A recent survey of 300 property professionals, conducted by Countrywide Surveying Services, found that 77% are confident that proposed homebuying reforms will lead to positive change. The poll focused on industry attitudes towards upfront property information requirements.
Of those surveyed, 18% expressed being very confident about the reforms' impact, with an additional 59% indicating some confidence. In contrast, 21% were not very confident, and 2% believed the changes would not materialise.
The survey also explored the potential political impact on housing reform. More than a third (36%) of attendees thought Andy Burnham's appointment as Prime Minister would make positive change in the housing market more likely. However, 16% believed it would be less likely, and 48% felt it would make no difference.
Matthew Cumber, Managing Director of Countrywide Surveying Services, noted that the findings suggest a broad acceptance that the homebuying process can be improved. He highlighted that the key challenge now is to translate this ambition into tangible improvements for transactions.
Cumber suggested that simply moving existing checks earlier would have limited impact. He believes the greater opportunity lies in ensuring useful, shareable, and reliable information is available early in a transaction, rather than being repeatedly requested by different parties.