What you must tell a buyer
about a flooded home

Published 28 September 2026  ·  A RISE guide  ·  7–9 minute read  ·  Updated 1 October 2026

The TA6 Property Information Form is the standard document used in almost every residential sale in England and Wales to capture facts about a property that a buyer needs before committing. Its environmental matters section asks the seller directly whether the property has flooded, and to identify which type of flooding was involved — surface water, groundwater, river, coastal, or sewer flooding are each treated as distinct categories, along with a request for copies of any Flood Risk Report ever prepared for the property. Since 30 March 2026, firms on the Conveyancing Quality Scheme must use the sixth edition of the TA6, which is shorter and includes more “not known” options. Check which edition your conveyancer is using; the flood questions described here follow the earlier wording.

The legal nuance that catches people out

Completing a TA6 form is not, strictly speaking, a mandatory legal requirement — but that is a technicality, not a loophole. Conveyancing guidance is explicit that a seller must "complete the form truthfully, completely and as accurately as you can," and in practice a sale is very difficult to progress without it, since mortgage lenders and buyers' solicitors expect it as standard. The real exposure sits in what happens if a seller answers falsely or omits known flood history: a buyer who later discovers the property flooded before, and that this wasn't disclosed, may have grounds for a claim under the Misrepresentation Act 1967. In serious cases, reported outcomes include damages and, rarely, a seller being ordered to take the property back. Answer on what you know: do not answer “no” if you are aware of a flood. This is general information, not legal advice; ask your conveyancer.

If you're selling

• Disclose every flooding incident you're aware of, including minor ones, and specify the type where you know it — "the garden flooded once" and "the property has flooded internally twice" are very different disclosures, and treating them the same is where disputes start.
• Attach any Flood Risk Report, Section 19 investigation finding, insurance claim history, or correspondence with your council or water company about the property's flood history — more documentation protects you, not just the buyer.
• If you're unsure whether something counts as flooding worth declaring, declare it anyway with context, rather than deciding on the buyer's behalf that it doesn't matter.

If you're buying

A completed TA6 form is a starting point, not a full picture. Flood risk materially affects your ability to get buildings insurance and, in turn, a mortgage — lenders routinely require evidence of insurability before completing. Beyond the seller's own disclosure, check the property against the government's own flood risk data independently, ask specifically whether any Section 19 investigation has ever been triggered for the area, and get an insurance quote in principle before you're contractually committed, not after. Homes built since 1 January 2009 are not covered by Flood Re, so ask about insurance before you exchange. Estate agents are also expected to give buyers “material information”, including flood risk, when they list a property (National Trading Standards guidance).

Our own flood risk checker guide walks through exactly how to check a property's flood risk independently of what a seller tells you, before you're financially committed to buying it.

If you're on either side of a sale involving a property with real flood history and want an independent view of what the council record actually shows, the RISE Section 19 Case Assessment is £250, delivered to your inbox.

Sources: HomeOwners Alliance, "TA6 Property Information Form Explained" (hoa.org.uk, 2026); general UK conveyancing and Misrepresentation Act 1967 guidance.