The Intermediary – August 2026 - Flipbook - Page 14
RESIDENTIAL
Opinion
Building a process
people can trust
A
sk anyone who has
bought a home what
they would change
about the experience,
and speed will almost
certainly feature.
But once you dig a lile deeper, you
oen find that delays aren’t the
biggest source of frustration, it’s the
uncertainty that comes with them.
Waiting several weeks is one thing,
but waiting without knowing whether
the property has hidden defects,
whether important information is
still outstanding, or whether the
transaction is even progressing, is
something else entirely.
That is why the Government’s
proposed reforms should be viewed as
much more than an aempt to reduce
completion times. They represent an
opportunity to improve the quality
of decision-making throughout the
transaction by ensuring access to
beer information far earlier.
The process takes far longer than
consumers expect, with only 9%
expecting it to take longer than six
months, where in reality, nearly
double that (17%) found their process
took longer, according to Santander.
The same report states that one in
four (23%) have tried to buy a property,
only for that process to fall through,
and that these failed residential
property transactions alone lead to
£1.5bn of losses to the economy and
consumers in England and Wales.
Upfront information
Much of that disruption stems from
the same issue: too many important
facts only come to light once a sale is
already well underway.
The proposed introduction of
upfront sales packs, incorporating a
home condition survey suited to the
property’s age and construction, has
the potential to change that. Rather
than relying on assumptions and
uncovering problems later, buyers
should be able to understand far more
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The Intermediary | August 2026
about the home before deciding what
it is worth to them, and whether it
remains the right purchase.
That doesn’t mean every transaction
will become straightforward
overnight. Older homes will
always present surprises, and some
negotiations will still be unavoidable.
However, identifying issues before an
offer is agreed is very different from
discovering them several weeks later,
when finance has been arranged, legal
work is progressing and moving plans
are already in place.
The reforms also recognise that
improving information isn’t solely
about surveys. A move towards secure
digital property records, common
data standards and greater integration
across the property sector should
reduce duplication while ensuring
professionals are working from the
same reliable information.
For surveyors and valuers, this
has particular significance. Beer
access to property data at the point
of inspection should reduce the need
to rely on incomplete records or
assumptions, allowing assessments to
be based on a more accurate picture of
the asset from the outset. That benefits
lenders through greater consistency,
while helping reduce unnecessary
post-valuation queries that can delay
mortgage decisions.
Digitalisation should not be
mistaken for automation alone.
Technology can make information
easier to access and share, but
it cannot replace professional
judgement. Understanding what data
means in the context of an individual
property still requires qualified
surveyors who can interpret risk
rather than simply identify it.
Another encouraging aspect of the
reforms is that they extend beyond
technology. Plans to introduce
stronger professional standards
across estate agency, alongside greater
consistency in qualifications and
codes of practice, acknowledge that
MATTHEW CUMBER
is managing director
at Countrywide
Surveying Services
beer outcomes rely on people as
much as systems. Every organisation
involved in a transaction influences
the customer’s experience, and raising
standards across the board can only
improve confidence in the process.
The phased introduction of these
measures also feels pragmatic. Reform
on this scale cannot happen overnight,
particularly when it affects every stage
of the journey. Allowing the market to
test new approaches, refine processes
and build capacity before mandatory
requirements take effect gives the
opportunity to get implementation
right rather than simply geing it
done quickly.
Devil in the detail
There will inevitably be further debate
as the detail emerges, particularly
around the content of upfront sales
packs and how information should be
presented. The objective should never
be to create more paperwork. It should
be to provide meaningful information
that helps people make beer decisions
and allows professionals to work more
efficiently together.
For many years, our industry has
focused on making transactions
quicker. That remains important,
but speed should be the outcome
of a beer process rather than the
objective in itself.
If these reforms deliver earlier
access to reliable property
information, stronger professional
standards and a more connected
flow of data across the homebuying
journey, they will achieve something
far more valuable than simply
shortening transaction times. They
will create a process that buyers,
sellers and professionals can have
greater confidence in, and that will be
the real measure of success. ●
