What is a TA10 form?
A TA10 form is one of the documents you’ll fill in when selling a house, and getting it right matters more than most sellers realise. This guide explains what the form covers, why it’s legally binding, and how our team can help you complete it properly from the very start of your sale.
Most sellers have never seen one of these forms before their first house sale, so it’s easy to underestimate how much weight it carries. By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly what to expect when yours lands on the doormat.
What is a TA10 form and why does it matter?
The TA10 form is the Law Society’s Fittings and Contents form. Your conveyancing solicitor will send it to you, usually alongside the TA6 property information form, right at the start of the sale.
Put simply, it’s a fixtures and fittings form that records exactly what the seller intends to leave behind and what they plan to take with them. Without it, buyers and sellers are left guessing.
The form exists to stop confusion later in the process. It sets out, item by item, exactly what’s staying at the property and what condition it should be left in.
Buyers rely heavily on this document when deciding what they’re actually paying for. A clear, accurate fixtures and fittings form helps both sides move towards exchange without last-minute disagreements.
What’s the difference between fixtures and fittings?
Before filling in a TA10 form, it helps to understand the legal distinction the form is built around.
Fixtures are items permanently attached to the property. They’re normally assumed to be included in the sale unless you state otherwise on the form.
Fittings are items that aren’t fixed down. Ownership of these is far more flexible, and buyers often negotiate to buy them separately, agreeing a price directly with the seller.
Common examples of fixtures include:
- Fitted kitchen units and integrated appliances
- Boilers and central heating systems
- Built-in wardrobes and fitted shelving
- Wired-in smoke alarms and doorbells
- Bathroom sanitary ware such as basins and baths
Common examples of fittings include:
- Curtains, blinds and curtain poles
- Freestanding washing machines, fridges and cookers
- Mirrors, artwork and wall hangings
- Rugs and freestanding lamps
- Garden furniture and portable barbecues
What does the TA10 form cover?
A fixtures and fittings form is broken down into sections, and you’ll work through each one room by room. For every item listed, you simply tick whether it’s included, excluded, or not present at the property.
If you’d like to sell an excluded item to the buyer, there’s space to suggest a price, which then becomes the starting point for negotiation between the parties or their estate agents.
The main sections of the TA10 form usually include:
- Basic fittings, such as light switches and burglar alarms
- Kitchen appliances, noting whether each is fitted or freestanding
- Bathroom fittings including taps, towel rails and shower curtains
- Carpets, listed by room
- Curtains and curtain rails, listed by room
- Light fittings, listed by room
- Fitted units such as wardrobes and shelving
- Outdoor items including sheds, plants and clothes lines
- Television and telephone points and aerials
- Any stock of fuel left on site
- Other items that don’t fit elsewhere on the form
Not sure what counts as a fixture in your sale?
It’s a common sticking point, especially with items like integrated appliances or garden features that sit somewhere between the two categories. Our team can talk you through anything you’re unsure about before you sign, which is far easier to sort out early than after contracts have been exchanged.
When do you need to complete a TA10 form?
You’ll normally receive your TA10 form as soon as you accept an offer and instruct a conveyancing solicitor. It arrives as part of your contract pack alongside a handful of other paperwork.
It’s worth completing these forms as soon as they land in your inbox. Chasing paperwork is one of the most common reasons a sale slips behind schedule, and a prompt fixtures and fittings form keeps your transaction moving.
Documents that typically arrive alongside your TA10 form include:
- The TA6 property information form
- A TA7 leasehold information form, if applicable
- Your energy performance certificate
- Any guarantees or warranties for the property
Is the TA10 form legally binding?
Yes. Once contracts are exchanged, your TA10 form becomes part of the legal contract for the sale.
That means every item you’ve marked as included must be left at the property, in the condition you described. If you remove something you’d promised to leave, the buyer can bring a legal claim against you after completion.
It’s worth keeping a copy of your completed form to hand on moving day, so you can check what’s supposed to stay before you hand over the keys and close the door for the last time.
Do you have to complete a TA10 form?
Technically, a TA10 form isn’t a legal requirement in the way that, say, an energy performance certificate is. In practice, though, almost every solicitor and estate agent will expect one.
Skipping it tends to cause more problems than it solves. Buyers will usually push for one anyway, and without it, disagreements about what’s included in the price are far more likely to surface right before completion.
If your sale involves a chain, an incomplete or missing TA10 form can hold up everyone else too, not just your own transaction. Completing it fully and promptly is one of the simplest ways to keep your sale, and everyone else’s, on schedule.
Does stamp duty apply to items on your TA10 form?
This is a question we’re asked often. Genuine fixtures, being legally part of the land, are included in the price on which Stamp Duty Land Tax is calculated.
Chattels, meanwhile, are the truly movable items, and the price attributed to them isn’t subject to stamp duty. However, HMRC expects any amount allocated to chattels to be a fair, realistic reflection of their value, and can query figures that look inflated.
If you’re weighing up how apportioning fixtures and fittings might affect your bill, HMRC’s guidance on chattels and fixtures sets out how it assesses these cases. Our own stamp duty calculator can also give you a quick, indicative figure for your purchase.
How a conveyancing solicitor can help with your TA10 form
A good conveyancing solicitor won’t just post the form through your letterbox and wait. They’ll flag anything on your fixtures and fittings form that looks inconsistent with your other paperwork, or that could cause the buyer’s solicitor to raise a query later.
Our residential conveyancing team reviews every TA10 form we receive before it goes back to the buyer’s side, catching the small errors that tend to hold up an otherwise straightforward sale.
Because we work on fixed fees, you’ll also know exactly what our conveyancing solicitor involvement costs from the outset, with no surprise charges for the extra time spent getting your paperwork right.
Ready to get expert help with your TA10 form?
Selling a house involves more paperwork than most people expect, and the TA10 form is one of the documents most likely to cause a delay if it’s rushed. Our conveyancing solicitor team is on hand to guide you through it from your very first instruction.
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