What Are Protocol Forms in Conveyancing? A 2026 Guide to TA6, TA7, TA10 and TA13

Protocol forms are the standard questionnaires the Law Society publishes for residential conveyancing in England and Wales. As a seller, you complete the main ones yourself: the Property Information Form (TA6), the Fittings and Contents Form (TA10) and, if your property is leasehold, the Leasehold Information Form (TA7). Your solicitor deals with the rest, including the Completion Information and Undertakings form (TA13) near the end of the sale.

The most significant recent change took effect on 30 March 2026. Firms accredited under the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) must now use the TA6 (6th edition) and TA7 (5th edition) for every new transaction. The new TA6 has 15 sections instead of 25, and more of its questions ask what you're aware of rather than demanding a definite yes or no.

This guide explains what each form does, who fills it in, what changed and the mistakes that most often cause delays or disputes.

Why protocol forms exist

When you sell a home, your buyer's solicitor needs information that only you can give. Has the boiler been serviced? Have you had a dispute with the neighbours? Did the extension get building regulations sign-off? Is there a service charge?

The Law Society's Conveyancing Protocol, and the transaction (TA) forms that sit under it, standardise how that information is collected. Firms accredited under the Conveyancing Quality Scheme, including Bird & Co, must use the forms. That means the buyer's solicitor knows in advance what they'll receive, what to chase and where gaps usually appear.

Getting the forms right matters. Gaps and vague answers add weeks of back-and-forth, and a wrong answer can lead to a misrepresentation claim after completion.

The protocol forms and who completes them

The Law Society's transaction forms cover every standard residential sale, with extra forms for leasehold, new-build and commonhold property:

The three you're most likely to hear about are the TA6, TA10 and TA7, because they're the ones you fill in yourself.

If you're selling a leasehold property, your solicitor will usually also need a management pack from your landlord or managing agent, often on the Law Society's LPE1 form. This is separate from the TA7, and the landlord or agent normally charges for it. Our guide to leasehold and freehold explains more about how leasehold ownership works.

What changed on 30 March 2026

If your conveyancer is CQS-accredited and was instructed on or after 30 March 2026, they must use the TA6 (6th edition) and TA7 (5th edition). If they were instructed before that date and had already used an older edition, they can carry on with it for that transaction.

The 6th edition was published in October 2025, after a consultation with more than 1,200 participants, and replaced both the 4th and 5th editions. The main differences are:

Those removed topics haven't stopped mattering. Information such as council tax band and tenure is now expected to come from the marketing stage and your solicitor's own checks, rather than from you on the TA6.

The TA7 (5th edition) is a smaller update. It adds options for leasehold garages and other property types held under a lease, makes clear that its building safety section applies only to blocks of flats, and asks whether the property is in a "relevant building" under the Building Safety Act 2022. It also drops questions that duplicated the TA6.

What this means in practice: the new form is easier to complete, but the obligation behind it is the same. A "not known" answer is fine when it's true. Leaving sections blank, or saying "not known" about something you obviously know, will prompt enquiries and can look like concealment.

How the forms move through a sale

Every sale is different, and timings depend on the chain and whether the property is leasehold. Our guide to how long it takes to move house covers timescales. The forms themselves usually follow this order:

1. Your solicitor sends you the TA6, TA10 and, if you're leasehold, the TA7. Gather your paperwork as you go: planning permissions and building regulations sign-offs for any work, FENSA or similar certificates for replacement windows, boiler and electrical certificates, guarantees and, if leasehold, your lease and latest ground rent and service charge demands.
2. The contract pack. Once you return the forms, your solicitor sends the buyer's solicitor a draft contract, title information, your completed forms and copies of your supporting documents.
3. The buyer's solicitor raises enquiries about anything unclear, missing or concerning. Many trace back to TA6 answers, so a complete form means fewer questions.
4. When enquiries are answered and the buyer's searches, survey and mortgage are in place, contracts are exchanged and the sale becomes legally binding.
5. The TA13. Your solicitor answers the buyer's solicitor's completion questions on the TA13, covering how the money will be sent, key arrangements and, crucially, an undertaking to pay off your mortgage from the sale proceeds.
6. Money moves, keys change hands and the buyer becomes the owner. Your solicitor's undertaking stays in place until your lender confirms the mortgage has been discharged and the evidence has gone to the buyer's solicitor for registration at HM Land Registry.

Common mistakes sellers make on protocol forms

These are the problems that cause the most delays and disputes:

• Leaving questions blank. A blank answer will almost always come back as an enquiry, passed from the buyer's solicitor to yours and then on to you. Answering fully at the start saves that round trip.
• Using "not known" to avoid a question. The 6th edition gives you more room to say you don't know, because honest uncertainty is acceptable. If you oversaw a loft conversion, though, "not known" against the alterations questions won't be read as honesty, by a buyer's solicitor or potentially by a court.
• Leaving out older building work. Extensions, conversions and conservatories need disclosing even if the work is years old. If you don't have the paperwork, say so. Your solicitor can advise on the options, which may include indemnity insurance.
• Answering "no" to Japanese knotweed without being sure. A "no" is a positive statement that there's no knotweed on or near the property. If you aren't certain, "not known" is usually the honest answer, and a specialist survey can give you and your buyer more certainty.
• Forgetting disputes and complaints. If you've had a disagreement with a neighbour about a boundary, a fence or anything else, the TA6 asks about it and you need to disclose it.
• Treating the TA10 as an afterthought. The TA10 normally forms part of the contract, so it settles last-minute disagreements over light fittings, curtain poles or a TV bracket. Be specific, and remember anything not included will need to be removed by completion day.
• Rushing to save time. If you're unsure how to answer, ask your solicitor to help you word it. That's what they're there for.

What happens if you get it wrong: misrepresentation risk

Buyers rely on your answers, and the TA6 warns that a buyer may claim compensation if the information you give is incorrect or incomplete. If an answer turns out to be wrong and the buyer relied on it, they may bring a misrepresentation claim, either under the Misrepresentation Act 1967 or, where the answer was dishonest, for fraud.

How the court treats a wrong answer depends partly on whether it was given innocently, carelessly or dishonestly. Claims generally have to be brought within six years, but that period can start later where the misrepresentation was fraudulent or the problem was deliberately concealed.

Compensation usually reflects the buyer's loss, often measured by the drop in the property's value, and can include costs such as investigation and remedial work. In the most serious cases, the court can undo the sale entirely.

Two recent cases show how far this can go:

• Downing v Henderson (2023). The seller had answered "no" to the Japanese knotweed question, but knotweed was found behind a garden shed and there was evidence it had been treated before. He was ordered to pay around £32,000 in damages and around £95,000 towards the buyer's legal costs, on top of his own.
• Patarkatsishvili v Woodward-Fisher (2025). The High Court rescinded the £32.5 million sale of a London house. The seller had given false replies to pre-contract enquiries despite having received reports of a serious clothes moth infestation. Because the court found the misrepresentation fraudulent, the buyers could hand the house back.

Most disputes never reach court, but the lesson is the same. The forms are not a sales document, and honest answers, including honest "not known" answers, are the safest route through.

Frequently asked questions about protocol forms

What if I genuinely don't know the answer to a question on the TA6?

Answer "not known". The 6th edition offers that option for more questions, because honest uncertainty is acceptable. The problem is using it when you obviously should know, such as about work carried out while you owned the property. If something happened before you bought, "not known" is often perfectly reasonable.

Can my solicitor fill in the TA6 for me?

No. The answers have to come from you, because you have first-hand knowledge of the property and you sign the form. Your solicitor can help you word difficult answers and tell you which documents you'll need. They aren't required to verify your answers, although good practice is to query anything that looks inconsistent.

I instructed my solicitor before 30 March 2026. Do I have to switch to the new TA6?

Not necessarily. If your solicitor was instructed before 30 March 2026 and had already used an older edition of the TA6 or TA7, they can carry on using it for your transaction. New transactions from that date use the new editions.

What's the difference between the TA6 and enquiries?

The TA6 is your initial account of the property. Enquiries are the buyer's solicitor's follow-up questions about anything in the TA6, the searches or the title that needs clarifying. Think of the TA6 as the answers, and enquiries as the questions about those answers. Our guide to enquiries explains how they work.

Do I need to fill in a TA7 if I'm selling a leasehold house?

Yes. The TA7 applies to leasehold property generally, not just flats. The 5th edition adds options for leasehold garages and other property types held under a lease, and makes clear that its building safety section applies only to flats in a block.

My buyer is paying cash. Do we still need all the forms?

Yes. The forms protect the buyer however the purchase is funded. A cash buyer skips the mortgage process but not the property information, fittings and contents or leasehold forms, and they still rely on your answers.

Can I refuse to answer a question on the TA6?

You can say "not known" where that's true, but an unanswered question will usually come back as an enquiry, and your buyer may not proceed without an answer. What you must not do is give an answer you know is wrong. If there's something you're worried about disclosing, speak to your solicitor before you complete the form, not after.

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