What the TA7 leasehold information form doesn't tell you

The TA7 is the Leasehold Information Form, part of the standard set of forms sellers fill in during a sale. It asks about the lease, service charges, ground rent, the landlord, the management company and a few practical bits like insurance and works.

Here's the catch. It's the seller's own account. They fill it in, usually from memory and a drawer of old letters, and nobody checks it before it lands with your solicitor. It's a useful starting point and a decent way to spot what to chase. It isn't evidence.

So treat every answer as a claim to be tested, not a fact to be relied on.

Sellers can only tell you what they know. Plenty of things sit outside that.

They may not know how many years are really left on the lease, or what the lease says in its small print. They may not know the building has a cladding problem, or that the roof is due for major work. They might genuinely think the ground rent is fixed when the lease says it doubles. And sometimes they just tick the box that makes the sale easier.

The form is also a snapshot. It says nothing reliable about what the landlord or managing agent is planning next, and that's often where the expensive surprises live.

Common answers like 'not aware' or 'none that I know of' are worth a second look. They aren't lies. They're also not a guarantee.

The lease is the contract that governs your home, and the TA7 only summarises it, loosely. Your solicitor should read the whole thing, and you should ask them to explain the parts that affect you in plain English.

Things worth checking directly in the lease include the term and how it's counted, how ground rent is set and whether it can rise, what you can and can't do inside the flat (pets, subletting, flooring, short lets), who repairs what, and how service charges are split.

If you want an early look yourself, HM Land Registry charges 7 pounds to download a copy of a filed lease on gov.uk. Its free property search only tells you whether a property is freehold or leasehold and gives the title number, so don't expect more from that.

One point on length. Lenders commonly want around 70 to 85 years left when you apply and 30 to 40 years left when the mortgage ends, and each lender sets its own figure. A short lease can limit who will lend, and that affects who you can sell to later. If the lease has fewer than 80 years left, extending it can involve marriage value. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 abolishes marriage value, but that part isn't in force and has no start date, so it still applies today. Confirm the current position with a solicitor before you rely on it.

The TA7 asks about service charges, but a figure written on a form is thin. Ask for the actual paperwork behind it.

Your solicitor should request the last few years of service charge accounts, the current year's budget, and details of any reserve or sinking fund. A low charge isn't always good news. It can mean the building isn't saving for repairs, and a big bill lands on whoever owns the flat when the roof goes.

Also ask for the buildings insurance schedule, and any notices about planned major works. If works have been proposed, find out the likely cost per flat and whether it's already been demanded. Who pays, the seller or you, is a question to settle before exchange, not after.

This is the document that does the heavy lifting. The landlord or managing agent usually provides a management pack, often for a fee the seller pays, in response to your solicitor's enquiries. It tends to confirm the figures the seller gave and add things they couldn't.

Look for confirmation of ground rent and service charge arrears, any disputes or legal action, planned or ongoing works, the building's fire safety and cladding position, and consents given for past alterations. Compare it against the TA7 line by line. If the two disagree, that's your cue to ask questions, not to assume the seller made an honest slip.

Also check any ground rent is what you were told. New long residential leases granted from 30 June 2022 carry a peppercorn ground rent under the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022, but older leases can look very different.

Before you exchange, make sure your solicitor has seen and explained these.

1. 1The full lease, plus any deed of variation or previous extension.
2. 2The title register and plan from Land Registry.
3. 3Service charge accounts and the current budget.
4. 4The management pack, checked against the TA7.
5. 5Buildings insurance details.
6. 6Notices of planned or past major works.

Two small notes. The old rule that you needed to own a flat for two years before claiming a statutory lease extension was abolished from 31 January 2025, so that's no longer a hurdle. And because leasehold law has been changing, ask your solicitor to confirm anything that depends on current legislation.

If the answers don't add up, slow down. A delayed exchange is annoying. A bad flat is worse.