As a member of the Construction Industry Council and a leading voice for independent professionals, the ISSE alerts all members to the Government’s newly published consultation on Home Buying and Selling Reform.
The timing of this release, immediately preceding the festive period, presents a challenge to effective industry scrutiny. However, given the magnitude of the proposed changes, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that the professional implications are fully understood and robustly challenged where necessary.
Link: Read the Full Government Consultation Here
The Risk of Market Consolidation: A Lesson from Scotland
The consultation poses 28 questions, several of which suggest a policy drift toward a centralised “upfront information” model, similar to the Scottish “Single Survey” system.
While the stated aim is to streamline transactions, the empirical evidence from Scotland serves as a stark cautionary tale. Following the introduction of the Single Survey, the marketplace for independent building surveyors was effectively dismantled, replaced almost exclusively by large corporate providers. The diversity of professional opinion was sacrificed for corporate standardisation.
We must ask: does the industry wish to replicate a model where independent expertise is marginalised in favour of high-volume corporate processing?
Implications for Specialist Trades: The Threat of Vertical Integration
It is a fundamental miscalculation to view this consultation as an issue affecting only residential surveyors. The implications extend to every specialist discipline within the ISSE.
If the control of mandatory “upfront information” and condition reporting is ceded to large corporate entities at the listing stage, we risk vertical integration. When a corporate provider acts as the “gatekeeper” for the initial report, they inevitably control the downstream workflow. This creates a closed loop where:
- Damp and timber preservation referrals are directed to in-house teams.
- Asbestos inspections are internalised or restricted to closed panels.
- Structural assessments are channelled through corporate partners.
- Environmental and flood-risk works are bundled into the primary service.
This structural change threatens to exclude independent specialists from the market entirely, reducing consumer choice and placing the “diagnosis” and the “cure” in the same corporate hands, an apparent conflict of interest.
Consumer Protection and Information Asymmetry
Current data suggests that 71% of buyers already conflate a mortgage valuation with a structural survey. Replacing buyer-commissioned due diligence with a seller-commissioned “tick-box” report risks exacerbating this confusion.
The ISSE advocates for a market where consumers are protected by independent, unbiased professional advice, not one where they rely on generic data provided by the vendor.
Council Meeting and Next Steps
The ISSE Council will hold an internal strategy meeting on Wednesday, 10th December at 6:00 PM.
While the ISSE will submit a comprehensive organisational response, we recognise that our membership is a “broad church” with diverse views. We encourage all members to engage with this process.
Action Required from Members:
- Review the Consultation: Familiarise yourself with the proposed reforms via the government link above.
- Engage Individually: Members are encouraged to submit their own responses. You do not need to answer every question; a reasoned letter highlighting the value of independent expertise is a decisive contribution.
- Stay Informed: We will provide a summary of the Council’s agreed position and guidance notes for members shortly after the meeting.
This is a pivotal moment for our profession. We must act to protect the integrity of independent practice.
ISSE Executive Council
