Over the years, the property industry has seen its fair share of consultations, white papers, and reviews, all promising to find solutions to “fix” the home buying and selling process. But if you’ve been in estate agency long enough, you know that most of them have faded quietly without creating much real change.
This consultation though is different. Many believe this will be seen to be a key tipping point.
Why? If you read the UK government’s latest consultation on Home Buying and Selling reform carefully, you’ll see a noticeably clear theme emerges. That’s because in the years that have passed since centralised initiatives like Chain Matrix (2006), HIPS (2010) and Veyo (2015) failed to get off the ground, the commercial world has made real progress. Today, the capabilities and technology needed to transform the market actually exist. However, as author William Gibson famously said, “The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed”.
This consultation is all about the government recognising that those capabilities are here, leaning in, and doing what it does best: taking the best practice in the market, and regulating to ensure it happens everywhere, every time.
In particular, there are three areas of best practice which echo throughout the consultation papers. And at its core, one message is clear: estate agents will lead the change.
1/ Putting estate agents at the heart of reform
For years, estate agents have been required to take on a series of additional responsibilities, like EPC, KYC and material information, and despite the challenges for agents, it has worked.
That should come as no surprise. Estate agents are the linchpin of every property transaction. They are the first point of contact for buyers and sellers, the coordinators between parties, and the ones who consumers turn to get the deal through.
The government has been explicit – the path to a faster, fairer property market starts with agents. By making agents the central enablers of transparency and compliance, rather than leaving these responsibilities solely to conveyancers, the consultation acknowledges that reform starts on the front line from day one. It recognises that estate agents are also agents of change.
This means estate agents will play a pivotal role in the digital future of the property market. Of course, giving new responsibilities will only work if the capabilities and technology to deliver them exist. Those agents that have them will not only meet emerging expectations but will lead the market into a new standard of credibility and professionalism.
It is a powerful shift: from compliance being a burden to being a differentiator.
2/ Have private sector innovators build the technology, not the government
A common theme from previous consultations has been a call for “government to digitise everything for us.” Digital innovation came to every other market in the UK through commercial efforts, but some still believe that a big government computer system would make everything OK.
The issue is that quite apart from requiring a decade and hundreds of millions of pounds of public money, government systems are no guarantee of success. Too many attempts simply fail, or as has happened elsewhere, create a monopoly that stifles innovation.
That is why it is refreshingly notable that this consultation very clearly states that “we will build on innovation developed already by the home buying and selling tech sector”. In fact, the government consultation even gives examples: “such as Coadjute’s digital platform which facilitates data sharing and makes transactions more transparent for consumers.”
That is because, for the first time, this time there is no need to dream up completely new technology. It already exists. It’s not theoretical. It is happening.
Platforms like Coadjute are already being used by forward-thinking estate agents to digitise the end-to-end transaction, combining compliance, onboarding, material data in one integrated process. This means agents can list faster, reduce fall-throughs, and offer a level of service that aligns perfectly with what government reform is pushing for.
In other words, the consultation doesn’t just describe what’s on the horizon, it validates what is already in motion.
3/ Make best practice widely available, don’t try and reinvent anew
In fact, the government’s consultation papers are full of references with supporting case studies to things that already exist:
+ Upfront Information
+ Digital ID
+ Shareable AML
+ Property Log Books
+ Reservation Agreements.
These don’t require inventing; these things already exist and are being successfully used day in day out. So, this consultation is focused on scaling existing best practices and their use, setting the standards and regulations to ensure it is completed to the highest standard.
A different tone, a clearer direction
This is exactly why this consultation feels different – because it is different. As previously mentioned, it is not theoretical, it’s practical. It is not asking whether the property market should change, it’s setting out how it will change and looking for the right support in shaping the detailed roadmap.
For the first time, there is alignment between policy ambition, technological capability, and industry readiness. The government is calling for digitisation, the tools already exist, and estate agents are ready to lead. For that reason, it will be a powerful catalyst for the changes that Coadjute, and others alike, have worked so hard to bring about. This moment has been a long time coming.
This consultation does not just talk about change – it recognises that it’s already underway. For estate agents, the consultation is a real call to action. What the government is asking for could potentially save time, meet new compliance demands, and deliver the kind of modern experience today’s buyers and sellers expect. We believe this consultation will be a tipping point, and one that should help estate agents meet the challenges set out and make home moving quicker and easier for everyone.
Dan Salmons, CEO at Coadjute
Read the orginal article: https://propertyindustryeye.com/why-this-government-consultation-is-a-tipping-point/
