The listing is ready except for the information
Photos are done, the floorplan is back, the description is written. The listing still cannot go live because the vendor has not told you the council tax band, the tenure details, the broadband situation or whether there are any building safety or flood issues. The form was emailed ten days ago. It came back with half the boxes blank and a note saying ask my solicitor.
The negotiator chases, the vendor gets irritated, and the listing launch slips past the weekend you promised.
Why vendors struggle with the form
Material information forms ask about things most vendors have never had to think about: lease lengths, service charges, rights of way, restrictions, parking arrangements, utilities and so on. Many of the questions are unclear to a layperson, and vendors worry about getting an answer wrong. A long PDF sent by email is the least helpful way to ask.
Some of the answers can be found without the vendor at all, from public sources. Others need documents the vendor has in a drawer. Treating them all the same wastes the vendor's patience.
| Type of information | Where it can come from |
|---|---|
| Council tax band, EPC rating | Public records, which can be looked up |
| Tenure, lease length, ground rent | Vendor documents, title information |
| Service charge and management details | Vendor, managing agent |
| Utilities and broadband | Vendor, plus public coverage checkers |
| Known issues and restrictions | Vendor, with their solicitor if unsure |
What a late listing costs
A late listing is lost marketing time, and the first days on the portals are when interest is highest. Vendors who signed with you expecting a quick launch start doubting you before a single viewing. Incomplete information also causes trouble later: a buyer who learns about a lease issue at the solicitor stage may withdraw, which is far more costly than finding out before the listing.
Which information you must show, and how, is set by the guidance that applies to your business and by your own compliance process. We do not interpret that for you.
The guided collection we build
- Question set: we build your form from the question list your business uses, rewritten in plain language with a short explanation of each item and a not sure option that flags it rather than blocking the vendor.
- Pre-fill: where a fact can be looked up from public sources, such as the EPC rating or council tax band, we fill it in for the vendor to confirm rather than asking them to find it.
- Document upload: leases, management packs and certificates can be uploaded against the relevant question.
- Progress tracking: the negotiator sees which items are answered, which are flagged not sure, and which are empty, and reminders go to the vendor automatically.
- Checking step: a member of your team reviews the answers before anything reaches the listing. Draft text for the listing's information section can be generated from the confirmed answers.
- Record: answers, documents and the date confirmed are stored against the property in your CRM.
Listings that go live complete
Vendors fill in a form they can understand, on their phone, with some of it already done. Your negotiator deals with the flagged items instead of chasing the whole form. Listings go live with the information section complete, and the answers are already on file when a buyer's solicitor asks.
Are listings waiting on vendor answers?
- Listings wait for material information after the photos and floorplan are ready.
- Vendors return the form incomplete or ask what the questions mean.
- Staff look up council tax bands and EPC ratings by hand for every listing.
- Material information issues surface for the first time at the solicitor stage.