Questions and answers
The law and the reforms
Is an upfront sales pack a legal requirement?
Not yet for ordinary sales in England and Wales. The government committed on 19 June 2026 to legislate for a sales pack before listing within this Parliament and is encouraging voluntary packs now. Packs become a requirement in government homeownership schemes from 2027. Two duties already apply to every sale: an Energy Performance Certificate must be commissioned before marketing, and a listing must not omit material information. See the reform timeline.
When will upfront sales packs become compulsory?
The roadmap says legislation will be introduced "when parliamentary time allows" and within the current Parliament, with packs required in government homeownership schemes from 2027 first. No commencement date for all sales has been set. This site is updated when the government publishes more.
Is this the Home Information Pack again?
The aim is similar; the design is not. Home Information Packs ran from 2007 to 2010, were paper-based, had the condition report dropped before launch, and were introduced in one step with little industry involvement. The 2026 approach is phased, digital, drawn from public registers and built on standards the industry already uses, and includes a condition report. See how this differs from HIPs.
Does the reform apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
No. The roadmap covers England and Wales. Scotland has required a Home Report before marketing since 2008. Northern Ireland has its own arrangements.
What is material information?
Information a reasonable buyer needs in order to decide whether to view, offer or buy. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 a listing must not omit it. In practice that means price and tenure, council tax band, lease length and charges for leasehold homes, physical characteristics and utilities, and known risks and restrictions. It is the part of a pack that must appear in the listing itself.
What goes in a pack
What does an upfront sales pack contain?
The government's list has 14 items: tenure, council tax band, EPC rating, property type, title information and documents, seller identity verification, leasehold and estate terms, building safety information, standard search results, general property information, a property condition report, accessibility information, chain status and a floor plan. See the 14 items explained.
Can a seller prepare the pack themselves?
Much of it, yes: the questionnaire answers, the title register and plan (£7 each from HM Land Registry), the floor plan, the EPC and council tax lookups, accessibility and chain status. Four items must come from someone else: the EPC if it has expired (an accredited assessor), the condition report (a qualified surveyor), the identity check (a certified provider or the conveyancer) and, for flats, the leasehold information (the freeholder or managing agent). Searches can be applied for directly but are usually ordered through a regulated provider. See for sellers.
What level of survey will the pack need?
The government has not yet said. Its cost estimate of around £310 assumes a lighter report than the Level 2 survey many buyers commission today. Scotland's Home Report survey is the closest existing model. Until the standard is set, a RICS Home Survey at the level suited to the property's age and type is the sensible choice.
How is the pack different from the TA6 form?
The TA6 is the Law Society's Property Information Form, completed by the seller with their conveyancer after an offer is accepted. A pack asks much of the same before marketing, usually through the industry's BASPI questionnaire, and adds the searches, condition report and identity check. A pack built on BASPI data pre-fills the TA6 later.
Cost, time and who pays
Who pays for the pack?
The seller, as the reform intends. Some of the cost shifts rather than increases, because the searches and the survey are items a buyer would otherwise pay for later in the sale.
How much does an upfront sales pack cost?
At 2026 prices, roughly £500 to £900 in paid items for a freehold house (searches £250 to £450, a condition report from £300, title documents £14, identity check £10 to £30), and more for a flat once the leasehold information fee of £150 to £400 is added. The government's own estimate under the reform is around £310. See cost and time.
How long does a pack take to put together?
Two to three weeks for a house, set by the council's search turnaround (two to twenty working days) and the surveyor's diary. A flat can take up to four weeks longer while the freeholder or managing agent responds. The seller's own part takes an hour or two.
Will a buyer's lender accept the seller's searches?
Searches from regulated providers that follow the Search Code are accepted by most lenders, and official local authority searches are accepted by all. Searches carry a date; if the sale is agreed long after they were made, a lender may ask for a refresher. The government has said guidance on refresh periods will follow.
Can a buyer rely on the seller's survey?
It depends on the surveyor's terms. Some reports extend reliance to a buyer; others are addressed only to the person who commissioned them. A buyer should check the terms and may choose to commission their own, particularly for an older or altered home.
Leasehold
Why does the leasehold information take so long?
Because it must come from the freeholder or managing agent, who today has no legal deadline and sets their own fee. Typical cost is £150 to £400 and four weeks is common. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 contains powers to cap the fee (£200 plus VAT signalled) and set a 28-day limit, to be brought in by regulations. Request it on day one. See selling a leasehold flat.
Roles and responsibility
Who is responsible if something in the pack is wrong?
The roadmap keeps overall responsibility with the seller, while conveyancers and surveyors are responsible for the legal and condition information they gather and verify. Items from registers and professionals carry their own provenance and terms; the seller is responsible for what the seller states. How liability is apportioned in detail is one of the points the legislation will need to settle.
Does a pack replace the conveyancer?
No. It gives both conveyancers a complete starting point. The buyer's conveyancer still advises the buyer, raises any further enquiries and handles the contract and completion.
Does an estate agent have to produce the pack?
Not under current law. The agent must not publish a listing that omits material information, and the forthcoming legislation is expected to prevent marketing without a pack, which will bite at the listing. Many agencies already collect pack information at instruction because it shortens the sale. See for estate agents.
What happens if the law changes what a pack must contain?
The government has said the 14-item list may change before legislation and that the minimum data set will be defined in law. A pack prepared now on the current list will cover most of any final list; any new item would be added rather than the pack redone.
About this site
Is this site offering a service?
Not yet. Upfront Sales Packs is building a portal where estate agents and homeowners will gather, check and share the pack, with services from regulated providers. It is in development and nothing is available to buy. Agencies, homeowners and providers can register their interest; registering is free and commits no one to anything. Nothing on the site is legal advice. See the portal and about this site.