Trading Standards are now requiring Estate Agents to disclose more material information in property listings. As a seller, you will need to have the answers available to enable your property to be marketed in line with the new compliance standards.

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The focus is on Parts B and C. 

Part B is asking relatively simple questions of your property ie The physical characteristics of the property such as Property Type (house, flat, room to let, park home etc) and Property Construction (key materials used in the main structure and other areas). 

 

It also is required to state the number and types of rooms and their measurements, confirmation about utilities and how they are supplied (electricity, water, sewerage, heating, broadband, mobile signal/coverage including any known issues or restrictions) and the parking arrangements.
 

No rocket science here really.

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Part C is where is gets a little more interesting and definitely where we are here to help you and your agents.

Your agents will be required to present answers to the following sections:

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• Building Safety - e.g. unsafe cladding, asbestos, risk of collapse

• Restrictions - e.g conservation area, listed building status, tree preservation orders etc

• Rights and Easements - e.g. public rights of way, shared driveways etc

• Flood risk

• Coastal erosion risk

• Planning Permissions - for the property itself and its immediate locality

• Accessibility / adaptations - e.g. step free access, wet room, essential living accommodation on entrance level

• Coalfield or mining area

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To help identify areas of environmental risk we provide our free to use Hazard Checker. If your postcode area shows a return for Flood Risk of any type or Mining Risk, you really should get reports that will show the level of risk that is present at your home address.

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Useful Links

Hazard Checker

Flood Report  

Mining Report

Combined Environmental Report

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To help answer the questions highlighted in Orange you should consider getting a Local Authority Search underway. These and many more answers will be provided that are specific to your property and will be required not only for marketing, but by your buyer.  The Local Authority Search is valid for 3 months from the point of completion so may be utilised by your buyer if you get a sale agreed quickly; otherwise your buyer will need to commission their own.

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Planning Permissions for the immediate locality is catered for with a specific Planning report as well as the Combined Environmental Report

This reports will show planning applications up to 750m from the property boundary. This will help to provide clarity on any proposed large developments that could impact upon the property as well as provide evidence of smaller applications for extension that could prove as useful for anyone considering extending your own property. They will be able to see what others have managed to get planning for.

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Download your copy of the Trading Standards requirements for Material Information in Property Listing (Sales) below. If your Estate Agent is not discussing this with you, question your choice of Estate Agent.

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