How Homebuying Reforms Could Increase the Need for Pre-Sale Structural Surveys

What is changing?

In June 2026 the government announced plans to improve the homebuying and selling process in England by increasing the information available upfront and bringing greater certainty earlier in a transaction. The stated aims are to speed up sales, cut costs and reduce the large share of agreed sales that currently fall through. The detail will be consulted on and legislated over time, so this is a direction of travel rather than rules that apply today, but the intent is clear. In simple terms:

• Sellers and estate agents may be expected to provide more key information earlier
• Upfront "sales packs" are intended to give buyers more confidence at the point of listing
• Digital property records and tools are intended to make information easier to share
• The reforms aim to reduce delays and failed transactions
• More property information may be considered before a buyer commits

You can read the government's own announcement on GOV.UK. The reforms focus on general home information and condition reporting; they do not create a new structural survey requirement. What they change is the timing, condition questions move earlier, where sellers have more time to act on them.

Why structural issues matter

Most of the things that slow a sale down are not surprises in principle, they are surprises in timing. Cracks, signs of movement, suspected subsidence, previous wall removals, loft conversions, extensions and missing structural calculations can all unsettle a buyer if they surface late, during the survey or in conveyancing. At that point the buyer often has limited information and plenty of caution, which is when prices get renegotiated and deals collapse. The same issue raised early, with an engineer's explanation attached, is far easier to deal with calmly.

What is a pre-sale structural survey?

A pre-sale structural survey is a structural engineer's assessment of a property focused on its structure, cracks, movement, foundations, retaining walls, previous alterations and visible defects. It is not a full RICS HomeBuyer Survey or Building Survey, and it does not replace one, nor legal advice or Building Control approval. Instead, it answers the engineering question a buyer's surveyor is most likely to raise: is there structural movement here, and if so, what does it mean? Our pre-sale structural review sets out what that involves in practice.

When sellers should consider one

A pre-sale structural review is worth considering where a property has a structural history a buyer's surveyor is likely to probe:

• Visible cracks
• Suspected movement
• Older properties
• Victorian and Edwardian houses
• Previous alterations
• Missing calculations
• Loft conversions
• Wall removals
• Extension defects
• Retaining wall concerns
• A history of subsidence

If you are unsure whether the cracking in a particular property is a genuine concern, our guide on when cracks are structural is a useful starting point.

Benefits for estate agents and conveyancers

Early engineer input is not only for sellers. For estate agents, a clear structural opinion helps answer buyer questions with confidence rather than leaving a defect to be discovered and feared later. For conveyancers, an engineer's view can help where structural calculations or evidence of past alterations are missing, narrowing the uncertainty to something that can actually be progressed. In both cases the goal is the same: fewer late surprises, fewer stalled transactions and a clearer path to completion. EMA can act as a referral partner, providing rapid inspections and engineer letters where a sale is at risk.

EMA Pre-Sale Structural Review

EMA Structures offers an engineer-led pre-sale structural review for sellers, estate agents and conveyancers across London. It includes a site visit, a visual structural inspection, a review of visible concerns and previous alterations where accessible, an engineer's opinion and a short written summary with recommendations for any next steps. Where the review confirms a defect, we can advise on further investigation, retrospective structural calculations or an engineering-led repair strategy. Final recommendations always depend on what is found on site.