UK Property Logbook & Home-Buying Reform: Timeline & Status
Live status of the UK's property logbook and home buying & selling reforms: are they law yet? The timeline from consultation to mandatory, updated as each stage lands.
By Jamie Dawson · Editor
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Updated 17 Aug 2026
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3 min read
Current status, June 2026: Property logbooks and sales packs are not yet mandatory. The government published its Home Buying and Selling Reform roadmap on 18 to 19 June 2026, committing to legislate “when parliamentary time allows”, with a voluntary, industry-led phase and a Code of Practice first. This page tracks the reform. We update it as each stage lands.
Update, August 2026: Propertymark has confirmed the non-statutory Code of Practice for agents is on track for later this year, and that it will not apply in Scotland, with the mandatory-qualifications consultation following in 2027 for England, Wales and NI only. Details: the property agent Code of Practice, explained.
Official roadmap phases (MHCLG, June 2026)
Source: Home buying and selling reform roadmap. This is government sequencing language. Not a guarantee of dates for each measure.
| Phase | What government says it will do | Logbooks & packs |
|---|---|---|
| Now (2026) | Non-statutory listing guidance; identify voluntary sales-pack information with industry; non-statutory agent Code of Practice; skills/capacity work; awareness of reservation agreements; local authority data access work; smart-data call for evidence. | Promote digital logbooks & packs via industry channels; voluntary adoption encouraged. Not mandatory. |
| Next (2027 to 2028) | Advisory Home Buying and Selling Charter; consult on mandatory agent qualifications; facilitate digital ID, qualified electronic signatures, and uptake of digital logbooks/packs; consider requiring logbooks/packs on some government homeownership schemes; leasehold/freehold estates sales-info consultation; voluntary data accreditation; smart-data scheme consultation. | Uptake push + possible scheme requirements as a signal, still short of a universal legal duty unless/until legislation lands. |
| Future (by end of Parliament) | When parliamentary time allows, legislate to: require sales packs prior to listing (including searches and a property condition report); require binding conditional contracts after sales packs are embedded; support secure data sharing and make digital sales packs and logbooks a standard feature of all property transactions. | This is the legislative end-state the roadmap describes. Until Royal Assent and commencement, treat as policy direction, not current law. |
Status as of 2026-07-17: digital property logbooks and sales packs are not a legal requirement to sell a home in England. Scotland’s Home Report regime is separate and already mandatory on sale. See also our guides on property logbooks UK, sales packs, and logbooks vs HIPs.
Where things stand right now
The direction is set but nothing is compulsory today. The roadmap commits the government to introduce legislation making digital logbooks and sales packs a standard part of property transactions in England by the end of this Parliament, preceded by a voluntary phase and a Code of Practice. In short: start preparing, but you are not legally required to have a logbook or pack yet.
Timeline
- Oct to Dec 2025, Government consultation on home buying & selling reform.
- 18 to 19 June 2026, Home Buying and Selling Reform roadmap published; digital property logbooks and upfront sales packs named as central tools. (full detail)
- June 2026, HM Land Registry proof-of-concept begins. The RLBA started a 12-month trial with HM Land Registry giving homeowners secure access to their own title data through registered logbook providers, the first link between digital logbooks and official property data.
- Next, voluntary phase & Code of Practice, industry-led adoption and standards before any legal requirement.
- Then, legislation, a Bill to require sales packs and digital logbooks, “when parliamentary time allows”, targeted within this Parliament.
- Future, mandatory, logbooks and packs become a standard, required part of all transactions.
What this means for you now
The smart move is to get ahead: gather your documents using our complete property logbook guide and document checklist, so you’re ready the moment the rules take effect, or whenever you next sell.
England only
These reforms apply to England. Scotland already operates a comparable upfront system through the Home Report; Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements.
Last reviewed: June 2026. We update this page as the reform progresses, bookmark it for the latest status.
Primary sources
gov.ukHome Buying and Selling Reform roadmap (2026)
Go deeper on the reforms
- How to choose a logbook provider
- Property logbooks: the complete guide
- What’s inside a property sales pack
- How much will a property logbook cost?
- How the rules differ across the UK
- Will logbooks succeed where HIPs failed?
The UK Property Logbook series
- Start here: Property logbooks: the complete guide · What goes in a property logbook? · Digital logbooks explained
- The 2026 reform: Home buying & selling reform · Sales packs · Logbooks vs HIPs · Property passports
- Buying & selling: Conveyancing documents checklist · Material information: Parts A, B, C · Logbooks and house sales · England, Scotland, Wales & NI
- Landlords & leasehold: Property logbook for landlords · The PRS Database: what landlords must register · Leasehold documents · New-build handover documents
- Providers & costs: How to choose a provider · The RLBA provider landscape · What a logbook costs
- Free tools: Sales Pack Readiness Checker · Landlord Compliance Calendar · Your Home’s Public Record checker
Binding conditional contracts
Full explainer: binding conditional contracts in UK home buying, sequencing after sales packs, reservation agreements today, and what is still undesigned (penalties, exceptions).
Property condition report
Deep dive: property condition reports and sales packs, what the roadmap names, what is undecided, and how it differs from a buyer’s survey.
Who pays for the sales pack?
Cost stack and responsibility: who pays for a property sales pack.