{"id":43359,"date":"2025-10-07T11:06:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T10:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=43359"},"modified":"2025-10-07T11:07:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T10:07:50","slug":"broadband-and-mobile-considered-as-part-of-uk-home-buying-and-selling-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/10\/broadband-and-mobile-considered-as-part-of-uk-home-buying-and-selling-reform.html","title":{"rendered":"Broadband and Mobile Considered as Part of UK Home Buying and Selling Reform"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK government has begun consulting on new proposals aimed at speeding up the process of home buying and selling, while also improving the material information that Estate Agents are required to provide for every transaction. The availability of broadband, as well as mobile signal and coverage, are some of the data points proposed for inclusion in future guidance.<\/p>\n

As above, the main focus of the government’s reform in this area (here<\/a>) is on finding a way to speed up the process of buying and selling UK homes, which currently takes an average of 120 days to complete and around 1 in 3 transactions fail. As part of this, they’re also consulting on new guidance to help estate agents meet their legal obligations and improve the “material information<\/em>” they provide (here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> The consultation on material information for property listings is open for feedback until 29th December 2025. Feedback from members of the public is also being sought.<\/div>\n

At present quite a few estate agents already include some details, albeit often quite limited, on the broadband capabilities of the homes they list for sale. Similarly, many online property comparison websites also list such details, even if some estate agents don’t always go that far.<\/p>\n

However, this detail rarely extends to include mobile signals and coverage, while alternative broadband networks can sometimes be overlooked due to limited research (i.e. there’s still a tendency to focus on only the biggest ISPs and networks).<\/p>\n

Government Statement (Ministry of Housing)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u200bThe home buying and selling process is long, complicated and frustrating for both consumers and property professionals. A key reason for these inefficiencies is that both consumers and professionals often struggle to access the right information at the right time. Significant problems which might affect a buyer\u2019s decision only emerge after their offer has been accepted.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200bWe recognise that obtaining, interpreting and publishing material information can be challenging in the context of property sales. We therefore intend to produce new guidance that indicates what is likely to be considered material information, helps professionals meet their legal responsibilities and results in a better quality service for consumers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As part of this the government have also published a list to show the categories that “we think may be considered material information<\/em>“, based on previous guidance and engagement with industry stakeholders. The list mentions broadband and mobile connectivity.<\/p>\n

Proposed Material Information for Property Sales<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n