The New TA7 Is Cleaner. The Liability Is Not.

The Law Society's updated TA7 Leasehold Information Form is cleaner, clearer, and more logical than its predecessor. However, a better form does not remove the very real risks that come with getting leasehold information wrong. Here is what every conveyancer and seller needs to know.

The Law Society released the 5th edition of the TA7 Leasehold Information Form in October 2025 alongside the 6th edition of the TA6 Property Information Form. Both forms are now available through licensed suppliers and will be mandatory for all Conveyancing Quality Scheme members from 30 March 2026, after which all previous editions will be withdrawn.

The new TA7 is a genuine improvement. It is better structured, less repetitive, and considerably easier for sellers to complete. That is all welcome news. But simplifying the form does not simplify the underlying legal and financial risks that leasehold transactions carry. If anything, a cleaner form places even greater emphasis on the quality and accuracy of the information provided, because there is less room to hide behind ambiguity.

This blog looks at those risks head on, for both practitioners and sellers, and offers practical guidance on how to manage them.

Why the TA7 Carries Serious Legal Weight

Before examining the individual risk areas, it is worth pausing on why this form matters so much in the first place.

The TA7 is not simply a data collection exercise. The answers given by the seller are relied upon by the buyer as representations about the property. If those representations turn out to be false or misleading, the buyer may have a claim in misrepresentation against the seller, regardless of whether the error was deliberate or accidental.

For conveyancers, the risks go further. A failure to advise a seller client properly about their disclosure obligations, or a failure to review the completed form carefully before submitting it, can give rise to a negligence claim. In a leasehold transaction, where the values involved and the complexity of the issues are both higher than in a typical freehold sale, the consequences of getting things wrong can be significant.

The TA7 deserves the same level of care and attention as any other key transaction document. It should never be treated as a box-ticking exercise.

Risk Area One – Lease Length

The risk: A lease with fewer than 80 years remaining is a serious problem. Most mortgage lenders will not lend against a lease below this threshold, and once a lease drops below 80 years the cost of extending it increases substantially because the landlord becomes entitled to a share of what is known as the marriage value. A seller who is unaware of their lease length, or who discovers it too late in the transaction, faces the very real prospect of their sale falling through.

For conveyancers: Check the unexpired lease term at the very outset of every leasehold instruction. Do not wait for the buyer's solicitor to raise it. If the term is below 80 years, or is likely to fall below 80 years before the transaction is likely to complete, advise your client immediately. Begin exploring the lease extension process in parallel with the sale if necessary. Failing to identify a short lease early and advise accordingly is one of the most common sources of negligence complaints in leasehold conveyancing.

For sellers: If you are thinking about selling and you have never checked how many years are left on your lease, now is the time to do it. Your solicitor can check this quickly. If the term is low, starting a lease extension before marketing your property could make the difference between a straightforward sale and one that struggles to attract mortgage-dependent buyers at all.

💡 Practical tip: Sellers should ask their solicitor to check the lease term before they instruct an estate agent. There is little point in marketing a property at a particular price if a short lease is going to undermine the transaction later.

Risk Area Two – Ground Rent

The risk: Ground rent provisions have caused enormous disruption in the leasehold market in recent years. While the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 capped ground rents on new leases at a peppercorn, many existing leases still contain clauses that allow ground rent to double at regular intervals or increase in line with the Retail Price Index. Mortgage lenders have become increasingly unwilling to lend on properties affected by these provisions, and buyers who discover them late in the transaction often try to renegotiate the price or withdraw altogether.

The risk for sellers is not just that a sale falls through. A seller who fails to disclose the true nature of their ground rent provisions, even inadvertently, may face a misrepresentation claim from a buyer who later discovers the position.

For conveyancers: Review the ground rent clause in the lease as a matter of priority. Check it against your lender clients' requirements. Many lenders will decline to lend where the annual ground rent exceeds 0.1 percent of the property value, or where there is a doubling clause. If the ground rent is potentially onerous, consider whether a deed of variation, a formal notice to the landlord, or specialist indemnity insurance may assist. Advise your seller client in writing about the potential impact on the sale.

For sellers: Do not assume that because you have always paid your ground rent without issue, a buyer will see it the same way. The question is not just what you pay today but what you might pay in ten, twenty, or thirty years' time. Check your lease carefully, or ask your solicitor to explain the ground rent provisions to you before you complete the TA7.

💡 Practical tip: If your lease contains a ground rent review clause, locate it and read it carefully before filling in the form. If you are not sure what it means, ask your solicitor to explain it. Getting this wrong on the TA7 can have serious consequences down the line.

Risk Area Three – Service Charges and Major Works

The risk: Unexpected service charge demands and major works bills are among the most common reasons leasehold transactions collapse or are renegotiated at a late stage. A buyer who discovers after exchange of contracts that a large bill for roof repairs, cladding replacement, or fire safety remediation is imminent may seek to withdraw or pursue a claim if they feel that information was concealed from them.

For sellers, the risk of non-disclosure here is real. For conveyancers, failing to obtain adequate service charge information or failing to advise clients about the significance of planned works can give rise to a negligence claim.

For conveyancers: Request at least three years of service charge accounts at the outset. Review them carefully. Look for trends, large one-off charges, and the state of the reserve or sinking fund. A fund that has been depleted or that is inadequate for the age and condition of the building is a warning sign. Where a managing agent is involved, consider raising formal enquiries through the LPE1 form to obtain confirmed information about planned or anticipated expenditure. This is especially important in buildings where fire safety remediation works may still be outstanding.

For sellers: Be honest about what you know. If you have received a section 20 notice (a formal consultation notice about major works), disclose it. If you have been told informally by your managing agent that a major project is coming, disclose it. The duty of disclosure is not limited to things you have received in writing. If you are aware of it, it needs to be on the form.

💡 Practical tip: Sellers should contact their managing agent before completing the TA7 and ask specifically whether any major works are planned or under discussion, and whether the reserve fund is considered adequate. Get the response in writing.

Risk Area Four – Alterations Without Consent

The risk: Most leases require the landlord's written consent before certain works are carried out to the property. This can include fitting wooden or laminate flooring, removing or altering internal walls, installing new windows, or subletting. Many sellers carry out these works in good faith, without realising that consent was needed.

The risk arises when the buyer's solicitor discovers during the transaction that works have been carried out without consent. In the worst cases this can trigger a forfeiture risk, where the landlord has the right to take back the property for breach of the lease. Even in less serious cases it causes delay, additional cost, and sometimes the loss of the transaction.

For conveyancers, failing to ask the right questions or failing to identify the need for consent on review of the TA7 can give rise to a complaint.

For conveyancers: Do not rely solely on the completed TA7 to identify alteration issues. Have a direct conversation with your client about any works carried out during their ownership. Review any relevant planning or building regulations history. If consent was required but not obtained, assess whether a retrospective licence from the landlord is achievable and practical within the transaction timeline, or whether indemnity insurance is the more appropriate route. Advise your client in writing of the risks and the proposed solution.

For sellers: Think carefully about everything you have done to the property since you bought it. Even works that felt minor or cosmetic may have required your landlord's written permission under the terms of your lease. If in doubt, tell your solicitor and let them advise you. Discovering this issue early means there is time to deal with it properly. Discovering it at the point of exchange means delays, additional expense, and a buyer who may have lost confidence in the transaction.

💡 Practical tip: Pull out your lease and look at the alterations clause before completing the TA7. If you cannot locate the clause or do not understand what it means, ask your solicitor to walk you through it.

Risk Area Five – Building Safety

The risk: The Building Safety Act 2022 has added a layer of complexity to leasehold transactions involving taller residential buildings, broadly defined as those over 11 metres in height or five storeys. The new 5th edition of the TA7 includes a specific question about whether the property is within a "relevant building" as defined by the Act.

For both conveyancers and sellers, getting this wrong, or failing to understand its implications, carries significant risk. Building safety remediation costs can be substantial, and the allocation of those costs between landlords and leaseholders is governed by a complex set of rules that are still evolving.

For conveyancers: Ensure you are up to date with the building safety requirements and the role of the leaseholder deed of certificate. Where a property is in a relevant building, check carefully for any outstanding remediation orders, building safety charges, or issues with the landlord's certificate. Be aware that this is an area of law that is developing quickly and that advice given today may need to be revisited as further guidance emerges.

For sellers: If your property is in a tall block of flats, your solicitor will guide you through what is needed. Do not attempt to answer the building safety questions on the TA7 without speaking to your solicitor first. This is not an area where guesswork is appropriate.

💡 Practical tip: Conveyancers should make sure their standard leasehold questionnaire to new seller clients includes specific questions about the height and number of storeys of the building, so that building safety issues can be identified and addressed from the outset.

Risk Area Six – Disputes and Notices

The risk: Sellers are required to disclose any disputes with their landlord, managing agent, or neighbours, as well as any formal notices they have received. The duty of disclosure here is broader than many sellers realise. It is not limited to formal legal proceedings. An ongoing disagreement about service charges, a noise complaint that has been going on for months, or a letter from the landlord about an alleged breach of the lease must all be considered for disclosure.

Failing to disclose a dispute that the buyer later discovers can result in a misrepresentation claim. For conveyancers, failing to advise a client about the scope of their disclosure obligations in this area is a potential negligence risk.

For conveyancers: Go through this section of the TA7 carefully with your client rather than leaving them to complete it alone. Ask open questions about their relationship with the landlord and their neighbours. Clients who have been involved in disputes sometimes do not think to mention them, either because they feel the matter is resolved or because they do not realise it is relevant.

For sellers: When you are completing this part of the form, think broadly. Have you had any arguments or disagreements about the management of the building? Have you received any letters from your landlord about the way you are using the property? Have you had any noise or boundary issues with neighbours? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, mention it to your solicitor before completing the form.

💡 Practical tip: Sellers should look back through any correspondence received from their landlord, managing agent, or neighbours in the last few years before completing the disputes section of the TA7. Memory alone is not a reliable guide.

What the New Edition Changes – and What it Does Not

The 5th edition of the TA7 is a better form than its predecessor. It is clearer, better structured, and less likely to confuse sellers or generate unnecessary enquiries. The removal of duplicated questions, the clarification of the building safety section, and the improved logical flow are all welcome.

However, it is important to be clear about what the new edition does not change. It does not alter the legal significance of the information provided. It does not reduce the seller's duty to disclose. It does not lower the standard of care expected of conveyancers. And it does not remove the very real risks that have always attached to leasehold transactions.

A better form, used carelessly, is no better than a worse one used carelessly. The improvement lies in the form itself. The quality of the outcome still depends entirely on the care taken by the solicitor and the seller in completing and reviewing it.

Leasehold conveyancing carries inherent complexity and that complexity does not disappear with a redesigned form. The TA7 (5th edition) is a tool and, like any tool, its value depends entirely on how it is used. 

Keep in MInd

For conveyancers, that means treating every leasehold instruction with the scrutiny it deserves, advising clients clearly about their disclosure obligations, and reviewing the completed form before it goes anywhere near the buyer's solicitor.

For sellers, it means being honest, being thorough, and asking for help when you are not sure. The TA7 is your opportunity to give the buyer an accurate picture of the property you are selling. Approached in that spirit, it is far less daunting than it might first appear.

If you have questions about the TA7 or about any aspect of your leasehold sale, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our team.

This blog is intended for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have specific questions about your leasehold property or transaction, please seek advice from a qualified solicitor.