Pre-marketing surveys – Desirable, or Disaster?

On 19th June 2026 Sir Kier Starmer, Prime Minister, announced that the Government, via the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) was publishing its “Home buying & selling reform roadmap” following two consultations it completed at the end of 2025. These covered (a) the process and (b) Material Information

On 22nd June 2026 Sir Kier Starmer resigned as Prime Minister

The roadmap indicates that after 2028, “by end of Parliament”, “when parliamentary time allows”, they will introduce legislation to “require the preparation of ‘sales packs’ prior to listing, including searches and a property condition report”.

Here are my thoughts on what this means for surveyors and surveys…….and what we can do TODAY

More information earlier in the home buying and selling process is a good thing. We can all agree on that. But information only has value if it genuinely helps consumers make fully informed decisions.

As we stand today one would have to bet against any form of upfront survey becoming mandatory this side of the next general election (which must be held by 15th August 2029). The record of Government of delivering such projects is generally one of delays and uncertainty, and changes of this magnitude are notoriously difficult to negotiate through the legislative system.

So do we wait for Government to solve, or not solve, the problem, or do we do something about it ourselves?

The current and potential markets

Most estimates put the total number of condition surveys being carried out today as somewhere around 200,000-300,000 annually. And the number of homes being put on the market could be between 1.5 and 2.0 million each year. So introduction of a mandatory condition survey for all properties being marketed would require an overnight increase in capacity of 5-8 times. That’s a big ask for any industry to tackle in as little as 3 years. So wouldn’t a gradual, consumer-led, solution be more practical?

When a report is not a report

In the final Annex B of their roadmap document MHCLG clearly indicate that a sales pack would include a “property condition assessment report tailored to the property age and type”.

This could mean all sorts of things.

Could this be an AI prepared risk review that considers factors such as type, age and location? After all, as surveyors we are well aware that a property perched on a cliff top overlooking the sea would be much more likely to suffer from defects such as damp and wall-tie failure than a similar property in a more benign area. Why could an AI generated report not highlight those same risks?

But the roadmap also says that “Our ambition is to develop a system where all parties have access to comprehensive upfront information and that allows both buyers and sellers to confidently commit to a transaction at an early stage.” That suggests that the intention is for any condition review to provide sufficient information on which to commit to a purchase. So, does that mean it has to have the input of competence, quality and professional due diligence?

Most importantly, however, is that, throughout the roadmap the reference is to “property condition” reports. And “condition” can only accurately be reviewed with the benefit of a physical inspection. That would seem to rule out, therefore, this being any form of desktop or non-visit review process. Or does it? Does the description of a “condition report” mean different things to different people?

They’ve solved it in other countries…haven’t they?

Early in the roadmap document, MHCLG refer to the current problems experienced by the home buying and selling market including delays, fall-throughs and lost fees. Then they say “Evidence from other countries shows us it doesn’t have to be this way”.

Scotland is often cited as evidence that seller-provided surveys work. But the picture is more nuanced. Though the Single Survey is a relatively basic (level 1-1.5) product, very few buyers subsequently commission more detailed advice, even on higher-risk properties. The result is that consumers may not always receive the level of professional input they need, while the market itself has become dominated by large corporate providers at the expense of independent surveyors.

Additionally, the Single Survey includes a valuation. That complicates matters even more, raising concerns about conflicts of interest, accuracy and lifespan.

Any information is better than no information. Surely?

This is a very worrying aspect of “Upfront Information”. We’ve known for years that many buyers assume their mortgage valuation is a survey and, as a result the uptake of pre-purchase surveys from buyers is well below where we would expect it to be. Imagine that you now tell buyers they are getting a “property condition report” whether that is an AI generated risk review or a basic condition report (or, as in Scotland, a Single Survey)? It’s fair to assume that most would, therefore, not see the need to commission a more thorough report, even if buying a higher-risk property. Would that discourage even the modest current uptake of surveys by buyers even further?

Yes, I think it would. And in doing so it would give buyers a false sense of security, as most would assume that they have received sufficient advice about property condition, having viewed the “property condition report”.

In Norway, despite not being mandatory, around 95% of sellers will commission a survey. And while the report was originally conceived as a basic product (much like the Single Survey in Scotland) it was soon recognised that a much more comprehensive (level 2.5?) product was the only way to ensure buyers were properly informed, and this was actioned in 2022.

So the “evidence” from other jurisdictions offers as many questions as it does answers. Yes, in both these markets the fall-though rate is significantly lower than the 1:3 experienced in England and Wales. But in both cases the legal systems are completely different. And there would seem to be no specific evidence to link reduced fall-throughs with mandatory surveys. But the risk is that, far from helping buyers (especially those of higher risk or older property), such a step would actually deter those who might otherwise have obtained full professional advice.

But all information is good information, right?

Alongside the 2025 consultation into the home buying and selling process, MHCLG carried out a consultation into the Material Information that should be a requirement for Estate Agents to provide to prospective buyers. At a basic level this includes information about property type (house, flat etc), tenure, ground rents, price, parking etc.

But it was recognised that, when it came to more challenging categories, Estate Agents are simply not qualified to assess technical issues such as construction or structural condition. In their response to this MHCLG have suggested that they will offer guidance that will “signpost buyers to consult a professional to interpret technical information where required”. Which begs the question of who decides when technical information requires professional interpretation?

So, is this a forgone conclusion?

As of today we don’t know what sort of product(s) we might be looking at. Basic condition survey? AI generated risk report? Multiple survey levels based on age or risk assessments?

If I were running a large survey/valuation corporate entity I would be lobbying for a replica of the Scottish model……the RICS’s response to the Government consultation supports this and claims that it could be introduced within 24 months. Really? From 200-300k to 1.5-2million surveys in 2 years? Hmmmm!

And, lets face it, if MHCLG want to deliver “a solution” then that would be the simple route. But at what cost?
As we have seen in Scotland, such an initiative would almost certainly spell the end of the SME/Independent surveyor as the sector would be consumed by corporate providers with closed “relationships” with estate agency chains. This isn’t conjecture, it is what has happened in Scotland already.

And in facilitating the extinction of an entire sector of the industry consumers will lose a vital resource of expertise and professional support….just as they have in Scotland.

Winners and losers

Inevitably when change happens there will be those that prosper and those that don’t.

As the gatekeepers of the property market it is reasonable to assume that the proposed sales pack will most likely be ordered through an estate agent. The experience of HIPs supports this assumption as does the evidence from other jurisdictions. And while the roadmap suggests that a new Code of Practice will be introduced for estate agents, it is proposed to be non-statutory with only a “consideration” to making it a legal requirement.

Call me a cynic but there is a scenario where estate agents earn very healthy commissions from arrangements with corporate sales pack providers, further excluding the SME/Independent practitioner.

Promises, promises

Prior to the Surveyor Live event in May 26, Skyline asked MHCLG to offer some words to help the SME/Independent sector better understand how these proposals might affect them.

The response was:-

·       MHCLG’s home buying and selling reform consultation included a proposal that sellers should work with surveyors to carry out a property condition assessment prior to listing.

·       MHCLG are considering responses received for their consultation and will publish a response, including a reform roadmap later this year. Future policy regarding upfront information will be confirmed at that stage

·       MHCLG recognise upfront property condition reports would represent a significant change, so if this policy were confirmed, it would not happen immediately. They would work with industry to understand how and when this proposal would be introduced.

·       The surveying sector have made representations to government regarding the potential unintended consequences mandatory surveys could have for smaller, independent surveyors.

Government have listened to this and will consider this issue as part of the process of finalising policy on upfront information. They recognise the importance of a thriving, competitive surveying sector.

Why wait until 2029?

While politicians, civil servants, trade bodies and lobby groups debate the merits of sales packs, property condition reports and legislative reform, consumers continue to buy and sell homes in a system that everyone agrees is far from perfect.

But the need exists now. And the Home Insight Survey was created specifically to address that challenge.

Developed by Skyline Surveyors, it is not a cut-down condition report designed simply to tick a compliance box. Nor is it a data-generated risk assessment that attempts to replace professional judgement with algorithms.

It is a comprehensive survey, undertaken by a qualified surveyor, that provides meaningful information at the point where it is most useful – before a buyer commits emotionally, financially and legally to a transaction.

Importantly, it has been designed to meet the needs of all stakeholders.

Sellers, buyers, estate agents and conveyancers can all rely on the comprehensive survey report that covers construction, condition, climate change, renewables, environmental and H&S information, and all the physical Material Information needed across the sector.

Home Insight Survey is commissioned by a seller, is based on a full and thorough visual inspection and is delivered in a concise yet fully informative report.

Skyline users are delivering this today and it’s creating an entirely new income stream for surveyors.

Fully supported by PI providers, buyers can now rely on a professional and comprehensive property assessment that delivers impartial and trusted advice from first viewing.

Buyers don’t trust surveys commissioned by sellers

The evidence clearly shows that this is not the case. Far from it, as we see in Scotland, almost no buyers go on to commission their own condition report, being sufficiently satisfied (rightly or wrongly!) to rely on the seller-provided Single Survey.  That’s why the SME/Independent surveyor has suffered so badly in Scotland. And the historic evidence of original HIP trials suggests that over 90% of buyers would rely on a seller-commissioned report.

Providing a Home Insight Survey will help a seller demonstrate honestly and openness, likely resulting in a faster, more reliable sale.

The choices that face us

As surveyors we face an existential moment in our industry. It’s that important.

Can we rely on Government to create a great solution that offers consumers genuinely useful information and advice on property condition, delivered by a marketplace that puts professionalism and quality at it’s core, and that supports the livelihoods of providers whether they be corporate, SME or independent?

And after a minimum of 3 years of debate, argument, cost, disruption and uncertainty, can we be sure that the necessary legislation to enforce sales packs will actually come into effect? And even if it does, will it be repealed by a future Government?

Let’s face it, in today’s political world we can’t even say with any certainty who our Prime Minister will be in a year’s time, let alone in 2029.

Or do we deliver the solution ourselves, without interference, and with clarity of purpose?

The opportunity exists today. Surveyors can wait to see what eventually emerges from Whitehall, or they can begin building the market themselves.

Sellers are already commissioning Home Insight Surveys. Pilot schemes are underway. Awareness is growing.

The question is not whether upfront information has a future.

The question is who will define it.

www.skylinesurveyors.co.uk

alan@skylinesurveyors.co.uk