The home-buying shake-up: what it means for buyers and sellers

In 2026 the government confirmed plans it has called the biggest shake-up to the home buying and selling system in England for years. The reform was first set out by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with a roadmap for how it will be introduced following on through 2026. The aim is simple to state: make moving home faster, clearer and less likely to fall apart.

What is actually changing?

The reform brings together several changes that all point the same way: give everyone the facts about a home earlier, and make an agreed sale more solid. Upfront information means the key facts about a home are shared at the start, before you offer, rather than after.

Why is the government doing this?

Because the current process is slow and too many sales collapse. An agreed sale in England can take around five months to complete, and roughly one in four falls through before it does. In early 2026 the national fall-through rate was 23.7%, with survey problems and buyers changing their minds the most common causes.

Gazumping is when a seller accepts a higher offer from another buyer after already agreeing a sale. Gazundering is when a buyer lowers their offer at the last minute. Both are possible today because, in England, neither side is legally committed until contracts are exchanged, which is often months after the handshake.

What does it mean if you're selling?

You would do more of the groundwork at the start rather than in the middle of a sale. The trade is a little more effort upfront for a faster, steadier sale once a buyer is found.

• Expect to gather your home's key information before listing, such as the title, leasehold details and standard searches, so it is ready in a property pack from day one.
• Being open early is the direction of travel: a buyer who sees the full picture before offering is far less likely to renegotiate or walk away after a survey.
• Earlier binding commitments are designed to protect you from a buyer dropping their price at the last minute.
• Published agent track records would let you judge an agent on real performance, not just the valuation they quote.

What does it mean if you're buying?

You would see what you are buying much earlier, which makes it easier to decide with confidence and harder to get a nasty surprise late on.

• Key facts about a home, including its condition, leasehold costs and any flood risk, would be available before you make an offer rather than after.
• With better information upfront, fewer purchases should collapse after weeks of time and money spent on surveys and legal work.
• Earlier binding commitments are designed to reduce the risk of being gazumped once you have agreed a price.
• Verified digital identity and a shared property pack are meant to take some of the repetition and waiting out of the legal stage.

When does this start?

Not all at once. These are proposals and a roadmap, not rules that apply to your sale today, and they cover England rather than the whole UK. The changes are expected to come in stages over the next few years, with the digital and data parts built before any binding-contract changes. Until then, the current process still applies, so there is no need to rush or wait on account of the reform alone.

The whole reform points one way: know what you are dealing with before you commit, not after.

Seeing the full picture before you commit is the principle behind the reform, and it is the principle ValuQ was built on. ValuQ is a platform that gives UK homeowners free, side-by-side property valuations from competing local estate agents, so you can compare your options on one screen and decide from a position of knowledge.