Home buying reforms timeline

Updated 7 November 2026. Applies to England and Wales.

On 19 June 2026 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap. It works in three stages: Now (2026), voluntary packs and guidance; Next (2027 to 2028), packs and logbooks required in government homeownership schemes, a leasehold information fee cap and a central land charges register; and Future (by the end of this Parliament), legislation requiring a sales pack before listing, followed later by binding contracts.

Two duties are already law today: an EPC must be commissioned before marketing, and listings must not omit material information.

An old law library with marble busts and shelves of leather-bound books — Two duties are already law. The pack itself is voluntary until Parliament legislates.

The roadmap stage by stage

Already in force Law

Energy Performance Certificate before marketing. Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012: the seller must commission an EPC before the home is marketed and obtain it within 28 days; fixed penalty £200 for a dwelling.

Material information on listings. Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, consumer provisions in force from 6 April 2025: a listing must not mislead or omit information a buyer needs. National Trading Standards' earlier Parts A, B and C guidance has been withdrawn; the duty now rests on the Act, enforced by the Competition and Markets Authority and trading standards.

TA6 6th edition. The Law Society's revised Property Information Form became mandatory for Conveyancing Quality Scheme firms from 30 March 2026.

Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. Royal Assent 24 May 2024; contains the powers to cap the fee and set a deadline for leasehold sales information, to be switched on by regulations.
2026 "Now" Under way
The roadmap's immediate actions:
- Work with industry to identify the pack information that can be provided voluntarily straight away, and publish guidance setting standards for sellers and professionals ahead of legislation.
- Guidance on the information to be included in property listings.
- A non-statutory Code of Practice for estate agents.
- A call for evidence on sharing property data between the parties and systems in a transaction.
- Work towards a voluntary accreditation for property data standards.
2027 to 2028 "Next"
- From 2027: digital sales packs and property logbooks required in government homeownership schemes, with the minimum data defined.
- Consultation on mandatory qualifications for estate agents (2027).
- Regulations under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 to cap the fee and set a time limit for leasehold sales information; a cap of £200 plus VAT and a 28-day limit have been signalled.
- Local land charges registers moved from individual councils to HM Land Registry's central register, due to complete by 2028, shortening part of the local search.
By the end of this Parliament "Future"
- Legislation, "when parliamentary time allows", requiring a standardised sales pack before a home is listed, including property searches and a property condition report.
- Sellers to keep overall responsibility for the pack; conveyancers and surveyors responsible for the legal and condition information they gather and verify.
- Digital property logbooks to become a standard feature of transactions.
- Only after packs are tested and embedded: a move towards binding agreements earlier in the process, so that neither party can walk away without cost once terms are agreed.

What the roadmap commits to

A legal requirement for a sales pack before listing, with searches and a condition report included.
Voluntary packs encouraged immediately, with guidance on standards ahead of the law.
Digital packs and logbooks in government homeownership schemes from 2027.
A Code of Practice for estate agents in 2026 and a consultation on mandatory qualifications in 2027.
Use of existing powers to cap the cost and set a deadline for leasehold sales information.
Binding contracts earlier in the process, but only once packs are proven.

Why this time is designed differently

The roadmap is explicit about the lessons of Home Information Packs, introduced in 2007 and suspended in 2010: cost, jargon, paper and too little collaboration with the industry. The new approach is phased rather than introduced in one step; digital rather than paper; drawn from trusted data sources such as HM Land Registry and the EPC register rather than retyped; and built on standards the industry already uses, chiefly the BASPI questionnaire and the Property Data Trust Framework. The pack is also to be tested in government schemes before it is required of everyone.

What is settled and what is not

Settled	Still open
The direction: a pack before listing, in law	The date the legislation is introduced and takes effect
The proposed content list (14 items, Annex B)	The final minimum data set, which the government says may change
Searches and a condition report will be in the pack	Which level of condition report, and how old searches may be
Packs required in government schemes from 2027	Which schemes first, and the exact start date
Powers exist to cap leasehold information fees and set a deadline	The regulations that bring the cap and deadline into force
The seller carries overall responsibility for the pack	How liability is apportioned for errors in third-party items

What this means in practice now

For sellers: nothing in the roadmap is compulsory yet beyond the EPC and material information duties, but a pack prepared voluntarily now meets today's duties, speeds up the sale, and will not need redoing if the law arrives mid-transaction. See For sellers.

For estate agents: the material information duty already applies to every listing and the Code of Practice is due this year. Agencies that collect pack information at instruction will find the 2027 scheme requirements and the later law a small step rather than a new process. See For estate agents.

For buyers: expect to see more listings carrying pack information, and ask for it where it is absent. See For buyers.

This page is updated as the government publishes guidance, consultations and legislation.