Why Upfront Material Information Matters More Than Ever

Far from being just another compliance task, upfront Material Information is an opportunity for agents to strengthen relationships with clients, speed up transactions, and stand out in a competitive market. It can bring so many benefits to everyone involved in transactions, making for more efficient property sales in the UK.

In April 2025, Material Information was powered up by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act 2024. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) now has the ability to enforce compliance and bring fines to Estate Agencies who don’t comply.

These are the latest updates since the full guidance on Material Information was released in 2023, so we caught up with Beth Rudolf, Director of Delivery at The Conveyancing Association, to explain it all and what it means for Estate Agents.

The legal requirement is now crystal clear

Material Information is no longer a new ask. It has been around for more than 15 years, and most recently, guidance was updated into Part A, which was introduced in May 2022, with Parts B and C following in November 2023. Despite the full updated guidance coming into effect almost a year and a half ago, many property listings still don’t include complete Material Information.

NTSELAT has been able to take action against missed compliance since 2008 if a buyer complained about a property not being advertised properly. Now, the CMA doesn’t need a complaint to act. It can run checks through Estate Agents’ websites and the property portals to see who is and isn’t complying, with the potential to issue fines against those who are not.

With these latest updates, there’s no grey area. Providing accurate, comprehensive and complete Material Information in property listings was a legal obligation for Estate Agents under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs). Agents who don’t fully comply risk legal action, from 6th April 2025, under the DMCC 2024 and can be more heavily vetted with the CMA’s involvement.

Beth explained: “While this update increases the potential penalties for not fully complying, the benefits delivered are huge. Those who have already adopted it are finding their transaction times are speeding up. It’s not about adding more admin, it’s about giving consumers the information they need to make informed decisions, and when that happens, everyone feels the benefits. Agents need to be using software that will take care of the information gathering for them, as well as interactivity of this data with the portals to save them time and support their compliance.”

Will the Material Information guidance be updated?

The guidance around Material Information will be refreshed to reference the new law. It highlights the minimum standard required so nothing will be removed, as anything that would be classed as material to the average consumer will need to be on a property listing.

What may change is some of the wording of the guidance, to support agents with more accurate completion of the information needed. For example, ‘flood risk’ may become ‘has the property flooded in the last five years?’.

Beth said: “Estate Agents are brilliant at many things but they can’t predict the future. Some of the guidance was worded in a way which made it very difficult to provide accurate information. We hope that when the guidance is updated to reflect the new legislation, NTSELAT will take the opportunity to make it clear what information is needed and how to verify the accuracy of it.”

What’s in it for buyers?

Provided with upfront Material Information, from council tax bands to construction details, utilities, and lease terms, consumers can feel more confident from day one – with fewer surprises, renegotiations, and a lot less stress.

Beth said: “Consumers benefit massively. When buyers know what they’re getting into from the very beginning, the process is quicker, more straightforward, and far less likely to fall apart halfway through. For example, if a mortgage broker knows the ground rent will increase, they can identify the lender for that property and only apply to a lender that will accept this. This stops the transaction falling through, as a lender could withdraw the mortgage offer when they are made aware later in the process, if the information isn’t known upfront.

“It’s about trust. When Agents are able to be transparent about a listing, clients respond positively. And with the technology available to streamline this process of information gathering and sharing, buyers coming into the market can, and should, expect this level of clarity upfront.”

The agents staying ahead

Beth said: “By November this year, we expect 80% compliance throughout categories A, B and C. Of course, it is easier for agents to comply if their digital onboarding services save them time on gathering Material Information from multiple sources or reduce the need to rely on vendor disclosure. iamproperty is one supplier that does this.”

Our movebutler solution helps agents by making it easier for them to get the required information to save them time and meet compliance needs. Additionally, our Premium Conveyancing service is an enhanced conveyancing option which gathers all legal information upfront and addresses standard enquiries earlier in the process, ensuring properties are exchange-ready faster. This achieves a much faster average completion time of 79 days with just a 7% fall-through rate*.

Beth added: “Digitising data makes it interoperable within systems, reducing the number of enquiries needing to be raised during the transaction, and ultimately improving the experience for all involved. “

It’s not just consumers who win. Agents who embrace upfront Material Information are already seeing the operational benefits. From a reduction in fall-throughs to faster completions.

“Thanks to its upfront Home Report, Scotland has a 60% lower fall-through rate than England and Wales.” Beth pointed out. “That’s a huge difference – and a clear indication of what’s possible here. It hasn’t slowed down listings in Scotland – quite the opposite – with fewer fall-throughs; it also reduces the risk of clients walking away out of frustration.”

Increasing value for all

From Property Valuers to Mortgage Brokers and Lenders, digitising this information makes it much less complex and user friendly for all. Agents who use Material Information strategically are enhancing their offer, and transparency is the foundation of a premium service.

Beth said: “Agents shouldn’t be looking at these regulations as a hindrance, but as an opportunity to refine their knowledge of the properties they’re selling, strengthening industry relationships, and ultimately providing a smoother sales process. It will make total sense to the buyer of a property to go back to that agent when they want to sell or let the property, because they already have the Material Information and can easily refresh it.”

How to make Material Information work for you

Agents who move quickly now have a real opportunity to get ahead. With the new abilities to enforce adherence, agents should be:

• • Reviewing property listings to ensure all relevant information is given for categories A, B and C of Material Information.
  • Choosing the right tech partner, ensuring systems support accurate, automated data collection.
  • Educating clients to understand what they need to provide and why it matters.

The bottom line

Accurate Material Information isn’t a simple tick-box exercise but it creates better outcomes for buyers, sellers, and agents. The increased focus on ensuring full compliance will ultimately serve everyone.

As Beth puts it: “Material Information delivery in the UK will offer agents the opportunity to take the time saved and use it to provide an even better service for their clients. It’s a win – win for all.”

*Based on completions handled by Medway Law, iamproperty’s specialist conveyancing arm, between November 2024 – March 2025.