Petition · past parliament

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

Closed 26 signatures

What the petition asks

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.

Timeline

27 Apr 2021 Petition opened for signatures
27 Oct 2021 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 26
Status Closed
Opened 27 Apr 2021
Closed 27 Oct 2021

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.