The Law Society proposes changes to the TA6

Digitising the conveyancing process for a post pandemic world

What is a Property Information form?

A TA6 form or the Property Information Form is a key part of the conveyancing process for both buyers and sellers. An important protocol usually sent by the Solicitor, in essence a TA6 is a questionnaire for anyone selling a residential property. The TA6 informs a potential buyer of key details of the property.

As a seller you’re expected to disclose a wide range of information about your property which will then be reviewed by your buyer’s solicitor for any potential issues with the property. The following is a basic overview of what the property information from asks a seller to disclose:

Information on boundaries – those between you and your neighbours

Details of any disputes or complaints with neighbours

Notices of development or planning permission of nearby properties

Alterations and building work that been done on the property (including copies of any planning permissions and building regulations approvals)

Information about guarantees and warranties

Buildings insurance details

Information about environmental matters, such as flooding, energy efficiency, and Japanese knotweed

Details of rights and informal arrangements, such as access or shared use

Information about parking – including whether the property is in a controlled parking zone or local authority parking scheme

Proposed changes to the Property Information Form

The law society has announced a new pilot program aimed at providing the information in at TA6 form much earlier during the conveyancing process. The program is being run by InfoTrack, Perfect Portal and the conveyancing and land law committee of the Law Society of which we at XYZ Law are a party.

The software provided by InfoTrack will ask sellers a series of questions which will then be used to generate a shorter version of the property information form. This shortened version can be delivered to the potential buyer by the estate agent before a solicitor has even been instructed. The pilot comes at a welcome time for solicitors and conveyancing executives with the ongoing effects of COVID-19 in the industry.

What does this change mean?

The lockdowns and work from home orders imposed to tackle COVID-19 over the last year caused delays in the conveyancing industry. As many estate agents, solicitors and mortgage brokers adjusted to working from home, natural choke points in the digital conveyance process emerged. This new approach to the TA6 form hopes to ease the strain on property purchases.

The president of the Law Society of England and Wales, Stephanie Boyce, outlined the aims of the project. In her statement she said “Technological change in the conveyancing market has accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,”. She outlined the intention is to ‘seamlessly collect key marketing information using the familiar, but wholly digitised, TA6 workflow.’

With hopes this pilot and similar initiatives will ease the strain on the property market, some are skeptical of how it will really effect the industry at large. Many solicitors are expressing frustrations around delays with enquiries, searches, lender issues and the Land Registry. Only time will tell the impact for solicitors however it is no doubt a small victory for home buyers, allowing them to make informed decisions much earlier in the purchasing process.

Read more about this change on The Law Society Website.

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