7 ways buying & selling could radically change

Billed as the biggest set of reforms in property’s history, the Government has outlined its plans to reshape how homes are bought and sold in England and Wales. It has started two consultations – one on the wider transactional process and another on Material Information – with all UK residents and property professionals asked to share their thoughts. The consultations end on 21st December 2025 and you can take part by completing this online survey.

The feedback will help create a future roadmap, with participants asked if reforms should become legal requirements or voluntary adoptions. The Government’s vision is already quite detailed, giving us a glimpse of what to expect. Here are the key reforms the Government would like introduced:

1. Every home will eventually have a digital logbook: part of the conveyancing process is to gather information about a property but this takes time, especially if paper documents need tracking down. Transactions would be quicker if data, such as title deeds, planning permissions, energy performance certificates, maintenance and repair records, warranty information and instruction manuals, were kept together in a digital logbook.

2. A survey & searches will be available upfront: buyers commonly back out of a purchase due to a problem uncovered by a survey or searches – usually after they have already spent time and money on the process. The Government is consulting on making it a mandatory requirement for properties to be listed complete with searches and a property condition assessment (most likely a basic survey) – commissioned and paid for by the seller. 

3. The amount of material information could increase: although providing buyers with material information - that’s key facts about a property that are crucial in the decision making process – is already a legal requirement, there are grey areas. The Government is seeking opinion on what material information should consist of and when it should be provided in the buying process.

4. Buyers could legally commit before exchange: the Government has examined models in other countries, including Scotland, to propose England and Wales also adopt early binding agreements that are signed before exchange. Where already in operation, fall throughs are reduced. Buyers would pay a fee to commit to a purchase as early as ‘offer accepted’, based on an increased amount of upfront information. They would, however, forfeit their fee if they withdrew. An early binding agreement would potentially secure the buyer a period of exclusivity too, effectively ending gazumping. 

5. You’d only have to show your ID once: our anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing regulations and property fraud prevention measures require ID verification but currently, movers may have to show photo ID multiple times to multiple people. New data sharing and trustworthy digital identity services should mean buyers and sellers only have to prove their ID once. 

6. Your estate agent will be qualified: the Government feels trust in estate agents would be improved if there was a mandatory minimum qualification. This introduction would go hand-in-hand with a new Code of Practice that outlines the minimum standards expected of all residential property agents.

7. It’ll be easier to compare agents & conveyancers: the Government wants movers to be able to choose an agent or conveyancer based on professional specialisms, performance and processes, not just the fee. This will be achieved by the transparent publication of data, such as ‘offer to completion’ speeds, specialist services and digital adoption practices.

Anything that improves the moving process for our clients and ensures all those involved in the chain are competent gets a big thumbs up from us. We’ll report on the progress of the consultation after the closing date.