Reforming Home Buying: Real Momentum, Real Opportunity
Home Buying and Selling Reform
The UK government’s new consultation on home buying and selling reform which welcomes contributions up until 29 December, signals a defining moment for the property sector. With industry, innovators, and policymakers finally aligned, the opportunity for real change has never been greater. Here’s why this matters, and how the West Midlands is already leading the charge.
A Property Sector Ready for Modernisation
Every year, around one in three property sales still falls through, and the average transaction takes over four months to complete. For buyers and sellers alike, the process can feel outdated and unnecessarily stressful. That’s why the government’s consultation is such a positive step. It recognises what everyone in the industry has long known: the home moving system needs more transparency, speed, and trust.
This isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about rebuilding confidence and making the process work for people again.
The encouraging part? The proposals directly align with what forward-thinking businesses across the UK, especially here in the West Midlands, have already been working towards: a faster, smarter, and more consumer-focused experience.
Upfront Information, With Purpose
One of the most talked-about proposals is requiring sellers to provide more upfront information, possibly even a condition survey before listing a property. The principle is sound. Fewer surprises mean fewer failed transactions. But this must be done in a way that adds clarity, not complexity.
These new reports need to be accepted by all parties (lenders, insurers, conveyancers), otherwise they risk becoming just another administrative burden. The focus should be on consistent, verified data shared across the transaction, not on duplicating existing checks.
The goal? Better data, trusted by everyone.
Where Change Will Really Make a Difference
To truly transform the home moving experience, reform needs to target the core infrastructure of how property data flows, not just the paperwork that surrounds it.
The biggest opportunities lie in:
· Digital Property Records: creating a living, verified record for every home
· Data Interoperability: ensuring agents, conveyancers, lenders, and local authorities work from the same data sources, not multiple versions.
· Binding Offers: enabling greater commitment once verified information is complete, reducing fall-throughs.
· Digital Identity & AML Checks: done once, securely, and reused across the process.
When these principles are in place, the rest of the system and its accompanying benefits, speed, accuracy, confidence, naturally follow.
PropTech Innovation Rooted in the West Midlands
While the consultation lays out national ambitions, many of the solutions are already being developed regional and the West Midlands is fast becoming the UK’s nexus for PropTech and data innovation.
Through SuperTech and its focused engagement with our sector, regional firms are proving how purposeful collaboration between industry, academia, and government can deliver scalable impact. Open Property and our flagship platform Umovingu were born from that same regional energy. In partnership with Coventry University, we’ve developed a data-sharing framework that supports secure, interoperable property information, to make home moving simpler, clearer, and more human. This example of regional innovation reflects the focused opportunity SuperTech is supporting across our region, aligned to the UK Government’s Smart Data Initiative and SuperTech’s Innovation Roadmap, which highlights the biggest areas of potential innovation growth.
A Moment of Alignment
What makes this consultation exciting is the alignment it represents:
· Government is setting a clear direction for reform.
· Innovators are already building the digital infrastructure to support it.
· Consumers are demanding transparency and control.
For the first time, everyone seems to be pulling in the same direction.
The Future Is Collaborative
This consultation is the starting line for genuine progress. It’s an invitation to reimagine how people move home: less friction, more trust, and a seamless digital backbone that connects everyone involved. At Open Property, we’re proud to be part of that mission, and proud that the West Midlands continues to lead by example, showing how regional innovation can deliver national transformation.
The future of home buying and selling is digital, transparent, and human-centred - and with the right focus, it’s closer than ever.
Blog By Maxine, Founder & CEO of Open Property
Maxine is a veteran of the UK property sector with over 30 years of experience spanning estate agency, business development, and PropTech innovation. She founded Open Property to reinvent how people move home — with trust, transparency, and technology at the heart. Through Umovingu, she’s empowering consumers to prepare early, stay informed, and save time, money, and stress throughout their moving journey.
In partnership with SuperTech West Midlands
SuperTech is the UK’s only professional services technology supercluster, connecting firms across PropTech, FinTech, InsurTech, and LegalTech to accelerate innovation and collaboration. Together with innovators like Open Property, SuperTech is showcasing how regional excellence can deliver national transformation — shaping the next chapter of the UK’s digital property revolution.