The roadmap for reforming the home buying and selling process has been published by the government, in its response to the two consultations launched in October 2025.
Late and inconsistent information for buyers, too little commitment, a lack of transparency around delays, process repetition and a lack of digitalisation are amongst the reasons the government has given for why now is the time to for reform.
Over 12 chapters, the government commits to a programme of reform which will see the introduction of up-front sales packs to include searches and a property condition report, embed digital logbooks into the transaction, and require the use of binding conditional contracts.
A phased approach to reform “will give the sector time to adapt while delivering improvements as quickly as possible”. Later this year, a code of practice will be published setting out minimum standards for property agents and including guidance to improve the quality of information in property listings. From 2027 onwards, estate agent qualifications will be consulted on and the government will work with the sector to facilitate uptake of digital ID, qualified electronic signatures (QES), and digital logbooks and packs.
The government anticipates introducing legislation to mandate the use of sales packs, binding contracts and digital systems “when parliamentary time allows”.
Chapters four to 12 of the roadmap tackle different elements of the reform programme in turn. On the mandating of upfront information, consultation responses were mostly in favour, with support from individuals (84%) higher than from professionals (77%). Support was less strong amongst conveyancers (62%), who were the least supportive of including searches and a condition report, and were more likely to oppose this proposal than support it (28% for, 38% opposed).
Concerns about searches and surveys were most likely to be related to the validity of the property data over time, increased costs for sellers, lenders not accepting the data or buyers not trusting the data.
With any legislation needing parliamentary time, a point acknowledged throughout the roadmap, initial information provided would be voluntarily but would “help the sector adjust in anticipation of legislation” with user guidance enabling professionals to “build the necessary capacity”.
The detail of what constitutes material information and how much should be available in property listings was subject to a separate consultation and received 188 responses. The majority of conveyancers (65%) criticised what they viewed as estate agents’ lack of expertise in collecting the required information. Another key theme was sellers’ limited knowledge of key information about their property and a reluctance to disclose negative information which could have an impact on price.
The lack of consistency in providing upfront and material information could lead to an “uneven playing field” between estate agents in the market, disincentivising agents who were tying to do the “right thing”. The consultation found strong support for the use of standard forms and templates to create a consistent process.
The government will publish non-statutory guidance to support estate agents to meet their responsibilities under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, with no further legislation anticipated. A non-statutory code of practice for estate agents will be introduced later this year, with a consultation on mandatory qualifications next year.
Information that could be included in sales packs is subject to review but the government anticipates tenure type and details of service charges, ground rents, council tax banding, EPC rating, title information, seller ID verification and building safety information will all be included alongside the searches and property condition report.
A general property information questionnaire will also be included, along with a property condition assessment tailored to the property type and age, accessibility information, chain status and a floor plan.
The timeline for implementation of the sales packs will begin immediately with non-statutory guidance and work with the industry to explore opportunities. It will be completed by the end of this parliament with legislation to require the preparation of sales packs prior to listing, including searches and a property condition report.
A similar exercise will be undertaken in relation to digital property logbooks, with their use to be legislated alongside the sales packs. Work is ongoing to determine the data to be included. In the interim, the government said it will mandate the use of logbooks in some of its homeownership schemes to signal its intent to make the products a standard feature of the property transaction.
The government has committed to working with representative and regulatory bodies towards setting an agreed level of digital security the products must meet, including the Law Society, the Council of Licensed Conveyancers and the Conveyancing Association.
In an effort to address the “high level of transaction failures” in the home buying and selling process, binding conditional agreements are set to be introduced. The agreements will be similar to those used in Scotland. To ensure buyers are not “unfairly bound” to transactions before key property information is available, the agreements will not become active until the sales packs have been properly embedded within the transaction process.
Further industry consultation will take place to decide the size of the financial penalty to be imposed for failing to comply with a binding contract, with flexibility where there are legitimate circumstances forcing the withdrawal. The government recognises that “clear, accessible dispute resolution arrangements will be essential to ensuring fairness and enforceability.”
Support for publishing publicly available information related to the suppliers of services in the home buying process was higher amongst individuals (63%) than professionals (42%). Concerns were raised around the complexity of property transactions and the impact of external factors distorting objective metrics.
A charter setting out professional best practice and behaviour for property professionals identified as the most appropriate response, which will serve as a “bridging tool” to support a transition to a new regulator framework while avoiding classes with existing regulations.
The charter is expected to include principles on providing upfront information, the use of modern digital tools, professional standards, and complaints handling and accountability.
On streamlining transactions, 83% of respondents agreed anti-money laundering checks should be streamlined. Rather than redesigning the regulator framework for AML checks “at this stage”, the government will support the use of “sector-led solutions” to reduce duplication and gather information “once, at a high standard, at the earliest possible stage”.
Consultation responses suggest that the “biggest gains in conveyancing efficiency will come from the implementation of our wider reforms such as sales packs, digitalisation, digital property logbooks and leasehold and freehold estate sales information”, which the government says it will prioritise “to streamline conveyancing”.
It has committed to working with DPMSG to establish standards that ensure AI conveyancing technologies are applied practically and consistently across the sector, and will continue to work with industry more broadly to further identify suitable AI use cases.
Feedback related to next steps for digitalisation found “overwhelming support” from banks and lenders (94%) and proptech firms (90%). Legislation to underpin the digitalisation proposals was supported by 72% of proptech providers.
In response, the government will “legislate for a regulatory framework that sets out how to store, maintain and share data in a secure way, and which establishes rules on liability and consumer protection, enabling trust.”
A call for evidence will be published later this year to identify the conditions professionals require, and the barriers they face, when sharing data securely. A separate consultation will be held on the implementation of a smart data scheme to identify whether existing legislation could provide for the framework for the property sector, specifically whether the Data Use and Access Act 2025 includes the relevant primary legislation.
A voluntary accreditation scheme will be introduced next year to provide best practice criteria for storing, maintaining and sharing data.
HM Land Registry’s work to centralise the Local Land Charges programme will complete by 2028, and a further £1.4 million will be allocated to local authorities to “set data standards, charging practices and service level agreements” for digital accessibility of building control and highways data. A fully digital geospatial land register combining geographic and ownership information will be developed by 2035.
Work on QES adoption will continue. The government’s plans to digitalise priority data and deliver a regulatory framework for data sharing will enable proptech organisations to innovate, it said.
One Response
Congratulations to Today’s Conveyancer for its comprehensive coverage on this topic.
Last Thursday’s homebuying announcement triggered strong reactions.
For the Conveyancing Task Force, the volume of the debate matters less than the principle at stake. Doing the right thing in homebuying, even when no one is watching. Reform will always be divisive; some will always treat conveyancing as a marketplace rather than a public trust.
But conveyancing must stay human, principled, and accountable. Last week’s announcement only sharpens that resolve.