The Government’s Home Buying and Selling Reforms: what they mean for conveyancers

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has today announced a broad reform programme, shaped in collaboration with industry, to transform the home buying and selling process in England and Wales.

The announcement follows a public consultation that ran from October to December 2025 and sets out a phased roadmap to make property transactions faster, more steadfast, and less prone to collapse.

For conveyancers, the implications are significant, and largely positive. Here is what you need to know.

What has been announced?

At the heart of the reforms is a mandatory requirement for sellers to compile upfront sales packs before a property is listed. These packs must include standard property searches and a property condition assessment, meaning key transactional information will be available to buyers and their legal representatives much earlier in the process.

Estate agents will also be required to include a defined set of information within property listings, covering tenure, title information, seller ID verification, council tax band, EPC rating, leasehold terms, flood risk, planning consents, chain status and more.

The broader reform agenda also covers digital property data, common data standards, trusted digital ID verification, and a longer-term move towards more binding contracts to reduce late fall-throughs.

Why does this matter for conveyancers?

For too long, the conveyancing process has been reactive by necessity. Critical information, such as searches, title details, planning history, and leasehold arrangements have typically arrived late in the process, often after an offer has been accepted. The knock-on impact creates delays, generates unnecessary enquiries and, at worst, leads to transactions failing entirely.

This is precisely the problem the reforms are designed to fix. As Liz Jarvis, Divisional Director of Legal and Search at Landmark Information Group, puts it:

“For conveyancers, the biggest challenge is often that key information arrives too late. When issues relating to title, planning, leasehold arrangements, or property condition only emerge after an offer has been accepted, delays become almost inevitable.

“The Government’s focus on upfront information and digital property packs has the potential to change that. By bringing together more of the information needed to support a transaction at the outset, conveyancers can identify issues earlier, reduce unnecessary enquiries and help transactions progress more smoothly.

“If implemented effectively, these reforms could help shift the process from one that is often reactive to one that is far more prepared and predictable.”

What does this mean in practice?

The roadmap is phased, so not everything changes overnight. The key milestones are:

• Later this year – A Code of Practice setting minimum standards for property agents, plus guidance on improving the quality of information in listings.
• From 2027 – Consultation on estate agent qualifications and expanded digital tools
• By the end of Parliament – Comprehensive legislation requiring sales packs, binding contracts, and digital systems for sharing trusted property information.

There are no immediate mandatory changes for conveyancers to act on right now. But the tide is already turning, and conveyancers who are prepared when it comes in will be in a far stronger position than those still looking for their footing on the shore.

Where do property searches fit in?

Searches sit at the very centre of this reform agenda. The mandatory requirement to include standard searches within upfront sales packs places search data earlier in the transaction than ever before. For conveyancers, this means the information you currently spend time chasing mid-transaction should increasingly be available from day one.

That is a significant operational shift, and an opportunity. Conveyancers who are already working with reliable, comprehensive search providers will be well placed to adapt quickly and confidently.