Ministers urged to speed up home sales reforms
Florence Eshalomi MP has called on the Housing Minister to take “clear action” to improve the buying and selling process.
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has written to Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook urging the Government to move more quickly on reforms to the homebuying and selling process.
The intervention follows a Government consultation on buying and selling reform that ended late last year, with ministers yet to set out a formal response or timetable for implementing any changes.
Backing given
The Committee has given its backing to many of its proposals, including up-front property information, digital property data and earlier legal commitment between buyers and sellers.
It has also recommended introducing “authoritative, up-front property information” when a home is first marketed, and urged ministers to consider making transactions more binding at an earlier stage. This includes through conditional contracts backed by financial penalties if either party withdraws.
Florence Eshalomi MP (pictured), 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.
The path to homeownership is littered with delays and collapsed transactions due to gazumping and broken chains.”
“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.”
“I hope the Housing Minister will pay close attention to our recommendations and take the clear action needed to improve the buying and selling process for people across England and Wales”.
Florence Eshalomi MP, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, said she hopes the Housing Minister will pay close attention to the Committee’s recommendations.
Having now read the Committee’s letter to Matthew Pennycook MP, I can see there is significant momentum behind reforms relating to upfront information, reservation agreements and earlier binding commitments.
However, I do hope government is listening to the right voices.
The profession is not short of practical experience, evidence or workable recommendations. Conveyancing professionals and representative groups, including the Conveyancing Task Force, have repeatedly highlighted where delays, risks and consumer frustration actually arise within the system.
The uncomfortable truth is that the real issue is still not being properly addressed.
We can continue debating upfront information, reservation agreements and early financial commitment, but no process reform will repair a market where professional standards, supervision, continuity and expertise within parts of the conveyancing sector have been weakened in favour of volume and throughput.
Conveyancing is not an administrative exercise. It is a professional legal service requiring judgement, investigation, accountability and experience.
If policymakers genuinely want fewer delays, fewer failed transactions and better consumer outcomes, then the quality and accountability of conveyancing provision itself must become part of the reform discussion.
So if Florence Eshalomi would like to check her inbox, she will find that the Conveyancing Task Force has already submitted a briefing containing practical observations and recommendations from those working daily within the system.
“Authoritative, up-front property information” eh? Doesn’t that sound like a Home Information Pack? 🤔 Forgive me if I don’t get the bunting out, but sadly I still remember the weeks (if not months) we wasted with HIPs years ago … only to see the Government pull the plug on it at the last minute. All that time and effort wasted.