 following the DMCC Act coming into force, pending updated guidance. The underlying legal duty not to mislead by omission still applies regardless.

How does a property report help with material information?

A data report surfaces many of the facts that count as material — tenure indicators, council tax band, sold-price history, flood risk, EPC rating and planning history — from official records in one place. For buyers it is a way to check what a listing may have left out; for agents it is a way to gather disclosable facts. It is not legal advice and does not replace a solicitor's checks.

This guide is general information about UK consumer protection rules as they apply to property marketing and is not legal advice. The rules are evolving; confirm the current position with the primary sources above or a qualified adviser before relying on it.