Home Buying Reform 2026: What the Government’s New Roadmap Means for Buyers and Sellers

For anyone involved in residential property transactions, one thing is universally accepted: the current system in England and Wales can be frustratingly slow, uncertain and expensive. The Government’s recently published roadmap for reforming the home buying and selling process is therefore welcome reading. It is ambitious in scope, addressing many of the issues that conveyancers, estate agents, lenders and consumers have been highlighting for years.

The aim is simple: to make transactions faster, more transparent and less likely to fall through. Whether these reforms ultimately deliver on that promise will depend not on the headlines, but on the detail that is still to come.

Why the current system needs reform

The Government’s announcement acknowledges what practitioners have known for a long time. Residential conveyancing remains overly reliant on paper-based processes, repeated requests for the same information, fragmented systems and a legal framework that allows transactions to collapse late in the process with little consequence.

The statistics are stark. Transactions routinely take several months to complete, around one in three sales fail to reach completion, and failed transactions cost buyers and sellers hundreds of millions of pounds every year. The wider economic cost is even greater. The roadmap is therefore encouraging because it does not focus on a single reform. Instead, it proposes a package of interconnected changes designed to modernise the entire transaction process.

Sales packs: more information upfront

Perhaps the most significant proposal is the introduction of upfront “sales packs”, providing buyers with much more information before an offer is accepted. Rather than discovering important issues several weeks into the transaction, buyers should have access at an early stage to matters such as:

• title information;
• leasehold information (where applicable);
• property condition details;
• local authority information;
• chain position; and
• other key material facts.

In principle, this makes considerable sense. Many transactions fail because information only comes to light after searches have been ordered, surveys completed and legal costs incurred. Better upfront disclosure should allow buyers to make informed decisions earlier and reduce unpleasant surprises later. The legal profession has long argued that the earlier information is available, the more efficient the transaction becomes.

There is, however, an obvious historical comparison. Many readers will remember the introduction of Home Information Packs (HIPs) in 2007, which were intended to achieve many of the same objectives by requiring sellers to provide key information before marketing their property. HIPs were widely criticised for adding cost without delivering the anticipated improvements to transaction times and were ultimately abolished in 2010.

The Government will no doubt argue that today’s proposals are fundamentally different, benefiting from advances in digital technology, better data sharing and lessons learned from the shortcomings of HIPs. Nevertheless, the comparison is unavoidable.

Whether mandatory sales packs succeed where HIPs did not will depend on ensuring they provide genuinely useful information without creating unnecessary cost, delay or bureaucracy before a property even reaches the market.

Binding contracts: tackling gazumping early

Another headline proposal is the introduction of binding conditional contracts at an earlier stage of the transaction. This represents perhaps the biggest cultural shift.

Currently, neither buyer nor seller is legally committed until contracts are exchanged. That leaves both parties vulnerable to gazumping, gazundering and withdrawals after significant costs have already been incurred. The Government intends to move towards earlier legally binding commitments, supported by agreed penalty provisions where parties withdraw without a valid reason. However, this will only be introduced after comprehensive sales packs become established.

The principle is attractive, and it is not without precedent. Scotland has long operated a system that offers considerably greater certainty at an earlier stage. Once negotiations between the parties’ solicitors conclude and the missives are finalised, a binding contract is formed well before the equivalent point of exchange of contracts in England and Wales.

As a result, gazumping and gazundering are far less common north of the border, providing buyers and sellers with greater confidence that an agreed deal will proceed. That said, the proposed reforms should not be viewed as simply importing the Scottish system. Scotland’s conveyancing process has evolved over many decades and operates within a different legal framework, supported by established professional practices and standardised contractual documentation.

Replicating the same level of certainty in England and Wales will require careful drafting and widespread industry buy-in. If the reforms merely create another layer of paperwork without the clarity and confidence that the Scottish system provides, they risk adding complexity rather than reducing it.

However, this is also where the unanswered questions begin.

What is still undecided

The roadmap is exactly that—a roadmap rather than immediate legislation. Much remains undecided though. For example:

• What will constitute a “valid” reason for withdrawing?
• How large will any financial penalties be?
• Who determines disputes?
• What happens if significant defects emerge despite the sales pack?
• How will mortgage lenders fit into the revised process?
• How will chains operate if one transaction legitimately falls away?

These questions matter enormously. Creating greater certainty is desirable, but reforms must also retain sufficient flexibility to deal with genuine changes in circumstances. A balanced approach will be essential if confidence in the new system is to be maintained. The Government itself appears to recognise this by proposing further consultation with industry before legislation is introduced.

Digital conveyancing, logbooks and AI

The roadmap also places significant emphasis on digital transformation. This includes greater use of:

• digital identity verification;
• electronic signatures;
• digital property logbooks;
• improved sharing of information between professionals;
• reduced duplication of anti-money laundering checks; and
• responsible use of AI-assisted conveyancing technology.

Many of these developments are already beginning to emerge within the industry. Rather than replacing conveyancers, technology has the potential to remove repetitive administrative tasks, allowing legal professionals to focus on advice, judgement and risk management—the areas where human expertise continues to add real value. The success of digital reform, however, will depend heavily upon interoperability. New technology only delivers efficiencies if all parties in the transaction can use compatible systems and trust the information being shared.

A new code of practice for estate agents

Another welcome aspect of the roadmap is the intention to improve professional standards across the property sector. The Government proposes a new Code of Practice for estate agents together with consultation on mandatory qualifications and regulation. Consumers often struggle to understand the different roles played by estate agents, conveyancers, mortgage advisers and surveyors. Greater consistency, accountability and professionalism should improve public confidence throughout the transaction process.

A phased timeline across this Parliament

One important point that should not be overlooked is the proposed timescale. The reforms will be introduced in phases over the course of this Parliament rather than all at once. Some guidance will appear this year, further consultation is planned during 2027, and legislation introducing mandatory sales packs and earlier binding agreements will follow once the necessary foundations are in place.

That staged approach is sensible. Attempting to overhaul the conveyancing system overnight would create significant disruption. A phased implementation gives industry participants time to adapt processes, invest in technology and develop consistent standards.

The bottom line for buyers and sellers

There is much to like within the Government’s roadmap. Many of the proposals reflect ideas that have been discussed across the property industry for years. Greater transparency, better upfront information, increased digitalisation and fewer failed transactions are objectives that most practitioners would readily support.

However, announcing a vision is only the first step. The practical success of these reforms will depend upon carefully drafted legislation, realistic implementation, adequate funding and close collaboration with the legal profession, lenders, estate agents, surveyors and technology providers. In other words, the direction of travel appears positive, but whether the destination lives up to expectations remains to be seen.

For now, the roadmap represents an encouraging acknowledgement that England and Wales’ property transaction process needs modernisation. If the Government gets the detail right, these reforms could significantly improve the experience for buyers, sellers and professionals alike.

As always, though, in property law—as in conveyancing itself—the devil is in the detail.