Conveyancing Association submits responses to Government home buying consultations
The consultations are focused on improving transparency for buyers and modernising property transactions across England and Wales.
The Conveyancing Association (CA) has confirmed it has submitted its full responses to the Government consultations on reforming the home buying and selling process and on the provision of material information in property listings.
The consultations, led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) and closing at the end of December, are focused on improving transparency for buyers, reducing delays and fall-throughs, and modernising property transactions across England and Wales.
The CA said its responses were shaped by extensive engagement with member firms, including an online roundtable and a member survey, to ensure the practical realities of conveyancing are reflected in its position.
While backing the principle of reform, the association has set out a number of safeguards it believes are critical to protect consumers and ensure conveyancing firms can operate sustainably.
These include clearer and earlier provision of property information, but with defined limits on scope and liability for conveyancers, and recognition that upfront information creates additional legal work that must be properly priced and resourced.
The CA has also reiterated the importance of sellers instructing conveyancers at the very start of the process, before a property is marketed, to help identify legal issues earlier and reduce the risk of delay or transaction failure later on.
A central theme of the responses is the need for standardised and trusted property data, shared through digital systems and property logbooks.
The association argued these systems must be interoperable and portable, with clear rules around responsibility and data use, to reduce duplication and improve confidence across the transaction.
In addition, the CA has called for mandatory qualifications and effective regulation of estate agents, supported by meaningful enforcement, to ensure consistent compliance and a level playing field throughout the sector.
The responses also stress the need for a phased and realistic implementation timetable, alongside early engagement with professional indemnity insurers, to avoid unmanaged risk and unintended consequences for conveyancing firms.
Nicky Heathcote, non-executive chair of The Conveyancing Association, said: “Both these Government consultations go to the heart of how homes are bought and sold, and conveyancers have a critical role in making any reform work in practice.
“Our responses support greater transparency and earlier information, but they also make clear reform must be fair, enforceable and grounded in how transactions actually operate.
“If these changes are implemented properly, they can reduce stress for consumers and create a more stable and sustainable environment for conveyancing firms.”
Beth Rudolf, director of delivery at The Conveyancing Association, added: “Our responses focus on the practical delivery of reform.
“Upfront information and material information has created a massive improvement where member firms have adopted them – reducing transactions times to seven weeks and fall throughs by 60%.
“But the industry will need complete clarity on scope, liability and data reliability, and if conveyancers are involved at the right point in the process.
“This is not simply a case of moving work earlier; it creates additional legal work that must be recognised, costed and supported by standardised data and digital systems.
“Without clear enforcement, shared standards and early instruction of conveyancers, the benefits these consultations seek will not be fully realised.”
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