Almost three quarters of recent home movers believe they lacked important information before making or accepting an offer, according to research highlighting widespread dissatisfaction with the property transaction process.
A survey commissioned by Landmark Information Group found that 73% of people who had bought or sold a home within the previous 18 months wished they had known more about the property or its location before committing to a transaction.
The research, which covered 500 home movers and 250 property professionals, also found that 67% of consumers experienced uncertainty or delays after an offer had been accepted.
Among those affected, 52% reported increased stress, 46% said uncertainty made planning their moving date more difficult and 33% incurred additional costs or experienced disruption to their budgets.
The findings come as the property industry considers the implications of the government’s Home Buying and Selling Reform roadmap, published in June 2026.
INDUSTRY SPENDS THIRD OF WORKING DAY CHASING UPDATES
Landmark’s report, Property Transaction Reform: What the Market Wants Next, suggests that inefficient communication and incomplete information are also affecting productivity across the industry.
Property professionals estimated that they spend an average of 34% of their working day chasing other parties or responding to requests for progress updates.
Almost three quarters (74%) agreed that rising transaction fall-through rates were having a significant effect on business performance.
When asked about potential improvements, 72% identified at least one measure involving upfront information and data readiness, while 67% selected better communication and visibility throughout transactions.
Consumers expressed similar priorities. Some 95% believed that making essential property information available when a home is listed would reduce the stress of moving, while 92% said greater consistency of information between estate agents, conveyancers and lenders would improve their confidence in the process.
Simon Brown, chief executive officer of Landmark Information Group, said: “The direction for reform has been set, but the real challenge is how we turn that ambition into practical delivery.
“Our research shows that home movers and property professionals are experiencing many of the same problems, whether that is making important decisions without the right information or spending valuable time trying to understand how a transaction is progressing.
“There is growing agreement about where improvements are needed, and the industry is increasingly coming together to address them.
“The opportunity now is to translate that shared understanding into action by making information available earlier, improving visibility and enabling trusted data to move more effectively between parties.”
ESTATE AGENTS REPORT INCREASING FRUSTRATION
Transaction timescales have become a growing concern among estate agents, with 41% identifying the length of the process as their principal frustration, compared with 32% in 2025.
Communication between parties has also deteriorated as a perceived problem. The proportion of agents citing poor communication as a frustration rose from 19% to 36% over the same period.
Ben Robinson, managing director of Landmark Estate Agency Services, said: “Estate agents have an important opportunity to shape how a transaction progresses from the very beginning.
“Too often, essential information is still being gathered after a buyer has made an offer, leaving agents managing expectations and resolving problems that could have been identified much earlier.
“Making transaction readiness part of the instruction process would give buyers more relevant information to make confident decisions, while providing conveyancers and lenders with a stronger starting point.
“Earlier preparation can help reduce avoidable friction later in the process and allow agents to spend more time progressing transactions.”
CONVEYANCERS SEE PROGRESS ON MISSING INFORMATION
The research indicates some improvement in the quality of information reaching conveyancers, although workload pressures remain significant.
Conveyancers estimated that 33% of cases now require additional enquiries because of missing, incomplete or inaccurate information, down from 51% in 2024.
However, 40% identified workload and insufficient resources as their biggest individual frustration, while 77% believed better upfront information and data readiness could improve productivity and business performance.
Rob Gurney, managing director of Ochresoft, said: “The reduction in additional enquiries is encouraging, but conveyancers are still dealing with too many issues that could have been identified before a transaction reaches the legal process.
“When risks emerge after buyers and sellers have already invested time and money, resolving them becomes more difficult and uncertainty increases for everyone involved.
“Earlier access to accurate information would allow conveyancers to identify and prioritise genuine legal risks sooner, reducing unnecessary rework and giving clients greater confidence about what lies ahead.
“The opportunity is to move away from reacting to problems later in the transaction towards preventing avoidable delays in the first place.”
LENDERS EXPECT CHANGES TO PROPERTY DATA SHARING
Mortgage lenders also anticipate changes to how property information is collected, verified and shared during transactions.
According to Landmark, 96% of lenders surveyed already use property risk data to some extent when making valuation decisions.
Meanwhile, 82% expect significant or moderate operational changes from proposals to allow verified property information to be reused through common standards and trusted data-sharing arrangements.
Graeme Edwards, managing director of Landmark Valuation Services, said: “For lenders and valuers, confidence in property information is fundamental to making sound decisions.
“The challenge is ensuring the right information is available early enough to be useful, and that it can be trusted and reused across the different stages of a transaction.”
He adds: “Shared data standards and better-connected processes will be essential to reducing duplication and strengthening confidence across the lending and valuation process.”
REFORM SUPPORT STRONG BUT IMPLEMENTATION QUESTIONS REMAIN
Landmark’s research found widespread support for changes to the home-buying and selling system, with 81% of property professionals agreeing that meaningful reform was overdue.
Some 71% expect significant or moderate operational changes from introducing earlier commitments by buyers and sellers, while 67% anticipate similar effects from standardised upfront property information.
However, only 68% believe there is sufficient clarity around the reform programme for organisations to begin considering the changes required. A smaller proportion, 64%, believe the roadmap is being developed with sufficient collaboration across the industry.
The report identifies earlier access to information, fewer unexpected issues, reduced time spent chasing updates and improved communication between transaction participants as the principal areas requiring attention.
Landmark is also promoting its LandmarkConnect digital hubs as part of its approach to improving data sharing between property professionals.
The full report, Property Transaction Reform: What the Market Wants Next, is available from Landmark Information Group.
