By Louisa Fletcher, PropTech editor of Show House
The government has unveiled major reforms to the home buying and selling process, designed to reduce transaction delays, introduce digitalisation and the use of AI and cut the number of property sales that fall through before completion.
The reforms, announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), form part of a new roadmap aimed at improving the homebuying and selling process in England through greater use of upfront information, digital property data and professional standards across the property sector.
The announcement has been expected following the consultation that took place at the end of 2025, and has been broadly welcomed by industry figures, many of whom have long argued that consumers should have access to more information earlier in the transaction process.
At the heart of the reforms is a major shift towards digitisation, replacing outdated paper-based systems with faster, more reliable technology. Interestingly, the announcement specifically names AI-assisted conveyancing as a means of accelerating transactions and reducing duplication of paperwork.
Also among the measures outlined are plans to introduce greater use of digital property information, mandate the provision of upfront information – effectively ‘sales packs’ containing details of a home’s condition, leasehold costs and chain status – at the point of marketing for use by conveyancing professionals, and the introduction of digital property logbooks, which will allow the sharing of trusted property information between professionals, buyers and sellers in real time.
Reforms will also include the introduction of earlier legal commitments between buyers and sellers.
The announcement was welcomed by Chris Rosindale, chief operating officer of Connells Group, who highlighted the potential benefits of reducing transaction times and improving certainty for consumers, while industry figures, including Mark Evans, vice president of Law Society England and Wales, Sheila Kumar, CEO of the Council of Licensed Conveyancers and Justin Young, CEO at RICS, also expressed support for measures designed to improve transparency and reduce fall through rates.
For housebuilders, however, the reforms raise a number of additional questions.
Unlike much of the second-hand housing market, housebuilders already hold a significant proportion of the information likely to be required under an Upfront Information regime, often before construction begins.
Information relating to tenure, estate management arrangements, planning permissions, building materials, renewables, warranties, utility connections and specification details is typically available in the new homes sector long before a property is occupied.
As a result, the new homes sector is comparatively well placed to adapt to future requirements around earlier disclosure of key property information.
However, while the reforms are primarily aimed at reducing delays and fall-throughs across the wider housing market, there are potentially significant implications for housebuilders.
In particular, it raises questions around whether housebuilders selling to consumers could ultimately also fall within the scope of any Code of Practice, competency framework or mandatory qualification requirements introduced as part of the professionalisation agenda for estate agents.
This could mean that, if future regulation is drafted broadly, housebuilders operating their own sales functions – regardless of company structure – could potentially find themselves subject to some of the same standards and competency requirements as traditional estate agency businesses, with no specific carve-out currently identified for the new homes sector.
While the initial announcement does not currently provide detail on the scope of any future regulatory framework, the language used is likely to be of particular interest to housebuilders, many of whom operate large in-house sales teams.
Similarly, the announcement includes that the government will ‘back digital identity checks and electronic signatures’ to reduce fraud risk. This may mean that the new homes sector falls within the scope of mandatory Anti Money Laundering (AML) regulation, but again, this hasn’t yet been confirmed and is likely to be another area that housebuilders will be watching closely as further detail emerges.
Neil Jefferson, chief executive of the Home Builders Federation, supports the government’s focus on improving the homebuying process and reducing delays for consumers, while recognising the importance of ensuring that any requirements are practical and proportionate, saying that “Moves to make the home buying and selling process more efficient such that it is quicker, more reliable and cheaper for home buyers and sellers alike are welcome.”
He continued: “We will continue to work with the government to reform the current system that is unnecessarily bureaucratic and stressful for what should be the most exciting purchase of a person’s life.”
The announcement also follows growing industry discussion around the role of upfront information in property transactions. The existing requirement to disclose Material Information at the point of marketing, which has been law since April 2025, is likely to come under renewed focus as the reforms progress in the coming months, while the separate new requirement for Upfront Information is clearly set out in the reforms, with the key principle being that consumers and property professionals acting on their behalf should have access to key information earlier in the homebuying journey, allowing more informed decisions and reducing the likelihood of issues emerging later in the transaction.
For now, much of the detail remains subject to further development and consultation. However, the direction of travel is clear. The debate is no longer whether more information should be available to buyers upfront, but the focus is now on what information should be provided and when, and how widespread technology use is expected to support the reforms.
For housebuilders, the greatest challenge may not be the provision of the information itself, although the underlying technology required to support the reforms could accelerate the sector’s move away from legacy systems and towards integrated digital and AI-enabled platforms capable of integrating with the new technology solutions that will be introduced.
The more significant question may be whether new homes sales teams are ultimately drawn into a broader programme of mandatory professional regulation that extends beyond traditional estate agency businesses, along with strict requirements around anti-fraud measures.
A full roadmap will be implemented across the rest of this parliament, which includes:
- Later this year: a Code of Practice to set out minimum standards for property agents and guidance to improve the quality of information in property listings.
- From 2027: consultation on estate agent qualifications and expanded digital tools.
- By the end of parliament: comprehensive legislation to require sales packs, binding contracts, and digital systems that support the efficient sharing of trusted digital property information.
This phased approach will give the sector time to adapt while delivering improvements as quickly as possible.
Housing secretary, Steve Reed, commented: “Buying or selling a home should be one of life’s great moments and not a drawn-out nightmare of delays, hidden costs, and failed deals.”
“These changes will make the system faster, fairer, and more secure – giving families and first-time buyers the certainty they need all while saving them time and money.”
