Earlier this month, the Government opened a consultation on the home moving process and is seeking public views on shortening and modernising the process to bring it up to date and chiefly, cut the time it takes to move from agreeing a sale. A noble aim no doubt but not a new one and to experienced estate agency professionals, this must feel like déjà vu.
Back in 2001 when I was Law undergraduate, whilst attending my first lecture on property law, we were informed that the era of ‘e-conveyancing’ was right around the corner. Fast forward to 2025 and twenty plus years as a Surrey Estate Agent under my belt, it’s still not really here. The system isn’t ‘broken’ as such but sure could use some advances or tweaks and our experience is that the legal and practical aspects of the house moving process can be slowed by a myriad of things.
Mortgage lenders require buyers to jump through more hoops perhaps than they used to but then insist on dealing with solicitors on some aspects via fax machines; remember those ? The quality and efficiency of solicitors and conveyancing firms also varies hugely and if one is in a chain, the whole thing will only move as briskly as the slowest link.
The aim of this latest consultation is to slash moving times by 4 weeks which doesn’t actually sound like a terribly ambitious target. However early and upfront provision of data and information lies at the heart of the just launched consultation and we have been here before with mandatory Home Information Packs which were first mooted in 2003, became law in 2007 and then got tossed aside by the Coalition Government in 2010. Opposition along the way came in the form of sellers not wanting to have to fund the costs of the pack, lenders not accepting of the Home Condition Reports for their own security and other niggles.
Whatever happens with this consultation, what can you do as prospective sellers to be best prepared for a swift move ?
- Dig out all guarantees (replacement double glazing, new boilers etc)
- Unearth all planning consents / building regulations certificates
- Use a good solicitor. There are many cheap conveyancing offerings around the country, but they’re at best a false economy and at worst can cost you your move. Get local recommendations from the Estate Agent or friends.
- If you’re using a mortgage for your onwards move, get together payslips, P60’s, bank statements and make sure your broker has these right at the start.
- Try and get an approximate timeline agreed in the chain. It doesn’t guarantee anything and delays do happen, but it gives people a timeline to work towards and unearths any issues with tenancies, job moves, holiday plans etc early on.
- Above all – COMMUNICATE! Estate Agents and Solicitors are there to help and will have seen and done it all. If you hit a snag along the way, let them know and they will help advise and manage the situation. They are there to work with you.
