Buying a House in Britain Just Got a Bit Less Awful

I’ve spent three years waiting to write anything good about buying property in this country. Three years ago, I endured four months of pure agony in trying to buy my first flat. And now? In fact, the government is doing something about it.

They announced a house buying reform consultation on 6 October 2025. I was pleasantly surprised by this announcement. Can they really clean this mess up?

My buying experience in 2022 was a nightmare. Four months of banging the wickets with solicitors who never answered. Waiting for surveys. Awake at 3a.m., wondering if the seller would back out of the deal. My friend Sarah? She had two deals fall through before she was finally handed her keys. Two! And we’re supposed to just take all that as normal.

Thousands of people go through this every year. It’s bonkers.

Here’s What They’re Planning

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government estimates that they could shave a month off the average house purchase. A whole month. They are also saying that it will save consumers a total of £255 million per year.

The consultation is open until 29 December 2025. Then we’re supposedly going to receive an actual plan early next year.

What are they actually proposing? You know, a couple of things that might fly up.

Sellers and estate agents will have to stick all the important information online from day one. No more discovering the dodgy wiring or the nightmare neighbours only after you’ve dropped a grand on surveys. Sites like Rightmove would show you everything straight away.

Proper transparency. What a concept.

The larger change has to do with contracts. They want to bind those much, much sooner. Right now, anyone can pull out right until you exchange contracts. That’s why gazumping still happens. Then someone else comes along, with more dosh, and you’re stuffed. You wouldn’t put up with that if you’d arranged a holiday, would you? But with houses? It seems that’s just how it goes.

Why Should You Care?

Government consultations sound boring. I get it. But this house buying reform could actually save you money and months of stress.

First-time buyers could save hundreds of pounds. And when you’re already scraping together a deposit by maybe using something like the First Homes scheme that knocks 30-50% off, those hundreds matter.

The current system is rubbish. You’ve got buyers, sellers, estate agents, solicitors, surveyors, and mortgage people all supposedly working together. Except they’re not. Nobody talks to each other properly. It’s like herding cats. Drunk cats.

That upfront information bit? That’s the winner for me. Actually knowing what you’re buying before you’ve paid for a survey. Not having to chase your solicitor every other day about the Japanese knotweed situation. That alone would be brilliant.

Let’s Be Realistic Though

These are proposals. Just proposals. They could change. They could get watered down. They could take years to actually happen.

Even if they do happen, estate agents and solicitors will need new systems. There’ll be teething problems. Some people will resist change because, well, people always do.

And here’s the thing: this doesn’t fix the main problem. Houses still cost a ridiculous amount of money. The Green Party keeps banging on about rental reform and housing affordability, which is fair enough. That’s a separate issue, though.

What these reforms tackle is the process. How we buy houses, not how much they cost.

But the process matters. Loads of people who could afford to buy just… don’t. Because it’s too stressful. Too slow. Too Victorian. (Which isn’t actually far off, when you think about it.)

What Happens Now?

The government wants regular people to respond to this consultation. Not just industry types. You. Me. Anyone who’s tried to buy a house.

If you’ve got opinions (and if you’ve been through this process, you definitely have opinions), you can respond online. You’ve got until the end of December.

I’m cautiously hopeful. Not doing cartwheels or anything. But after years of absolutely nothing changing, at least someone’s admitted the system’s broken.

For first-time buyers trying to get on the ladder, whether through government schemes or just saving like mad, this could make a real difference. Less time wasted. Less stress. Less money down the drain on purchases that fall through.

The British housing market has been stuck in the past for decades. Maybe we’re finally going to modernise it. I’ll believe it when I see houses actually changing hands quicker. But right now? I’m allowing myself a tiny bit of optimism.

In this housing market, that’s practically revolutionary.