The government’s response to the home buying and selling reform consultation has prompted wide discussion across the property sector.
For conveyancers, the roadmap seeks to create better-prepared transactions from the outset, with earlier information, checks and data reliable enough to support a robust legal review. The aim is not just speed, but earlier visibility of risk, clearer advice and less avoidable friction through the process.
The real issue is when risk becomes visible
For years, residential conveyancing has been shaped by the point at which critical information becomes available. Issues relating to title, planning, leasehold, property condition or identity, for example, often only arise after the transaction is live. By then, the question is how quickly these issues can be understood, explained and resolved without halting progress.
That’s why the latest reforms are encouraging. They recognise that many of the delays conveyancers experience are caused by a lack of certainty early enough in the process, rather than a lack of effort or expertise. By focusing on better information, earlier checks and more consistent data sharing, the proposals begin to address the conditions that make transactions harder to progress.
Better information, better legal review
One of the most significant elements of the reform package is the move towards upfront information. Its value is not simply that more parties know more at the start; it is that better information can change the quality of the first legal review, the advice given to the client and the way issues are prioritised across the transaction.
Upfront information is not simply an administrative exercise; it changes the quality of the instruction. A conveyancer is better placed to assess risk, advise the client and prioritise the right work when they can see more of the transaction picture from day one.
As a result, the process should see better-targeted enquiries. If the starting information is fuller and more reliable, conveyancers can move more quickly from chasing basics to using their expertise to test the points that genuinely affect risk.
Managing expectations before pressure builds
There is also a client service point here. When issues surface late, conveyancers are often left explaining delays they did not create and managing expectations in a pressured environment. Crucially, earlier visibility gives firms a better chance to have the right conversations sooner.
The changes also reflect how consumers now expect services to work more broadly, with clearer updates, fewer avoidable delays and a process that feels more connected from the start.
Technology depends on trusted interoperable data
It’s notable that technology sits at the heart of the Government’s ambitions.
Digital property packs, digital identity verification, reusable property data and more connected information sharing will only work if the data is reliable, accessible and capable of moving between multiple parties. For conveyancers, this gives the opportunity to reduce duplication, improve visibility and create a more consistent starting point for legal work.
Technology as an enabler
The reforms reflect the consensus among property professionals that improving the home buying and selling process starts with better information, earlier certainty and greater connectivity across the transaction chain.
Technology is not being positioned as a standalone solution within the reform roadmap, but as an enabler of a more transparent, predictable and efficient process. Importantly, the Government is being led by the industry on what practical reform needs to look like, with initiatives such as the Project 28 Charter helping to focus attention on the changes needed to make transactions less prone to avoidable friction.
The opportunity now is for conveyancers to build on the drive for sector-wide change and lead from the front.
To explore the relationship between technology, process change and transaction certainty in more detail, listen to Habits versus Technology: Why Case Management Isn’t Enough to Speed Up Transactions, available now on Spotify.
About the author
Rob Gurney is responsible for delivering Ochresoft’s business strategy. A qualified property lawyer, Rob previously served as the head of legal at Premier Property Lawyers. His track record involves streamlining legal processes and utilising data to provide high-quality, compliant and consistent services to all parties in property transactions.
This article was submitted by Ochresoft as part of an advertising agreement with Today’s Conveyancer. The views expressed in this article are those of the advertiser and not those of Today’s Conveyancer.
