Consumer groups are urging ministers to act quickly on stronger homebuyer protections, including developer accountability, building safety, Right to Buy reform, and digitalisation of the home-buying process.

Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions people will ever make, yet many buyers still face unfair treatment, hidden problems, and delays. Consumer groups are urging ministers to introduce stronger homebuyer protections faster.

The call comes at a time when concerns about developer accountability, building safety, and mis-selling are growing. There’s also pressure on the government to modernise the housing system through reforms and digitalisation, making it easier, safer, and more transparent for future buyers.

Developer Accountability: Closing the Gap on Mis-Selling

One of the most significant issues highlighted is developer accountability. Buyers often deal with poor building standards, incomplete projects, or misleading sales tactics. To fix this, consumer groups want the government to make membership in a customer redress scheme mandatory for all developers.

Such a scheme would give homebuyers a formal way to raise complaints and seek solutions when things go wrong. It would also push developers to maintain higher standards and deliver on promises, reducing mis-selling cases and poor-quality housing.

Building Safety: Protecting Buyers and Residents

Another urgent concern is building safety. Past failures have shown how devastating the consequences can be when developers cut corners or fail to meet regulations. Consumer groups are calling for ministers to tighten building standards and ensure developers stick to agreed timeframes.

Stronger safety measures would protect buyers and rebuild trust in the housing market. People deserve to know that the homes they invest in are built to last and safe to live in.

Right to Buy Reform: Balancing Fairness and Access

The government is also considering changes to the Right to Buy scheme, which allows council tenants to purchase their homes at a discount. While this has helped many people step onto the property ladder, there are concerns about fairness.

One proposal being discussed is to restrict access to Right to Buy for those who have already benefited from it or who own additional properties. This would help ensure the scheme continues to support those most in need, rather than being used as a loophole by property investors.

Digitalisation of the Home Buying Process: Faster and Cheaper

Alongside protections and reforms, ministers are committed to driving the digitalisation of the home buying and selling process.

The goal is simple: to make buying a home quicker, cheaper, and more transparent. By moving away from outdated paper systems and embracing technology, buyers and sellers could enjoy fewer delays and more transparent communication. Digitalisation could also help prevent fraud and give buyers more confidence when making such a big investment.

Why These Changes Matter

Homebuyers have faced challenges like unclear contracts, poor-quality builds, and complicated legal processes for too long. Stronger protections would:

• Hold developers accountable for the homes they deliver.
• Improve safety standards across the housing market.
• Ensure fairness in government schemes like Right to Buy.
• Modernise the entire buying process through digitalisation.

These changes would protect buyers and create a more trustworthy and efficient housing system for the future.

Final Thoughts

Buying a property should be exciting, not stressful, however, for many, it comes with uncertainty and risk. Consumer groups are right to urge ministers to act because of the flaws in the current system, both under the private treaty method of sale and the auction method. At Robinson and Hall Auctions we always try to ensure buyers receive fair treatment; through a comprehensive legal pack produced in good time, full disclosure by sellers of anything that would materially affect a buyer’s decision to transact and the removal of excessive hidden costs (such as buyers premiums or seller’s legal costs). Those costs which buyers are asked to pay we try to identify and include within the auction addendum, which is produced immediately prior to the auction, posted online and printed copies handed to everyone attending the auction, to ensure there are no hidden surprises.