Parliament’s Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee has launched an inquiry into improving homebuying and selling in England. 

The cross-party group of MPs will examine the transaction process, information available to buyers, and the role of conveyancers and estate agents. 

The committee adds that evidence sessions for this short probe are likely to begin in late April. It expects to question consumer, professional and industry bodies, and conclude with questions to the Department for Levelling Up, Communities, and the housing minister. 

Areas covered by the inquiry include: 

• How efficient or effective is the existing process for buying and selling homes? How could this be improved? 
• What is the impact of issues in the transaction process, such as gazumping or gazundering, and how could they be remedied? 
• Do buyers have the right information available at the right time during transactions? 
• Do consumers have sufficient information to determine which conveyancer to use? How could information provision on conveyancing be improved? 

The committee will accept written evidence covering its terms of reference until 18 April. 

Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee chair Clive Betts says: “The process of buying and selling a home in England is often stressful for those involved.  

“Indeed, despite there being around two million households who successfully buy or sell their home each year, consumers often find the process is not as efficient, effective, or as consumer-friendly as it could be.  

“As part of this inquiry, we will look at the chief obstacles to improving the process of buying and selling a home.  

“We will be keen to examine issues such as the time taken to complete a transaction and challenges in finding the right information.  

“Topics such as a lack of transparency around conveyancing services, the payment of ‘referral fees’, and the weak regulation of estate agents will also be on our agenda in this inquiry”.