Renewed calls for stronger consumer protection in property transactions have thrown a spotlight on a problem that has quietly dogged the UK housing market for years: buyers discovering serious, costly defects only after contracts complete. From reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in ageing housing stock to unresolved cladding liabilities and undisclosed subsidence, the gap between what a buyer is told and what they eventually uncover remains uncomfortably wide. Industry estimates suggest as many as one in five residential transactions in England and Wales encounters a material issue only after exchange, with average remedial costs ranging from £8,000 for minor damp and structural repairs to well over £60,000 for cladding remediation on flats caught by post-Grenfell fire safety rules.