Running from 28 September to 21 December 2025, the consultation focuses on residential sales, with lettings to be considered separately in future. Feedback will inform new guidance under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA), which strengthens consumer protections by prohibiting traders from omitting or obscuring information that consumers need to make informed decisions.
Read the full consultation here.
Building on previous work
This consultation builds on the now withdrawn material information guidance developed by the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT), which first set out how key details should appear in listings.
Whilst that work was a milestone moment in improving clarity for consumers while recognising the practical realities faced by agents, the new consultation takes this further by seeking feedback on formal, UK Government-backed guidance aligned with the DMCCA.
What policymakers want to know
The consultation seeks views on what constitutes material information and how it should be presented to consumers. It asks agents to comment on:
- Which categories should always be regarded as material, such as tenure, council tax, service charges, utilities, broadband, flood risk, and restrictions like conservation-area or listed-building status.
- When information should be provided — for example, in listings or later in the transaction.
- The challenges of obtaining and verifying details.
- How collaboration with conveyancers, surveyors, and others could improve accuracy.
It also invites evidence on barriers to compliance, whether standardised templates or training could help, and how initiatives like HM Land Registry’s Local Land Charge programme could make property data more accessible.
Improving speed and transparency
The UK Government’s wider goal is to speed up and simplify home buying and selling by ensuring essential information is available earlier. Research suggests that upfront disclosure could reduce average transaction times by four weeks and decrease fall-throughs from one in three to one in seven, saving buyers and sellers an estimated £400 million per year.
A separate consultation on wider measures to improve property transactions is also underway.
Propertymark’s position
We have long called for clear, proportionate guidance that helps agents meet their legal duties without adding unnecessary administrative burden.
Following the withdrawal of NTSELAT’s earlier guidance, we urged the Government to introduce replacement rules that align with the DMCCA and reflect how agency practice works.
We have also argued that property listings should be exempt from “invitation to purchase” rules under the DMCCA, as applying these too rigidly risks penalising agents for how listings are structured.
Property listings should be exempt from “invitation to purchase” rules
The CMA consultation and its implications
Earlier this year, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) consulted on how to interpret price transparency and marketing information under the DMCCA.
Propertymark’s response stressed that property transactions differ from other consumer sales and require tailored guidance. This latest UK Government consultation is the next step in defining how the Act applies specifically to estate agency. Propertymark will continue to push for rules that are both workable and meaningful for professionals.
Transparency is key to reducing complaints
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has welcomed the UK Government’s focus on transparency, noting that many complaints arise from missing or unclear information.
In 2024, TPO handled over 600 cases linked to non-disclosure of issues such as property condition, flood risk, covenants, and utilities. The Ombudsman said: “We welcome any moves to make such an important and complex transaction clearer for consumers. The industry is also supportive of clear guidance, which is explicit about what information agents and sellers must disclose.”
Support for members
Propertymark continues to help agents understand their obligations through our resources and briefings:
- FAQ – Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2025
- Briefing – Withdrawal of NTSELAT Material Information Guidance
Have your say
Propertymark will submit a formal response on behalf of members to ensure agency practice is fully represented.
Members can contribute by attending a virtual roundtable or submitting feedback to support our response via [email protected].
You can also respond directly to the UK Government via the online survey on GOV.UK or email [email protected] by 21 December 2025.
Next steps
We will continue to work with officials across the UK Government, NTSELAT, and the Home Buying and Selling Group to ensure any future guidance is workable, proportionate, and grounded in real practice.
Propertymark will update members as the consultation progresses and, once submitted, share our response.
