About this form
Form A3 is used in addition to the client’s own particulars form when your client is acting on behalf of another individual. It captures the principal — the person whose interests are actually being transacted — who would otherwise never appear on the file.
When you need it
- Your client holds a power of attorney for an individual owner or buyer.
- A family member is transacting on behalf of another individual.
- Your client tells you they are acting for someone else who is a natural person.
How to complete it
- Complete the client’s own particulars form first — A1 or A2 depending on what the client is.
- Record the principal’s particulars on A3 and verify their identity.
- Establish and record the basis of the client’s authority to act for them.
- Complete a Form B for the principal as well as for the client — screening covers every person, not just the one signing.
Common mistakes
- Using A3 instead of the client’s own form rather than in addition to it.
- Confusing A3 with A4. A3 is for an individual principal; A4 is for a legal person.
- Recording the principal but not screening them.
- Accepting an assertion of authority without seeing the instrument that confers it.
Legal basis
Published by CEA as an annex to the Guide on the Estate Agents (Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism) Regulations 2021. Read the issuer’s guidance.
Questions
- What is the difference between A3 and A4?
- A3 records an individual the client acts for. A4 records a legal person or legal arrangement the client acts for — including the beneficiaries of an estate.
- Does the principal need to be screened?
- Yes. A Form B is completed for every person screened, which includes principals as well as the client and any beneficial owners.
- Which version should I use?
- Use the 30 June 2025 versions. Forms from the superseded guide must no longer be used.