What is Material Information?
Material Information is any information that a typical buyer would consider significant when deciding to purchase a property. Since 2023, National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) has issued binding guidance making Material Information disclosure mandatory for all UK estate agents under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs).
The guidance is structured into three parts — A, B, and C — each specifying different categories of disclosure. Failure to comply is a criminal offence, not merely a regulatory breach. Portals including Rightmove and Zoopla are moving to enforce Material Information requirements at the listing level.
Parts A, B and C — what they cover
Common compliance gaps agents miss
⚠ Flood risk disclosure
Many agents only check the basic Environment Agency flood risk map. Part C requires disclosure of all relevant flood risk — surface water flood risk, river and sea flooding, and groundwater. Properties in apparently low-risk areas can still have elevated surface water flood risk.
⚠ Leasehold ground rent details
Ground rents must be disclosed upfront, including any escalation clauses. Doubling ground rent clauses in older leases are a known issue — agents who fail to disclose these face significant liability.
⚠ Planning restrictions
Article 4 Directions (which remove permitted development rights), conservation area restrictions, and listed building status must be disclosed. Many agents rely on vendors to volunteer this information rather than proactively checking.
⚠ Building safety
EWS1 forms, FRAEW assessments, and known cladding issues are required disclosures under Part B. Agents cannot wait for solicitors to discover these during conveyancing — they must be disclosed in marketing.
Frequently asked questions
Automate Material Information for London postcodes
LondonIQ compiles Parts A, B and C data for any London postcode in under 5 seconds — flood risk, council tax band, planning restrictions, building safety flags and more. Free for individual lookups.