Overview

• Ministers propose mandatory upfront disclosures on tenure, title, leasehold costs, searches, condition assessments, flood risk, chain status and floor plans before a listing goes live.
• Options for earlier binding contracts are under consultation to reduce fall-throughs, alongside digital property logbooks, digital ID verification and standardised data sharing.
• The government estimates the changes could cut around four weeks from the typical five-month process, halve failed sales and save first-time buyers an average of £710.
• Officials say sellers may face about £310 in additional upfront costs, with those mid-chain potentially netting around £400 due to lower buying expenses.
• Property platforms, lenders and professional bodies broadly welcome modernisation, while opposition figures warn of repeating Home Information Packs; a full roadmap is due in the new year.