How Government Reform is Set to Cut UK Home Moving Costs

The Long Awaited Overhaul: Government Plans to Fix the UK Property Market

The process of buying and selling a home in the UK is notoriously slow, complex, and often a major source of stress. For years, the average move has taken around seven months, with five of those dedicated to the frustrating conveyancing stage. This drawn-out period is also prone to 'fall-throughs'—when a sale collapses, leaving both parties out of pocket and emotionally drained.

Now, the government is launching a consultation into home-moving legislation, with the clear aim of simplifying and accelerating the current system. These ambitious reforms are projected to save the average first-time buyer hundreds of pounds in moving costs and, crucially, cut the time it takes to complete a sale by approximately a month.

Here is a look at the proposed changes and what they could mean for buyers and sellers across the UK.

Key Changes Proposed by the Consultation

The reforms centre on four major shifts designed to introduce certainty and speed into the process:

1. Upfront Information and Surveys

Currently, key searches and surveys—highlighting a property’s condition and potential issues—are typically commissioned and paid for by the buyer after an offer is accepted.

The Change: Searches and surveys would be made available before a property listing is even live. This means buyers could access crucial financial and condition information at the viewing stage, rather than weeks into the process. The costs for these reports would also shift to the seller, who would effectively be preparing a comprehensive information pack upfront. This transparency is expected to prevent unwelcome surprises that often derail a sale further down the line.

2. Mandatory Seller Information

In a bid to help buyers make informed decisions earlier, sellers would be required to provide essential information upfront alongside the property pack.

The Change: Sellers would have to disclose details such as service charges, the remaining leasehold length, and critical information about their own chain (if applicable). Providing this data at the outset ensures that buyers fully understand the property they are offering on, reducing the chance of disputes or renegotiations later in the conveyancing process. If you need a refresher on any of these terms, a good property jargon buster is always helpful.

3. The Digital Revolution

Two of the seven months it currently takes to move are spent agreeing a sale, but five are lost navigating the complexities of conveyancing. Digitisation is seen as the key to unlocking this logjam.

The Change: The proposal encourages the use of more digital tools, such as digital property logbooks and digital ID verification. Streamlining and centralising data in this way promises to significantly accelerate the conveyancing journey. Furthermore, the government is looking at making digitised performance data on conveyancers and estate agents available, empowering home-movers to select the best professionals.

4. The Option for Binding Contracts

One of the biggest flaws in the current system is that a sale only becomes legally binding at the point of exchange—usually right at the very end. This means either party can withdraw at any time beforehand with no financial penalty (beyond lost costs on surveys/legal fees).

The Change: The government hopes to drastically cut the number of fall-throughs by introducing the option for buyers and sellers to sign binding contracts earlier in the process. While the precise mechanism is still under discussion, bringing this element of legal commitment forward would introduce much-needed certainty and peace of mind.

The Industry Perspective

The proposed changes have been widely welcomed by the property industry. Rightmove’s CEO, Johan Svanstrom, noted: “Our latest average data shows people are spending seven long and often painful months to move home. We welcome the announcement today aiming to drive forward that much needed change and modernisation.”

Rightmove and other industry bodies are keen to collaborate with the government to ensure the changes are practical and effective, believing that technology and thoughtful planning can transform the currently fragmented home-moving process.

What Happens Next?

As is the nature of significant government policy, these changes will not be implemented overnight. The government is planning to publish a full roadmap for the reforms at the beginning of 2026.

In the meantime, they are actively inviting members of the public—anyone who has recently experienced the UK buying and selling process—to submit their views on the proposals via a dedicated consultation form. This is a crucial opportunity for home-movers to shape the future of the process.