A major change could be coming to the way we buy and sell homes
Buying or selling a home should be one of life’s exciting milestones.
Too often, however, it becomes one of the most stressful.
A buyer finds a property, agrees a price, starts the mortgage process, pays for legal work and waits for everything to move forward. A seller accepts an offer, begins making plans and may even find their next home. Then, weeks or months later, something goes wrong.
A buyer pulls out. A seller changes their mind. A problem appears in the paperwork. The chain breaks down. Or another offer comes in at the last minute.
It is frustrating, expensive and, for many people, deeply upsetting.
That is why the Government’s planned reforms to the home buying and selling process in England and Wales are worth knowing about. The aim is to make the system faster, clearer and more certain, with fewer transactions collapsing after buyers and sellers have already spent time and money1.
More information before a home is listed
One of the biggest proposed changes is the introduction of more upfront information when a property goes on the market.
At the moment, many important details only become clear after an offer has been accepted. That can include the condition of the property, leasehold costs, service charges, ground rent, building work, guarantees and whether the seller is part of a chain.
Under the new proposals, sellers and estate agents would be expected to provide more of this information at the beginning.
For buyers, that could mean a clearer picture before making an offer.
For sellers, it could mean gathering documents earlier and being better prepared before the property is listed.
In theory, this should reduce the number of nasty surprises that appear late in the process.
Earlier agreements between buyers and sellers
Another important proposal is the introduction of binding agreements earlier in the transaction.
Currently, in England and Wales, an accepted offer is not usually legally binding. Either the buyer or the seller can still walk away before exchange of contracts.
That can create real uncertainty.
A buyer may have spent money on a survey, solicitor and mortgage work, only for the seller to accept another offer. Equally, a seller may take their home off the market and turn away other buyers, only for the original buyer to withdraw.
The Government wants to reduce this by creating more commitment earlier in the process.
The detail will matter, because there still needs to be room for genuine issues such as survey problems, legal defects or changes in lending circumstances. However, the intention is to make late-stage withdrawals less common and give both sides greater confidence once a sale has been agreed.
A more digital home moving process
The paperwork involved in buying and selling a home can be slow.
Documents may need to pass between estate agents, solicitors, mortgage lenders, surveyors, local authorities and other parties. Information is often requested several times, checked manually and chased repeatedly.
The proposed reforms include a move towards better digital property information, digital identity checks, electronic signatures and improved data sharing between the professionals involved1.
This may sound technical, but it could make a real difference.
If key information can be shared more quickly and securely, transactions should be easier to track and less likely to be held up by missing or duplicated paperwork.
Higher standards for estate agents
The Government is also looking at professional standards in the estate agency sector.
This could include a code of practice and mandatory qualifications for agents[1].
Many estate agents already operate to a high standard, but the aim is to create more consistency across the market. For buyers and sellers, that should mean clearer expectations, better communication and a more professional service.
When you are dealing with one of the largest financial transactions of your life, the quality of the people involved matters.
What happens next?
These reforms are a positive step, but they will not change the market overnight.
Some changes may come in sooner than others, while the bigger reforms are expected to take time to introduce properly.
So, for now, buyers and sellers still need to work with the current system.
Your home/property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage or other debt secured on it.
There may be a fee for mortgage advice. The precise amount of the fee will depend on your circumstances.
Think carefully before securing other debts against your home/property.
All the information in this article is correct as of the publish date 25th June 2026. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. The information provided in this article, including text, graphics and images does not, and is not intended to, substitute advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available in this article are for general informational purposes only. Information in this article may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information.
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References:
GOV.UK (2026). Homebuying shake-up to slash delays, cut costs and stop sales falling through. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/homebuying-shake-up-to-slash-delays-cut-costs-and-stop-sales-falling-through [Accessed 23 June 2026].
