TA6 Sixth Edition launched; what's in it for conveyancers?

After the furore of the fifth edition of the TA6 property information protocol form, the Law Society launched a consultation which informed its approach to a further updated TA6 form. In this podcast Sarah Sargent, explains and explores some of the output of the consultation and how it informed the working party's approach to the updated 6th edition launched this week. Sargent, Head of Residential Conveyancing at Flint Bishop, is an experienced conveyancer with over 20 years in residential property and joined the Law Society’s working group in late 2024 after the backlash to the 5th edition. She explains how her commitment to improving upfront information in property transactions motivated her to contribute to the revision process. The 6th edition, she notes, is the product of nearly a year of weekly meetings, each lasting up to two hours, involving deep analysis of member feedback, consultation data, and practical conveyancing experience.The committee exhaustively reviewed the 1,000 responses to the consultation from conveyancer members which offered measured insights that helped shape the form’s practical improvements. Notably, the committee decided early on to separate material information from the TA6, allowing for clearer focus and usability.A wholesale review of home buyer understanding and usability of the form, and its liabilities, is reflected in clearer explanatory notes and structure, developed through user testing involving in-depth interviews with conveyancers and sellers, as well as eye-tracked usability studies. These efforts ensured the form is both visually intuitive and logically structured for professionals and clients alike.Alongside the removal of the much-maligned material information, key changes in the 6th edition include a reduction in length, now 15 sections, and the removal of questions on council tax, asking price, building safety, and accessibility. The form now includes more ‘not known’ options for when sellers don’t know the answer to certain questions.One of the criticisms levelled at the process of updating the TA protocol forms is the lack of practical, day-to-day experience of frontline conveyancing. But nothing could be further from the truth concludes Sargent, refuting claims the committee is out of touch, and emphasising the group’s collective expertise and hands-on knowledge of the challenges faced by conveyancers in delivering this updated form. The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack