Form TA13, the Completion Information and Undertakings form, is the seller’s solicitor’s pre-completion notice to the buyer’s solicitor in a residential property transaction in England and Wales. It is sent at least five working days before completion and covers three things: where the buyer’s solicitor should send the purchase money, how and when keys will be released, and the legally binding promises the seller’s solicitor makes about paying off any existing mortgages on the property.1The Law Society. Transaction (TA) Forms The current version is the fourth edition, published in 2023. If you are selling, your solicitor prepares and sends the form; if you are buying, your solicitor receives and checks it. You supply the underlying information either way.
What the Form Actually Covers
The TA13 arrives late in the conveyancing process, after contracts have been exchanged and a completion date has been fixed. It is a purely operational document. Where earlier forms describe the property and its history, this one tells the buyer’s side exactly what will happen on the day money changes hands.1The Law Society. Transaction (TA) Forms Every section falls into one of three areas: the money, the property handover, and the promises.
Bank Account Details for the Completion Funds
The form asks for the seller’s solicitor’s client account name, sort code, and account number. This is where the buyer’s solicitor will send the completion money by CHAPS, which settles high-value payments on the same day they are submitted.2Bank of England. CHAPS
Getting these digits right is one of the most consequential parts of the entire transaction. A transposed number sends funds to the wrong account, and recovering a misdirected CHAPS payment is neither fast nor guaranteed. Fraudsters also target this stage of conveyancing: emails between solicitors are intercepted and fake account details substituted. The buyer’s solicitor should verify the account information by telephone using a number already on file, never by replying to the email that carried the TA13. The seller’s solicitor should check every digit against internal firm records before sending.
Mortgage Redemption Figures
If there is a mortgage on the property, the seller’s solicitor contacts the lender for a redemption statement showing the exact balance needed to clear the loan on the agreed completion date. That figure normally includes the outstanding principal, interest accrued to the completion date, and any administrative fees. Some lenders charge a mortgage exit fee (also called a deeds release fee or redemption administration fee) that can range from roughly £75 to £300, though several major lenders have dropped exit fees entirely.
Because interest is calculated to a specific day, any shift in the completion date changes the redemption figure, and the solicitor needs an updated statement whenever the date moves. The buyer’s solicitor uses the number on the TA13 to check that enough money is flowing through the transaction to clear the seller’s debt. If the purchase price minus the redemption and costs leaves a shortfall, the seller must cover it from personal funds before completion can go ahead.
Keys and Vacant Possession
The TA13 specifies where the buyer collects the keys and when vacant possession will be given. Most often the keys are held at the estate agent’s office and released once the seller’s solicitor confirms the completion money has arrived. Under the Standard Conditions of Sale, the seller has until a set contractual time (commonly 1 PM, or 2 PM in longer chains) to vacate, though in practice keys often change hands as soon as funds clear.
Vacant possession is more than an empty house. The property must be free of all occupants, free of any continuing rights of occupation by third parties, and cleared of belongings and rubbish. Every key, alarm code, and access credential should be handed over. A shed full of unwanted furniture, or a lodger who has not moved out, counts as a failure to give vacant possession.
If the seller does not deliver vacant possession on time, the buyer can issue a notice to complete, which typically gives the seller ten working days to comply. If the seller still does not vacate, the buyer can terminate the contract and reclaim the deposit, or pursue a court order for specific performance or damages.
Compliance Certificates and Title Deeds
The form identifies where the property’s compliance documents are located, whether held by the seller’s solicitor, stored with the lender, or left at the property. These prove that work done on the property met building regulations and safety standards at the time.
- FENSA certificates for any replacement windows or doors installed after 1 April 2002, confirming a registered installer carried out the work in line with building regulations. Without one (or an equivalent local authority compliance certificate), the transaction can stall while the seller arranges retrospective cover, usually an indemnity insurance policy.
- Gas Safe records for gas work, particularly boiler installations and gas fire fitting.
- Electrical certificates for rewiring or new consumer unit installations, confirming compliance with Part P of the building regulations.
- Building regulations sign-off for extensions, loft conversions, or structural alterations, in the form of the local authority’s completion certificate or an approved inspector’s final certificate.
The form also addresses the location of the title deeds. Most properties in England and Wales are now registered electronically with HM Land Registry, so physical deeds matter less than they once did. Where paper deeds do exist, particularly for older properties, the seller’s solicitor must confirm where they are held and arrange their transfer on completion.
The Undertakings: What Makes This Form Legally Binding
The undertakings section is the part that carries real legal force. An undertaking is a professional promise by a solicitor that is personally binding and enforceable through the courts and the profession’s regulator. The seller’s solicitor selects which undertakings apply by ticking the relevant boxes.
The central promise is to use the completion money to pay off every mortgage and charge on the property and then send proof of discharge to the buyer’s solicitor. In practice, that means forwarding the redemption money to each lender immediately on completion, and once the lender confirms the debt is cleared, sending the buyer’s solicitor a Form DS1 (discharge of a registered charge), a Form DS3 (release of part of a registered charge), or confirmation that an electronic discharge has been submitted to HM Land Registry.3The Law Society. Code for Completion by Post This is what allows a buyer to hand over hundreds of thousands of pounds before the seller’s mortgage is actually cleared: the undertaking bridges the gap.
The Law Society’s Code for Completion by Post (2019 edition) adds further undertakings that apply when completing remotely, which is how nearly all transactions now work. The seller’s solicitor confirms they have the seller’s authority to receive the purchase money, authority from each mortgage lender to receive the repayment sum on that lender’s behalf, and that they will comply with any agreed completion arrangements.3The Law Society. Code for Completion by Post If any of those authorities is missing, the seller’s solicitor must notify the buyer’s solicitor by 4 PM the working day before completion, and must not complete without the buyer’s solicitor’s instructions.
Consequences of Breaching an Undertaking
Breach of an undertaking violates paragraph 1.3 of the SRA’s Code of Conduct for Solicitors, which requires undertakings to be performed within the agreed timescale or within a reasonable time.4Solicitors Regulation Authority. Undertakings Given by, or on Behalf of, Incorporated Practices The Solicitors Regulation Authority can impose financial penalties of up to £25,000 on individual solicitors and the firms they work for.5Solicitors Regulation Authority. The SRA’s Approach to Financial Penalties Serious cases can be referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, which has the power to strike a solicitor off the roll. The court can also compel performance of the undertaking by order.
Timing and What the Buyer’s Solicitor Does With the Form
The seller’s solicitor sends the completed TA13 at least five working days before completion. The Code for Completion by Post sets this as the standard, and adoption of the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol automatically implies use of the Code unless a solicitor opts out in writing.3The Law Society. Code for Completion by Post Most firms send by secure email or through a case management platform.
The five-day window is there so the buyer’s solicitor can review every answer before the pressure of completion day. On receipt, the buyer’s solicitor checks the bank details against information already on file (and verifies by phone if anything looks different), confirms the redemption figures are current, reviews the undertakings to make sure they cover every charge on the title, and checks that the compliance documents are accounted for. If anything is missing or inconsistent, the issue is raised, and until it is resolved the mortgage lender will not release funds.
Receipt of the completed TA13 also tends to trigger the buyer’s solicitor to send the final financial statement to the buyer and to request the mortgage advance from the lender. A late or incomplete form can push completion back, and in a chain of linked transactions that delay cascades.
If the Seller’s Solicitor Withdraws From the Code
The Code for Completion by Post has a safety valve. A seller’s solicitor who needs to withdraw from using the Code must notify the buyer’s solicitor no later than 4 PM on the working day before completion.3The Law Society. Code for Completion by Post If authority to receive the completion money is withdrawn any later than that, the buyer’s solicitor must be notified immediately. Under the Code, the seller’s solicitor holds any completion money on trust for the person who sent it until a valid transfer is executed, and if completion does not take place the money must be returned to whoever remitted it. That trust arrangement protects the buyer’s funds if something goes wrong on the day.