Five Minutes On… The Government’s Home Buying and Selling Reforms

On Friday 19^th June 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced a package of reforms, shaped in collaboration with industry,  to transform the property transaction process in England and Wales.

The reforms follow a public consultation that ran from October to December 2025 and set out a phased roadmap to make transactions faster, more reliable and less likely to fall through.

Let’s spend five minutes tackling what the announcement is, and why it’s a vital step in the right direction.

What is changing for conveyancers?

The most notable change is a mandatory requirement for sellers to compile upfront sales packs before a property is listed. These packs must include:

• Standard property searches
• A property condition assessment
• Title information and seller ID verification
• Leasehold terms (where applicable)
• Flood risk, planning consents, and chain status.

This means key information that conveyancers currently wait weeks for should be available from the outset of a transaction.

When do these changes come into effect?

The reforms are being phased in across the remainder of this Parliament:

• Later this year: A Code of Practice for property agents and improved listing standards
• From 2027: Consultation on estate agent qualifications and expanded digital tools.
• By end of Parliament: Legislation requiring sales packs, binding contracts, and trusted digital property data systems.

There are no immediate mandatory requirements for conveyancers to act on right now.

Are upfront sales packs the same as Home Information Packs?

Conveyancers with longer memories will recognise the concept. Home Information Packs (HIPs) were introduced in England and Wales in 2007 and required sellers to compile key property information before listing, including searches and title documents. They were scrapped in 2010.

The Government’s current proposals share similar underlying principles – getting information to buyers and their legal representatives earlier – but the approach is different. Rather than a like-for-like revival of HIPs, the reforms are framed around a broader digital, data-led agenda, with mandatory sales packs forming one part of a wider programme of change.

Why do upfront property searches matter?

Searches sit at the centre of the reform agenda. Requiring them as part of upfront sales packs means conveyancers will have access to search data earlier in the transaction than has traditionally been the case, reducing the need to chase information mid-process and helping to identify potential issues before they cause delays.

To answer the burning question of “well what should we, as conveyancers, do now?”, the answer is nothing, for the time being, but be aware that the direction of travel is clear. Conveyancers who are already working with reliable, comprehensive search providers will be well placed to adapt as the reforms take effect.