Closed petition Ensure home buyers have better consumer protection instead of buyer beware rule

Closed on 27 October 2021

Make it a legal requirement for all known property defects to be declared by sellers in the conveyancing process, and make it easier for property to be returned to sellers who withhold known issues.

UK home buyers make the most expensive purchase of their lives and it's mainly irreversible or expensive to reverse if issues are found after completion. Current property law has a buyer beware clause to put the onus of discovering property issues on buyers who know the least about the property even after surveys. Sellers have been known to withhold details of defects and are not legally required to declare them, leaving home buyers with less consumer protection than someone buying a kettle.