Material Information Parts A, B and C Explained
A plain-English guide to the material information UK sales and lettings listings are expected to carry, and what changed in April 2025.
If you write property listings for a living, you have probably filled in a council tax band field, chased down a lease length, or been asked by a portal for a broadband type. All of it traces back to one framework: the material information rules, grouped into Parts A, B and C. This page explains what each part covers, the legal position behind them, and what it means for a working day in an agency.
What is material information?
Material information is the information a buyer or tenant needs to make an informed decision about a property: the price or rent, the tenure, the council tax band, and the practical facts about the building and its setting. Under UK consumer protection law, omitting material information from a listing can amount to a misleading omission, and in serious cases that can be a criminal offence. In other words, this is not portal box-ticking. It is a legal duty that happens to be enforced, in part, through portal fields.
Where Parts A, B and C came from
The framework was published by the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT). It arrived in two stages: Part A in May 2022, then Parts B and C together in November 2023. The three parts are grouped by how universally they apply.
Part A: the baseline for every listing (May 2022)
Part A covers the financial and legal essentials, for sales and lettings alike.
| Item | What to include |
|---|---|
| Price or rent | The asking price for sales, or the rent for lettings. |
| Council tax band | The band the property falls into (or rates, where applicable). |
| Tenure | Freehold or leasehold. For leasehold, the remaining term of the lease, the ground rent and the service charge. |
| Deposit | For lettings, the deposit payable. |
Part B: applies to every property (November 2023)
Part B is the physical-facts layer, and it applies to every property regardless of type or location.
| Item | What to include |
|---|---|
| Property type and construction | What the property is and how it is built. |
| Rooms | The number and types of rooms. |
| Utilities | Electricity, water, sewerage and the heating type. |
| Broadband | The type of broadband available. |
| Mobile signal | Mobile coverage at the property. |
| Parking | The parking arrangements. |
Part C: applies where relevant (November 2023)
Part C only applies where a property is actually affected, but when it is, disclosure is expected. It covers:
- Building safety issues
- Restrictions, such as listed building status or a conservation area
- Rights and easements
- Flood risk
- Coastal erosion
- Planning permission nearby
- Accessibility features
- Whether the property is in a coalfield or mining area
The common trap with Part C is assuming it never applies. It is conditional, not optional: if the cottage sits in a conservation area, or the lane floods most winters, that is material.
The legal position, and what changed in April 2025
The original legal basis was the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (the CPRs). Under the CPRs, omitting material information could be a misleading omission and, in serious cases, a criminal offence.
From 6 April 2025, the CPRs were replaced by the unfair commercial practices regime in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (the DMCCA). The duty not to omit material information continues under the new regime, with guidance from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) still evolving.
In April 2025, NTSELAT withdrew its detailed material information guidance pending that new CMA guidance. This has caused real confusion in the industry, so it is worth being precise: the guidance documents were withdrawn, but the legal duty was not, and the portals kept their material information fields. Day to day, the practical expectations on agents are largely unchanged.
What this means for agents day to day
- Gather the facts at instruction. Tenure and lease details, council tax band, utilities, broadband type, mobile signal and parking are far easier to collect while you are with the vendor or landlord than after the listing has gone live.
- Expect the portals to check. Rightmove displays council tax band, tenure and EPC prominently, and since May 2024 it flags or blocks lettings listings that are missing key material information fields.
- Keep the description consistent with the fields. A description that contradicts the structured data, or glosses over a Part C issue the fields disclose, invites questions you do not want at offer stage.
For a field-by-field run-through you can use at instruction stage, work from our material information checklist. For the portal-specific angle, see what must be in a Rightmove listing.
How compliance-aware tooling helps
A generic AI writing tool will happily produce a charming paragraph about a light-filled Victorian terrace without ever asking about tenure, council tax band or flood risk, because it does not know Parts A, B and C exist. A compliance-aware tool works the other way round: it asks for the material facts first, then writes around them.
That is how our free property description generator is built. It prompts you for Part A and Part B details as you go, so the finished copy helps you include the material information rather than papering over the gaps. Compliance-aware bulk generation is on our roadmap; today the generator works one listing at a time, and it is free to use.
This page is general guidance for UK estate and letting agents, not legal advice. If you are unsure how the rules apply to a specific property or situation, take advice from a qualified professional.
Frequently asked questions
Is material information still required after the guidance was withdrawn?
Yes. NTSELAT withdrew its detailed guidance in April 2025 pending new guidance from the CMA, but the underlying legal duty not to omit material information continues under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, and the portals have kept their material information fields.
Does Part B apply to lettings?
Yes. Part B applies to every property, whether it is for sale or to let: property type and construction, number and types of rooms, utilities, broadband type, mobile signal and parking. Since May 2024, Rightmove flags or blocks lettings listings that are missing key material information fields.
Who enforces material information rules?
The framework was published by National Trading Standards (NTSELAT). Omitting material information can be a misleading omission under consumer protection law and, in serious cases, a criminal offence. From 6 April 2025 the relevant regime sits in the DMCCA, with CMA guidance evolving, and portals such as Rightmove also enforce their own material information fields.
What is the difference between Part B and Part C?
Part B covers facts that apply to every property, such as construction, rooms, utilities, broadband, mobile signal and parking. Part C covers information that applies only where relevant, such as flood risk, listed building status, rights and easements, or a coalfield or mining area. Where a Part C issue affects a property, it should be disclosed.