The Perfect Portal Perspective: Home Buying & Selling Reform Series | Part 1: The Big Picture.

Let’s be honest, The Government was refreshingly candid in its consultation on home buying and selling reform: our current home buying and selling system is not working.

For buyers, sellers and property professionals alike, that’s hardly a controversial statement. Delays, uncertainty and transactions falling through have become accepted as part of the moving process. The ambition to create a faster, more transparent and more reliable system is one the industry can get behind.

At Perfect Portal, we’ve spent more than a decade helping law firms improve the client journey. That’s why we wanted to share our perspective on the proposals, not as a legal analysis, but through the lens we know best: customer experience.

A better home-moving experience is built on transparency, communication and trust. Technology has a vital role to play, but only if it helps create a more connected journey for everyone involved.

This is the first article in The Perfect Portal Perspective: Home Buying & Selling Reform Series. Throughout the series, we’ll explore each proposal, highlighting where we agree, the questions we believe still need answering, and what it could mean for the future of the home-moving experience.

Requiring upfront property information.

The Government is proposing a significant shift in how residential properties are brought to market. Instead of buyers discovering key information after an offer has been accepted, sellers would be expected to provide a comprehensive set of property information upfront, including legal documentation, searches and a property condition assessment. 

What we agree with:

• Buyers should have access to better information before committing to one of the biggest purchases of their lives.
• Identifying potential issues earlier has the potential to reduce delays, renegotiations and avoidable fall-throughs.
• Bringing property professionals into the process sooner should create a more informed and efficient transaction.

Questions we have:

• How do we ensure the additional upfront costs and responsibilities don’t discourage sellers from entering the market?
• If searches or documents expire before a property is sold, who is responsible for refreshing them and covering the cost?
• How can the industry ensure upfront information remains accurate, trusted and consistent throughout the transaction? Whose responsibility is this?
  

The takeaway.
This is one of the consultation’s most significant proposals. However, the success of this proposal won’t simply depend on providing more information, it will depend on providing the right information. The opportunity isn’t just to make transactions faster; it’s to make them more predictable and give buyers, sellers and property professionals greater confidence from the very beginning.

Professionalising property agents.

The Government is proposing to raise professional standards across the property agent sector by introducing a Code of Practice, exploring mandatory qualifications for estate and letting agents, and improving consumer awareness of professional standards. 

What we agree with:

• Raising professional standards can only be positive for consumers and the wider property industry.
• Greater consistency should help build trust and improve confidence in the home-moving process.
• Clear expectations and accountability have the potential to reduce avoidable delays and misunderstandings.
  

Questions we have:

• Will mandatory qualifications alone lead to a noticeably better customer experience?
• How will professional standards be measured, maintained and regulated over time, rather than simply introduced? Especially for smaller agencies?
• How can better collaboration between estate agents, conveyancers, lenders and technology providers be encouraged alongside higher professional standards?
  

The takeaway.
Improving professional standards is an important step towards rebuilding trust in the home buying and selling process. However, qualifications and codes of practice are only one part of the solution. A smoother customer experience depends just as much on how professionals work together as it does on individual competence. The greatest opportunity isn’t simply to raise standards within each profession – it’s to create a more connected process where information flows more effectively.

Digital property logbooks and packs.

The Government wants to encourage the widespread adoption of digital property logbooks and digital property packs, making them a standard part of the home buying and selling process. These digital records would hold trusted, up-to-date property information that could be shared between buyers and property professionals.

What we agree with:

• Standardised digital property information has the potential to significantly improve transparency, reduce admin and makes transactions more efficient.
• Encouraging adoption through industry collaboration before introducing legislation is a sensible approach.
  

Questions we have:

• Who will ultimately own and be responsible for maintaining digital property logbooks throughout a property’s lifetime?
• How will information be verified and updated once a property is on the market?
• Can the industry agree on common standards that enable different technology providers and professionals to work together?
  

The takeaway.
In our opinion, this proposal has a high potential to transform the home buying and selling process. But its success won’t be determined by whether property information becomes digital, it will be determined by whether that information becomes connected. If the industry can achieve that, digital property logbooks won’t just modernise the process, they’ll help create a more transparent, collaborative and confident home-moving experience.

Binding conditional contracts.

The Government is exploring whether property transactions should become legally binding much earlier in the process through the wider use of conditional contracts or reservation agreements, but only after comprehensive upfront property information has become standard practice.

What we agree with:

• Reducing fall-through rates would save consumers and the economy significant time, money and stress.
• Earlier commitment has the potential to improve confidence across the entire property chain.
• It’s sensible that any move towards binding agreements is dependent on buyers having access to comprehensive upfront information.
  

Questions we have:

• Will buyers feel confident committing earlier, even with more information available upfront?
• What safeguards will be in place if genuinely unforeseen issues emerge after a binding agreement has been signed? How will exceptions be managed fairly?
  

The takeaway.
Greater certainty is something the home buying process has needed for a long time; however, it shouldn’t come from making people commit earlier, it should come from ensuring they have the confidence to do so. That confidence is built through trusted information, clear communication and transparency. If those foundations are in place, earlier binding agreements could become a natural progression rather than a perceived risk. 

Increasing consumer education and transparency.

The Government is proposing to make it easier for consumers to compare estate agents and conveyancers by publishing clearer information about their services, areas of expertise and performance. It is also exploring the introduction of a consumer charter and accreditation system to help buyers and sellers identify quality professionals and better understand the home buying and selling process.

What we agree with:

• Better-informed consumers are more likely to make confident decisions throughout the home-moving journey.
• Greater transparency should help consumers choose the right professionals, not simply the cheapest.
• Encouraging firms to demonstrate quality and best practice should help drive higher standards across the industry.
  

Questions we have:

• How will performance be measured in a way that is fair, meaningful and consistent across the industry?
• Will consumers value speed above everything else, or should measures such as communication, transparency and client satisfaction carry equal weight?
• Could an accreditation system become another badge to display, or will it genuinely reflect the quality of the customer experience firms deliver?
  

The takeaway.
This proposal goes beyond helping consumers compare providers, it has the potential to reshape what “good service” looks like across the industry. While speed is important, it’s only one part of the experience. Consumers are far more likely to remember whether they felt informed, confident and communicated to. If greater transparency encourages firms to compete on client experience rather than simply turnaround times, it could become one of the most impactful reforms in the consultation.

Streamlining transactions.

The Government recognises that conveyancing has become significantly more complex over recent years. To address this, the reform proposes streamlining aspects of the conveyancing process, beginning with reducing duplication in Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks and exploring how AI could support conveyancers by automating administrative tasks.

What we agree with:

• Reducing duplicated AML checks would remove one of the most frustrating parts of the home-moving journey for both consumers and professionals.
• Conveyancers should be able to spend more time providing legal advice and progressing transactions, rather than repeating administrative tasks.
• Exploring how AI can support routine, time-consuming activities has the potential to improve efficiency across the industry.
  

Questions we have:

• Will lenders, conveyancers and other property professionals be willing to rely on checks completed elsewhere in the transaction? How will this be regulated?
• Where should AI add value, and where does the industry still need human expertise and professional judgement?
  

The takeaway.
This proposal tackles one of the clearest examples of unnecessary friction in today’s home-buying process. Consumers don’t understand why they’re repeatedly asked for the same information by different organisations, and property professionals don’t benefit from carrying out the same checks multiple times. Plus, AI’s greatest value isn’t replacing conveyancers, it’s removing repetitive administrative tasks. Ultimately, the biggest opportunity isn’t simply making conveyancing faster; it’s creating a more joined-up process.

Next steps for digitalisation.

The Government’s long-term vision is to create a fully digital home buying and selling process, built on trusted, shareable data and supported by modern technology. The reform outlines a range of initiatives to achieve this. It also recognises the growing role of artificial intelligence in supporting property transactions, while emphasising that innovation must be underpinned by trusted, interoperable data.

What we agree with:

• A modern home-moving process should be built on digital information that is trusted, secure and easy to share.
• Common data standards are essential if technology providers and property professionals are to work together effectively.
• Industry collaboration is just as important as technological innovation if digital transformation is to succeed.
  

Questions we have:

• How can the industry ensure digital adoption happens consistently, rather than creating a mix of modern and traditional processes that continue to frustrate consumers?
• Will organisations embrace common standards, even where they require changes to existing systems and ways of working?
• How do we ensure digital innovation remains focused on improving the customer experience, rather than simply introducing more technology?
• Can the industry maintain trust and transparency as AI becomes more widely embedded within the home-buying process?
  

The takeaway.
The vision set out in this proposal is an ambitious one, and one that reflects the direction the property industry has been moving towards for some time. However, digital transformation isn’t about introducing more technology, it’s about creating a better experience. Success will depend on whether these initiatives work together as part of one connected ecosystem, rather than as a collection of individual projects. 

Leasehold sales information.

The Government is seeking to address one of the most common causes of delay in leasehold property transactions: obtaining the information needed to progress a sale. Under the proposals, measures within the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 would be implemented to introduce clearer standards for information requests, defined response times, caps on unreasonable fees and enforcement mechanisms where standards are not met. 

What we agree with:

• Improving the availability of leasehold information would remove one of the most persistent causes of transaction delays.
• Greater transparency around timescales and fees would give sellers more confidence and certainty.
• Setting clear expectations and accountability should encourage more consistent service across the market.
  

Questions we have:

• How will response time standards be monitored and enforced in practice?
• Will fee caps strike the right balance between protecting consumers and ensuring information providers can deliver a quality service?
• Could digital access to standardised leasehold information reduce the need for repeated requests altogether?

The takeaway.
Leasehold transactions have long been associated with unnecessary delays, uncertainty and frustration. Bringing greater transparency, consistency and accountability to the provision of leasehold information is a positive step towards improving that experience. However, the future should be one where key leasehold information is readily available, digitally accessible and easy to share between trusted parties. Reducing waiting times is important, but removing the need to wait in the first place is an even better outcome. 

Final thoughts.

The Government’s consultation represents one of the most significant attempts in recent years to rethink how homes are bought and sold in England and Wales. Many of the proposals recognise long-standing frustrations that property professionals and consumers have experienced for years – delays, duplication, uncertainty and a lack of transparency.

Taken individually, each proposal has the potential to improve part of the process. Together, they present an opportunity to redesign the home-moving experience around the needs of today’s consumers.

Throughout this consultation, one theme stands out above all others: connected information creates connected experiences.

That’s a future we strongly support. But digital transformation should never become the objective in itself. Consumers don’t measure success by how many digital services are involved in their transaction.

As these proposals evolve into policy, we hope the industry continues to focus not just on making transactions faster, but on making them more transparent, more collaborative and ultimately more reassuring for the people at the heart of every move.

This is just the beginning of the conversation.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll continue The Perfect Portal Perspective series by taking a closer look at each proposal, exploring what it could mean for law firms, property professionals and, most importantly, the future customer experience of moving home.