The Intermediary – November 2025 - Flipbook - Page 86
SPECIALIST FINANCE
Opinion
Housing reform
could reshape
specialist finance
T
he big question on
the lips of everyone
involved in the UK
housing and mortgage
market is whether
change is finally coming
to the way homes are bought and sold
in England and Wales.
This comes on the back of the
Ministry of Housing, Communities
and Local Government (MHCLG)
launching a 12-week Home Buying
and Selling Consultation, running
until 29th December. Its goal is to
overhaul a system that, for decades,
has been slow, opaque, and fraught
with uncertainty.
Today, the average transaction
takes around 120 days, and one
in three sales fall through before
completion. The Government’s vision
is to introduce a faster, digital-first
process where beer information is
available upfront, binding agreements
reduce fall-throughs, and data moves
seamlessly between professionals.
If done right, it could cut
completion times by four weeks. It
won’t happen immediately, but is
scheduled to happen before the next
In my view,
those who are already
investing in technology,
efficiency, and broker
partnerships will be
the ones leading
tomorrow’s property
finance market”
82
The Intermediary | November 2025
election in the bid to underpin the
delivery of 1.5 million new homes.
If it does, that signifies a real game
changer. It’ll bring us closer to markets
like Norway, where transactions
are wrapped up in a month, or
Scotland, where the binding offer
process gives buyers and sellers far
greater confidence.
For consumers and property
professionals, these reforms will be
transformative. Faster transactions
will mean less uncertainty, fewer
broken chains (and hearts), and
smoother cashflow across the sector.
The quality test
This also raises the bar for everyone
involved in finance. Lenders, brokers
and conveyancers will need to move in
synch with a faster process. Finance
will have to be agreed within tighter
timeframes and digital packs will
need to provide all the property
data upfront.
The days of waiting for searches
or valuations could soon be behind
us. Instead, verified data, title
documentation, and even valuations
will be accessible in advance, helping
brokers and lenders make quicker,
more confident decisions.
This reform will reward agility and
partnership. The lenders that thrive
will be those that combine speed
with service, embracing technology,
automating routine checks, and
maintaining strong, trusted
relationships with brokers.
We’ve already built these principles
into our proposition. Our Streamline
product, with the automatic
application of title insurance, is
designed to remove friction, deliver
faster completions, and give brokers
the certainty they need. Paired
with our digital infrastructure and
collaborative service model, it means
ROZ CAWOOD
is managing director of property
finance at StreamBank
we’re ready to move at the pace the
new market will demand.
A boon for bridging
Some may say that faster residential
completions might reduce the need
for bridging, but the reality is the
opposite. Bridging uses have evolved
massively in recent times, far
beyond simply solving chain-breaks,
to incorporate greater elements
of refurbishment, change of use,
commercial expansion, and unlocking
equity for reinvestment.
In a world where the mainstream
market moves faster, bridging,
development and commercial lenders
can’t afford to be le behind and need
to raise their game accordingly.
These potential reforms are
certainly nothing to fear, more an
opportunity to seize. In my view,
those who are already investing in
technology, efficiency, and broker
partnerships will be the ones leading
tomorrow’s property finance market.
This won’t be straightforward, and
I’m sure there will be a few bumps
in the road. But if – and when – this
reform lands, its momentum should
put the industry in a much beer
position to hurdle future obstacles.
At StreamBank, we’re ready for that
future. For brokers, it’s never been
more important to align with lenders
that focus on progress rather than rely
on past glories. ●
