The home-buying process is entering a period of overdue reform.
The Government’s 2026 roadmap points towards more property information being available upfront, wider use of digital property packs, better data sharing and less repetition across the transaction. The ambition is significant: a faster, more reliable process with fewer fall-throughs and better-informed consumers.
That direction should be welcomed. But technology alone will not create confidence.
For mortgage brokers, the real test is what happens after the mortgage recommendation and the conveyancing referral have been made. At that point, the client does not experience separate professional services. They experience one home-moving journey.
If information is unclear, progress is difficult to see or a problem appears late, the client may not distinguish between the lender, broker, estate agent and conveyancer. They simply know that the move feels uncertain. The trust built during the advice process can quickly come under pressure.
The industry has a communication challenge, not only a speed challenge
The latest Government evidence says that the average transaction takes around 120 days after an offer is accepted and roughly one in three transactions fails.
The Legal Ombudsman’s 2025/26 data adds another important perspective. Residential conveyancing accounted for 36% of accepted complaints and almost three quarters of the annual increase in accepted complaints. Across legal services, communication and delay together accounted for 46% of complaint types.
Not every delay is caused by the conveyancer. A chain may stall, a search can raise an issue, a lender may need more information and a third party may not respond. Good conveyancing is not the promise that nothing unexpected will happen.
It is the ability to identify issues early, explain what they mean, show who owns the next action and keep the client informed while the issue is resolved.
That distinction matters. Clients can often cope with a difficult update. What they struggle with is silence, vague reassurance or discovering late that an avoidable problem has been waiting in the background.
Upfront information will change what good service looks like
The reform programme is designed to move important information earlier in the journey. Tenure, leasehold costs, planning constraints, flood risk and chain information are among the matters that can influence whether a buyer proceeds.
Getting better information sooner should reduce surprises, but it will also raise expectations. A digital pack is only useful if the professionals involved know how to interpret it, spot gaps and turn information into action.
For brokers, this means the quality of a conveyancing relationship should not be judged only by the quoted fee or the existence of an online portal. The more useful questions are:
- How quickly is the client contacted after instruction?
- What information is requested at the outset?
- Who reviews the file for risks that could affect the mortgage or timescale?
- How often will the client receive a meaningful update?
- Can the broker see enough progress to answer a client’s concern without chasing several people?
- When a transaction stalls, is there a named person responsible for moving it forward?
These are service-design questions. They reveal whether communication is part of the operating process or something that happens only when a client asks.
A referral is a transfer of trust
A broker’s recommendation carries weight because it is made inside an existing relationship. The client assumes the recommended partner has been chosen with care.
That is why the handover matters. A strong conveyancing team should reinforce the broker’s advice by creating continuity from the first contact. The client should understand what will happen next, what is needed from them and when they will hear again.
The broker also needs appropriate visibility. That does not mean stepping into legal advice or receiving confidential information that should remain between client and conveyancer. It means having enough process clarity to know that the matter is active, the client is being contacted and important dependencies are being managed.
This is where the right team can protect more than a completion date. It can protect the client’s confidence in everyone involved.
What should brokers look for now?
As the industry adopts better data and more digital tools, the strongest conveyancing partners will combine three qualities:
- Information discipline: collecting the right information early, checking it carefully and acting on gaps before they become late-stage surprises.
- Communication discipline: setting expectations, giving proactive updates and explaining delays in plain language.
- Visible ownership: making it clear who is responsible for the next action and escalating issues when progress depends on another party.
None of these qualities is as eye-catching as a promise of speed. Together, however, they create something more valuable: a transaction that feels controlled, even when it becomes complicated.
At BPLS, our broker approach is built around smaller caseloads, weekly client contact and appropriate broker visibility. The aim is straightforward: less chasing for the broker, clearer communication for the client and more confidence after the referral.
The next phase of home buying may be powered by better data. Trust will still depend on people doing the basics consistently, communicating clearly and taking responsibility for progress.
If you are reviewing your conveyancing relationships, compare the communication process as carefully as the headline quote. That is often where the real client experience is decided.