Trade and representative bodies have launched the fourth iteration of the Buyer’s and Seller’s Property information form (BAPSI) to ensure it remains fit for purpose in the homebuying process.

The document is reviewed and consulted on every year to make sure it’s up to date and reflects any changes in the law and updates that might be needed.

This year’s iteration introduces eight new questions which aim to make it easier to pre-populate the forms used by stakeholders in the home moving process.

The BAPSI is developed by the upfront information working group of the Home Buyers and Sellers Group and is a ‘single source of truth’ dataset, designed to include all the information needed when a property is put on sale.

Part A covers disclosure of material facts, such as disputes and complaints, fixtures, fittings, utilities, services, insurance and disputes, while Part B focuses on legal details such as ownership, boundaries, energy, warranties, completion and moving.

The annual review of the BAPSI has been completed by organisations representing the legal, surveying, estate agency and property management sectors including the Conveyancing Association (CA), Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (Rics), and the Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC).

This year’s major changes involve a move away from a specific question on building safety regarding the External Wall System form, to a wider question on overall building safety and remediation. The idea is that this will provide a heads up to conveyancers much earlier in the process.

Conveyancing Association director of delivery Beth Rudolf comments: “This is all about ensuring stakeholders secure the information they need to be able to confidently provide it to consumers, allowing them to make a fully informed decision about the property and whether they want to proceed with plans to purchase.”

Society of Licensed Conveyancers chairperson Simon Law adds: “The SLC is entirely supportive of the principle of upfront information and use of the BASPI, which continues to evolve and develop in an ever-changing world. It is an important tool that estate agents and vendors can use to help deliver important information early in the process to better inform potential buyers and speed up transactions.”