What the government is planning
In 2026 the government published its Home buying and selling reform roadmap, setting out the biggest shake-up of the process in England in decades. Its headline aims are to cut delays, stop sales collapsing late, and tackle gazumping — the practice of a seller accepting a higher offer after already agreeing yours.
The centrepiece is a move towards binding conditional contracts: making an agreed sale legally binding much earlier in the process, with financial penalties for a party that pulls out without a legitimate reason. In practice this would bring England closer to the Scottish model, where offers become binding far earlier than the current English 'subject to contract' free-for-all.
It hinges on upfront information
Critically, the government has been clear that binding contracts will not be required until comprehensive upfront property information — a 'sales pack' — is routinely available before parties commit. The consultation explored including property searches and a condition report in that pack, so buyers can see the key facts before they're locked in rather than weeks later.
The logic is simple: you can only fairly be held to a binding commitment if you had the information to make it. That makes early, reliable property information the foundation of the whole reform — and it shifts the moment of diligence from after your offer to before it.
When is this happening?
This is a direction of travel, not an overnight change. The reforms are being introduced gradually: government intends to legislate for binding conditional contracts when parliamentary time allows, and has said it will only bring that into force after sales packs are embedded — reporting has pointed to potentially towards the end of this Parliament (around 2029).
Sooner than that, expect voluntary sales packs and reservation agreements to spread as the industry prepares, alongside tighter rules on the material information estate agents must include in listings. So the practical shift towards 'know before you commit' is already beginning.
Will you still be able to pull out?
Yes — but only for defined legitimate reasons. The consultation pointed to exceptions such as death or serious illness, a major change in financial circumstances, and newly discovered property information. Outside those, withdrawing from a binding contract would carry a penalty, likely a percentage of the price or the other side's costs.
That exception for 'newly discovered property information' is the one buyers should note. If you commit and then a serious problem comes to light, your ability to walk away may depend on it being genuinely new — which is a powerful reason to surface as much as possible before you offer, not after.
How to prepare as a buyer
The reform rewards buyers who do their homework early. Before you offer, get a clear read on the property's flood and environmental risk, planning and heritage constraints, energy performance, price-paid history and — where relevant — the title and any covenants or leasehold terms. Going into a binding commitment with that already understood is the safest position.
This is exactly what TrueBrick is built for: pre-offer intelligence that pulls the public record on a specific property and reads it back in plain English, before you commit. As the market moves towards binding contracts, front-loaded diligence stops being a nice-to-have and becomes the way to protect yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Is gazumping being banned?
Not outright. The reform aims to curb it by making offers binding earlier, with penalties for pulling out without good reason. But it's phased and not yet law, and exceptions for legitimate withdrawal will remain.
When do binding contracts come in?
Gradually. Government intends to legislate when parliamentary time allows and will only bring binding contracts into force after upfront 'sales packs' are embedded — reporting suggests potentially toward the end of this Parliament. Voluntary sales packs and reservation agreements are likely to appear sooner.
Will I be able to pull out of a purchase at all?
For defined legitimate reasons — such as death or illness, a major financial change, or newly discovered property information — yes. Withdrawing outside those would carry a penalty. Knowing the property thoroughly before you commit is the best protection.
Does this apply in Scotland?
Scotland already has a system where offers become binding earlier, through missives. This particular reform roadmap applies to England (with related changes across the UK), moving England closer to that earlier-commitment model.