The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has written to Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook calling for faster implementation of reforms to England and Wales’s homebuying and selling process.
The intervention comes several months after a government consultation on buying and selling reform closed in late 2024, with no formal response or implementation timetable yet announced by ministers.
Proposed reforms
The Committee has endorsed several key proposals from the consultation, including requirements for up-front property information, digital property data systems, and earlier legal commitment between buyers and sellers.
Specific recommendations include introducing mandatory property information when a home is first marketed, and making transactions more binding at an earlier stage through conditional contracts backed by financial penalties if either party withdraws.
Florence Eshalomi MP, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, said: “The current homebuying and selling process in England and Wales is far more difficult, stressful, and gruelling than it should be.”
She added: “The path to homeownership is littered with delays and collapsed transactions due to gazumping and broken chains. In addition to the personal impact involved in each case, these hurdles only serve to exacerbate the affordability crisis and make getting on the housing ladder more challenging.”
Industry implications
The reforms could have significant implications for estate agents and conveyancing professionals, who may need to adapt their processes and systems. Recent developments in technology solutions for estate agent CRMs and AI platforms targeting agent databases suggest the industry is already preparing for potential digital transformation.
The Committee has called on the Housing Minister to act on the recommendations to improve the buying and selling process across England and Wales. The government has not yet indicated when it will respond to the consultation or provide a timetable for any legislative changes.
