The proposed “Home buying and selling reform roadmap” was updated in detail by the government on the 19 June 2026 – promising the biggest shakeup to the process in a generation – with full implementation targeted by the end of Parliament in July 2029*.
If the plan comes to fruition, this would be very welcome news for anyone wishing to buy or sell their home. To quote Housing Secretary, Steve Reed:
“Buying a home should be a dream, not a nightmare.”
The key changes
Mandatory upfront “sales packs”
Sellers will have to prepare a standardised pack before listing, including property searches, a condition report, title information, EPC rating, and accessibility details. This aims to stop buyers discovering deal-breaking issues after they’ve already committed money.
Binding conditional contracts
Legislation will require earlier, more binding commitments from both buyers and sellers, with financial penalties for pulling out without good reason. This won’t take effect until sales packs are fully embedded, and the government says it brings England and Wales closer to how Scotland’s system already works.
Professionalising estate agents
Non-statutory Code of Practice is coming later in 2026, with a consultation on mandatory qualifications for estate and letting agents planned for 2027.
Digital property logbooks and packs
These will become standard, eventually mandatory, part of every transaction, plus a fully digital geospatial system, covering land boundaries, ownership records, planning applications, and infrastructure data stored digitally and linked to precise geographic coordinates. This would make buying and selling property, planning developments, and accessing public information faster and more accurate.
Streamlined anti money laundering checks
This will ensure buyers and sellers aren’t repeatedly checked by different professionals, plus rules to stop freeholders and managing agents overcharging or dragging their feet on leasehold sales information.
The caveat
Most of this requires new legislation “when parliamentary time allows,” so exact dates beyond 2026–2028 milestones aren’t locked in yet, but the government’s stated ambition is a fully reformed system in place by the end of this Parliament. However, the package is expected to apply in England and Wales (and likely Northern Ireland), but not Scotland, which already has its own system.
* Unless the Prime Minister advises the King to call an earlier election and dissolve Parliament sooner.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Source: Gov.uk,19 June 2026
Approved by SJP 30/06/2026