The Government’s Homebuying Shake-Up: What It Means for You

If you’ve ever bought or sold a home in England, you’ll know the process can feel like wading through treacle. Months of back-and-forth, paperwork piling up, and that awful moment when a sale falls through after you’ve already spent hundreds — sometimes thousands — of pounds. You’re not alone, and apparently, the government has finally had enough of it too.

On 18 June 2026, the Ministry of Housing announced a sweeping set of reforms designed to overhaul how we buy and sell homes. It’s one of the most significant shake-ups to the property market in a generation, and if you’re thinking of moving — whether you’re a first-time buyer, upsizing, or downsizing — it’s worth understanding what’s changing and why it matters to you.

What’s Actually Broken Right Now?

Let’s start with the numbers, because they’re pretty eye-opening.

The average home purchase in England currently takes around 120 days from offer to completion. One in three sales falls through — costing sellers roughly £400 million per year across England and Wales. And when you factor in the knock-on effects to the wider economy, failed property transactions cost us up to £1.5 billion every single year.

That’s not just an inconvenience. For many buyers — especially first-timers — a collapsed sale can mean losing money they can’t easily get back, missing out on a home they loved, and having to start the whole exhausting process from scratch.

So What’s the Government Doing About It?

The reforms announced this month tackle the problem from several angles at once.

Upfront Sales Packs

From now on, sellers and estate agents will need to pull together a “sales pack” when a property is listed — not weeks into negotiations, but right at the start. This pack will cover the property’s condition, any leasehold costs, and the status of the chain. The idea is simple: the more informed a buyer is from the outset, the less likely nasty surprises are to derail a sale further down the line.

Earlier Binding Agreements

One of the biggest frustrations in the current system is that either party can walk away right up until exchange of contracts — sometimes months after an offer has been accepted. These reforms introduce earlier binding agreements, which make transactions legally binding much sooner. If someone pulls out without a legitimate reason after that point, they’ll face a financial penalty. That should give buyers and sellers alike a lot more confidence that a deal is actually a deal.

Digital Tools and Property Logbooks

There’s also a major push towards digitisation. Digital property logbooks will allow key information about a home to be stored, updated, and securely shared between buyers, sellers, solicitors, and mortgage lenders in real time. Add in digital identity checks, electronic signatures, and AI-assisted conveyancing, and the goal is to strip out all that time-consuming duplication that slows transactions down today.

Raising Standards for Estate Agents

A new Code of Practice will set minimum standards for estate agents, and there are proposals on the table for mandatory professional qualifications in the sector. For anyone who’s dealt with a less-than-helpful agent during a move, that’s long overdue.

What Does This Mean in Practice?

According to the government’s own figures, these reforms should:

• Cut the average buying time by around four weeks
• Save first-time buyers an average of £650 per transaction
• Halve the number of sales that fall through

Those savings come from a combination of fewer wasted searches and surveys on deals that collapse, faster conveyancing, and a more efficient chain overall.

Phil Spencer, property expert and founder of Move iQ, put it well when he said the reforms “address many of the issues consumers have been grappling with for years, from a lack of upfront information to unnecessary delays and last-minute surprises.” He’s spent decades in the housing market and has seen first-hand the emotional and financial toll a failed transaction takes — so his backing carries weight.

What About Surveys — Do They Still Matter?

Absolutely, and arguably more than ever.

With sales packs now required to include information on a property’s condition, the importance of an independent, professional survey is only going to grow. A seller’s pack gives you a starting point — but it’s not a substitute for having your own qualified surveyor assess the property on your behalf.

Justin Young, CEO of RICS, made exactly this point in response to the announcement:

“Getting the right information upfront, including a reliable condition report from properly qualified and regulated surveyors, will be essential.”

Whether you’re buying a Victorian terrace or a new-build flat, a survey protects your interests. It can uncover issues the seller may not even be aware of, give you grounds to renegotiate the price, and — crucially — help you avoid committing to an earlier binding agreement on a property that has hidden problems.

At Find My Surveyor, we make it easy to find a RICS-accredited surveyor in your area who can give you that independent peace of mind before you sign anything.

When Will These Changes Happen?

The reforms are being introduced in phases:

• Later in 2026: A new Code of Practice for estate agents goes live, along with improved guidance on property listing information.
• From 2027: Consultation begins on mandatory estate agent qualifications, and digital tools are expanded.
• By the end of this Parliament: Legislation requiring sales packs, binding contracts, and full digital property systems will be in place.

It’s a phased approach, which makes sense — the industry needs time to adapt. But the direction of travel is clear, and the pace of change is picking up.

The Bigger Picture

We’re not the first country to tackle this. The Netherlands has a live tracking system for buyers and sellers to monitor their transaction in real time, and achieves an average completion time of just 20 days. Norway’s digital reforms have delivered an estimated £1.4 billion in savings over 10 years. There’s no reason England can’t get there too.

For buyers and sellers who’ve been burned by the current system, this news will be genuinely welcome. For first-time buyers trying to get a foot on the ladder, saving money and reducing uncertainty could make a real difference to whether or not a purchase actually happens.

Ready to Move? We Can Help.

Whether you’re in the early stages of a search or you’ve already had an offer accepted, getting the right survey at the right time is one of the smartest things you can do. As the homebuying process evolves, having an independent expert in your corner matters more than ever.

Find a qualified surveyor near you at findmysurveyor.com — and move forward with confidence.