James Bedford of Bedfords in East Anglia tells The Neg a leading conveyancing body is wrong to suggest mandatory upfront information would be a mistake.
13th Jan 20260 402 1 minute read David Callaghan
A senior agency figure has hit out at claims that mandatory upfront information in property transactions would not work.
James Bedford, Partner, Bedfords
James Bedford, Partner at Bedfords in East Anglia, rejects an assertion by the Conveyancing Task Force that the move would repeat the mistake of HIPs (Home Information Packs) and make the situation worse.
“It only takes one person in a chain to not provide upfront information to unnecessarily delay and jeopardise the whole of the rest of the chain,” he told The Neg.
Providing upfront information can only be a good thing.”
“Providing upfront information can only be a good thing, and would create certainty and allow much earlier commitment from both parties which is essential for real change.”
Bedford says any change to the system needs to be bold, and tinkering will not make a significant difference.
National disgraceHe describes the current timeframe for property transactions of four months as “a national disgrace” and an “embarrassing failure”.
“Conveyancers need to be enabled to achieve a mandatory four-week commitment / exchange,” he says.
“Spending four months on one job is not cost effective and undoubtedly a major part of the problem,” he says.
Major causes“It wouldn’t necessarily stop sales falling through but it would stop them falling through after four months over an issue that could have been spotted, if not on day one, certainly within four weeks.”
The Conveyancing Task Force claimed lender behaviour and bottlenecks at local authorities and the Land Registry were major causes of delays.
And the task force, which is made up of 21 law firms, also called for the Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA) to raise estate agent standards.
It was responding to a consultation by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the future of homebuying.
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Tagsmaterial information sales process reform upfront information 13th Jan 20260 402 1 minute read David Callaghan Share Facebook X LinkedIn Share via Email