The biggest shake-up to home buying process in country’s history

The changes will halve the number of failed sales which come at a cost to the economy of £1.5 billion a year, MHCLG said, and could accelerate transaction times by around four weeks.

Announcing the proposals, housing secretary Steve Reed said:

“Buying a home should be a dream, not a nightmare. Our reforms will fix the broken system so hardworking people can focus on the next chapter of their lives.”

A statement from MHCLG added:

“Together, the proposals could create a system that is more streamlined, less stressful, and fit for the future.These reforms would support the wider government agenda to unlock housing supply, improve affordability, and support the delivery of 1.5 million homes over the next parliament. A modernised home buying and selling system is essential to achieving this ambition.”

A consultation has been launched to gather opinions on the proposals, along with a second consultation inviting views on material information and what should be included in the packs.

Under the proposals, a detailed list of mandatory upfront information will be produced, ranging from title information and leasehold costs to property condition and chain status. Information from searches and surveys will be published before a property listing is shared, so buyers can see the physical condition, characteristics and flood risk of the property online.

‘This will help end nasty surprises which result in last-minute collapses and give greater confidence to first-time buyers making one of life’s most important decisions’, the MHCLG statement said.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) welcomed the proposal to establish consistent and comprehensive upfront information for buyers, which it said would ensure clarity at the beginning of the process and reduce the risk of failed transactions.

RICS CEO Justin Young commented:

“RICS has long supported reform of the home buying and selling process, which is too often stressful, costly, and brings uncertainty to buyers and sellers. The government’s commitment to an industry consultation is a vital step forward, and RICS will brings its expertise to the table. By embedding transparency, professionalism, and innovation into the buying and selling process, we can help build a housing market that works better for everyone.”

Rightmove also said it looked forward to a consultation which could help to solve ‘an elongated legal process’ in which buyers and sellers can be let down when new and critical information comes to light.

‘We worked for the past few years to help agents implement material info guidance, and scrapping the guidance hasn’t been helpful for them’, said director of agency partnerships Christian Balshen.

“We’ve been working with government to share the experiences of both agents and home-movers on what information might be helpful, and importantly how agents can collect the data in a consistent way or where there are challenges. We’ll continue to talk to agents and share their collective views with government.”

The proposed changes will be underpinned by a strong focus on technology, including ‘consistent, trusted data and digital tools’ that will allow consumers to complete tasks and track progress in real time.

‘At a time when technology has changed many processes in our lives, it is incredible that the process of buying a home – an activity that is a cornerstone of our economy – remains much the same for today’s buyers as it did for their grandparents’, said David Morris, head of homes at Santander.

“Our recent report, Fixing the Broken Chain, highlighted how our antiquated system is holding back economic and individual growth, causing property transactions to collapse, and deterring buyers and sellers from entering the market at all. 

“This consultation reinforces our view that, as an industry, we have the opportunity to fix the system and now is the time to seize it. We’re ready to work together with government and all those involved in the homebuying process to move this discussion into action and create a system fit for today’s buyers and sellers.” 

As part of the technology push, the ‘widespread use’ of digital property logbooks would standardise upfront property information and reduce the need for conveyancers to assemble the information from scratch each time a property is marketed.

Nigel Walley is the chair of the Residential Logbook Association (RLBA). He said he looks forward to working with MHCLG to make the proposals a reality, adding:

“In a world of open and interoperable data, logbooks will deliver clarity and security to homebuyers and support government proposals.”

The consultation on introducing a mandatory qualification for estate agents has also been welcomed by the property industry. ‘The debate around mandatory qualifications for agents has been going for some time, and we support the move to consult on what could be put in place to help agents and home-movers’, Rightmove’s head of events and education Jason Charles said.

“Back in 2022, we launched an official estate and letting agent qualification for agents on Rightmove to study towards at no extra cost to their Rightmove membership. This was in response to agents asking us to facilitate something that helps them get ahead of any mandatory legislation, and many agents have chosen to put their teams through it as a point of difference when attracting sellers and landlords.”

RICS also supported the proposed qualification and accompanying code of practice, which it said should lead to enhanced standards and create better experiences and outcomes for consumers. ‘RICS has already developed such a code with the Property Ombudsman and would be pleased to work with the government to incorporate it into future plans’, the organisation said.

Increasing consumer education and transparency form a key part of the proposals, with measures including creating a register of conveyancers and estate agents and their professional specialisms and performance benchmarks. Processes supported by the provider – such as the provision of digital property packs or logbooks – would also be included in the public register.

‘Not only would this support consumers to choose the appropriate services, it would also provide the opportunity to compare services through a trusted source and ensure consumers are paying a fair price’, the consultation document notes.

Acknowledging the length and complexity of the current transaction process and the changing role of conveyancers, the document continues:

“The role of conveyancers has expanded significantly in recent years and as a result, this part of the home moving process is taking far longer than it once did, taking an average of 60% longer in 2025 than it did in 2007.

“This is partly a result of newer regulations such as those that set the legal framework for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) which means consumers face duplicative checks from conveyancers, lenders, estate agents and other property professionals during a single transaction.

“Property titles have also become increasingly complex, with issues such as managed freehold properties and estate rent charges becoming more common. This directly adds to the workload of conveyancers but also means lenders have additional requirements for conveyancers to manage their risk in lending against properties with these terms. We propose streamlining and simplifying conveyancing to ensure that consumers and professionals do not face unnecessary delays and duplication.

“We suggest beginning this process by streamlining AML checks so that consumers do not face repeated checks during a single transaction. We could also explore opportunities to support AI conveyancing technology to save conveyancers time.”

‘Buying and selling property has long been viewed by many consumers as complex, stressful, and overly complicated’, Propertymark CEO Nathan Emerson commented.

“It is therefore encouraging to see a renewed commitment from the UK government to review the entire process, with the aim of streamlining and improving both its clarity and efficiency.

“At present, the property transaction process still relies heavily on outdated communication methods between key parties such as buyers, sellers, conveyancers, mortgage providers, and estate agents. Any efforts to create a more collaborative and connected ecosystem will ultimately help raise standards, boost productivity, and deliver a more consistent and higher-quality service. This, in turn, could reduce the number of costly and time-consuming fall throughs.”

However, he warned that to be effective, any reforms should be a result of a full understanding of the existing challenges from the perspective of all parties:

“There is significant potential to further digitise the process and modernise how information is shared, ensuring that critical details are delivered at the right moments to support better decision-making. Additionally, incorporating regular review and insight into the process would help assess its effectiveness and make future improvements more straightforward to implement.”

According to Rightmove data, people spend around seven ‘long and painful’ months moving home. With current technology and collaboration, transformation is possible, CEO Johan Svanstrom believes. He commented:

“The home-moving process involves many fragmented parts, and there’s simply too much uncertainty and costs along the way. Speed, connected data and stakeholder simplicity should be key goals. We believe it’s important to listen to agents as the experts for what practical changes will be most effective, and we look forward to working with the government on this effort to improve the buying and selling process.”

Lenders also welcomed the proposals, calling for collaboration between government and industry to drive the changes. Henry Jordan, Nationwide’s group director of mortgages, said:

“Buying a home is often complex and stressful, which is why the home buying process needs to be simplified and streamlined for the benefit of consumers, brokers and lenders. But to tackle this issue effectively, we must collaborate. That is why we look forward to working closely with government and the wider industry to modernise the homebuying process, so that buyers are given certainty earlier and to help reduce any unnecessary costs. The measures being consulted on, along with digitalisation and technology, are a major part of how we will get there.”

The home buying and selling reform consultation is open now and will close on 21 December. The consultation on material information in property listings opens at 9am on 6 October.

Article Source: https://todaysconveyancer.co.uk/government-announces-biggest-shake-home-buying-process-countrys-history/
Credit: Juliet Shaw  | Date October 6th 2025