The Future of Moving: Navigating the UK Government’s New Home Buying Reforms
The process of buying and selling a home has long been notorious for the stress it entails and its high failure rate. After decades of calls for change, the UK Government is poised to enact its most substantial reforms yet to streamline the home-moving process. This transitionâaimed at reducing costly ‘fall-throughs’ and speeding up completion timesâwill fundamentally reshape the responsibilities of sellers, buyers, and legal professionals. This blog explores the key proposals, from mandatory upfront information and Digital Property Logbooks to earlier binding agreements, examines the critical role of the RICS surveyor in ensuring data quality, and outlines how Dobson-Grey is equipped to support you in mastering this new landscape.
The UK property market is on the cusp of its most significant transformation in decades. For too long, the process of buying and selling a home in England and Wales has been described by many as “antiquated” and “unnecessarily stressful.”
At Dobson-Grey, we have always advocated for a more streamlined, transparent approach. With the Governmentâs recently published proposals to reform the home buying and selling process, that vision is finally becoming a reality. Here is everything you need to know about the changes, the RICS perspective, and how we can support you through the transition.
What are the Governmentâs Proposals?
The core objective of the reform is to reduce the high rate of “fall-throughs” and speed up the time it takes to move from an offer to completion. Key proposals include:
- Mandatory Upfront Information: The government is moving towards formalising the definition of upfront information to ensure consistency across all platforms. As part of this reform, sellers will likely be mandated to provide a “digital sales pack” at the time of listing, which must include property searches and a comprehensive property condition report.
- Freeholders & Data Rooms: The government is initiating “Commencement Orders” for the 2024 Act, specifically targeting Freeholders and Data Rooms. These new regulations will introduce maximum timescales for freeholders to supply essential information packs. A key goal of these reforms is to cap the fees charged and, significantly, to limit the time freeholders have to respond to requests.
- Property Condition Reports: Moving away from the current system where buyers commission surveys late in the day, a professional assessment of the propertyâs condition will be available upfront.
- Digital Property Logbooks: A move towards a “tell us once” digital system to store all legal and physical data about a property, reducing duplication. The government is supporting an industry-led framework, a “technical bridge,” rather than creating a single government application. This approach enables various digital providers to communicate securely. Crucially, this initiative involves more than simply completing a logbook; it requires preparing data for a regulated trust framework.
- Earlier Binding Agreements: The Government is exploring ways to make transactions legally binding much earlier in the process to prevent gazumping and last-minute withdrawals.
The Timeline: When will this become Law?
The consultation period concluded late 2025. As of January 2026,The Government has confirmed that the feedback is being used to finalise the “Property Data Trust Framework.”
- Next Steps: The Government is expected to publish the formal response and the âCommand Paperâ outlining the draft Bill within the coming weeks.
- Implementation: The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has called for a minimum 24-month lead-in period to allow the industry to train staff and adapt systems.
- Legislative Outlook: Given the complexity, it is anticipated that these changes will begin to transition into law throughout 2026 and 2027, with full mandatory compliance likely by 2028.
The RICS Perspective: “Quality is Key”
The RICS has welcomed the direction of travel but emphasises that speed must not come at the expense of accuracy. In their official response, they stated:
“Earlier access to reliable legal, property and condition information has the potential to reduce late-stage surprises, limit avoidable delays and support better decision-making by buyers and sellers. However, these benefits will only be realised if upfront information is accurate, objective and delivered by competent, regulated professionals working to consistent standards.”
RICS is specifically advocating for a “whole-home condition report” modelâsimilar to the Scottish systemâto ensure buyers are fully informed before they spend a penny on legal fees.
Why Dobson-Grey? Supporting Buyers and Legal Advisers
The shift towards mandatory upfront information creates a new challenge: Who compiles these packs?
For Home Buyers, the risk of “information overload” or misinterpreting technical data is high. For Solicitors and Legal Advisers, the pressure to verify the accuracy of upfront data adds a new layer of liability.
This is where Dobson-Grey steps in. We provide expert pre-acquisition support by:
- Compiling Comprehensive Packs: For many years weâve been supporting freeholders and their solicitors to ensure that data rooms and property condition reports are RICS-compliant, accurate, and ready for scrutiny.
- Due Diligence for Legal Teams: We act as the technical bridge, helping solicitors interpret property condition data so they can advise their clients with absolute confidence.
- Reducing Transaction Risk: By identifying structural or maintenance issues before a property even hits the market, we help our clients avoid the “late-stage surprises” that RICS warns against.
How You Can Support the Process
The consultation process thrives on real-world evidence. Home buyers and solicitors can support these efforts by:
- Engaging with Industry Bodies: Share your experiences of delays with RICS or the Law Society to help refine the “Material Information” standards.
- Adopting Early: Don’t wait for the law to change. Buyers can requestâand sellers can provideâupfront surveys now.
At Dobson-Grey, we are already implementing these “best practice” standards. Whether you are a legal professional looking for a reliable surveying partner or a buyer wanting to navigate the new landscape with ease, we are here to help.
Contact Dobson-Grey today to learn how our pre-acquisition services can speed up your next move.
Justine Holt – Business Development Executive – 01789 298 006 – [email protected]