Landmark Information Group [1] today launches Sales Pack Ready Surveys, as the property industry prepares for homebuying and selling reform. The new reports provide a RICS-standard assessment of a property’s physical condition earlier in the homebuying and selling process, helping potential issues to be identified before a transaction has progressed.
The launch comes as the Government’s homebuying and selling reform agenda looks to create faster, more certain transactions by making more information available upfront and ensuring properties are better prepared for sale before significant time, cost and effort have been committed.
While searches, title information and legal documentation provide valuable insight into a property, understanding its physical condition remains a critical part of the overall picture. By making trusted property condition information available earlier, the industry has an opportunity to identify potential issues sooner, helping all parties proceed with greater certainty from the outset.
According to TwentyCi. almost one in four agreed sales (23.7%) currently fail to complete. Many transactions are disrupted when issues often only uncovered once a buyer is in place and the transaction has already gathered momentum. At this stage, new information can lead to additional enquiries, renegotiation and delays and, in some cases, contribute to a transaction falling through.
Sales Pack Ready Surveys provide a practical route to bringing this information forward in the process. The surveys provide an independent assessment of a property’s physical condition, highlighting visible defects, maintenance concerns and areas that may require further investigation, enabling potential issues to be identified earlier and giving buyers and sellers greater clarity.
Nick Dyoss, Group Business Development and Relationships Director at Landmark Information Group, said: “The property industry can’t afford to wait for reform to take effect before it starts changing how transactions work. We know the direction the market is heading, and the businesses that start adapting now will be in a much stronger position as those changes become embedded across the homebuying and selling process.
“The future of home moving is about helping buyers and sellers make informed decisions before they commit, rather than uncovering issues once a transaction is already underway. Property condition information is a practical example of where estate agents, conveyancers, brokers and lenders can begin making that shift today. By giving the industry the tools to start changing established ways of working, we can start changing processes, learn what works for customers and build towards a transaction that is better prepared from the very beginning.”
The launch forms part of Landmark’s wider work to support better-prepared property transactions and the move towards trusted upfront information. Through Sales Pack Ready services and products, Landmark is bringing together property data, searches, title and property condition information, alongside workflow and integration capabilities, to help property professionals deliver greater certainty earlier and adapt to the changing homebuying and selling process.
The market is already evolving to support this approach, with many surveying firms exploring models that allow property condition information to be relied upon by both sellers and prospective buyers. Later this month, Project 28 Charter members will convene a surveyors roundtable to explore how property condition information can be delivered earlier and at scale to support a more efficient and transparent home-moving process.
Landmark Sales Pack Ready Surveys are available now to estate agents, conveyancers, mortgage brokers, lenders, panels, networks, property portals and other property professionals. Available across England and Wales, the RICS-standard reports will be delivered through a national managed panel of surveyors via Landmark’s Optimus business. Surveys can be ordered directly via LandmarkAgent or via Landmark’s Sales Pack Ready API, which also includes title information and other property data to support more complete information at the start of the transaction.