Code of Conduct

The Open Property Data Association (“OPDA“) Code of Conduct is a set of principles our Members agree to follow when conducting any association activity. The Code of Conduct is intended to drive a collaborative, supportive, and professional approach to improving the standards and interoperability of Open Property Data. 

From time to time, we may need to make enhancements to our privacy practices. This may happen as the result of government regulation, recent technologies, or other developments in the area of privacy protection. Any updates to our privacy policy will be clearly posted on the website. 

Please contact us if you have any questions about our privacy policy or information we hold about you. 

You can contact us by email on contact@openpropdata.org.uk or via the contact us link on the website. 

Key goals of the code

  1. To promote the digitisation and effective sharing of Open Property Data 
  2. To support the Property Data Trust Framework and its attributes 
  3. To encourage the home buying & selling industry to implement common data and technology standards 
  4. To foster strong, collaborative ways of working between Property Data providers, the home buying & selling industry, regulators, and other associated trade bodies  
  5. To uphold the highest levels of data and technology standards  

Code of conduct principles

All Members agree to the following principles as part of their membership: 

  1. Collaborative – our members work together to share ideas, find, and create solutions, and promote industry best practice in the use of Open Property Data 
  2. Supportive – our members are advocates and supporters of the objectives of the Open Property Data Association and the Home Buying & Selling Council to improve the customer and industry user experience through the use of data and technology standards 
  3. Ethical – our members always act in a respectful, moral, and inclusive manner ensuring that all activity is conducted for the benefit of the membership, the home buying and selling industry, and the home moving and home owning consumer  
  4. Privacy and Security driven – our members follow ‘privacy and security by design’ principles and take all reasonable steps to comply with the appropriate standards for their industry e.g., ISO27001 
  5. Transparent – our members are clear with customers, clients, and stakeholders about their membership and the role they play in driving data and technology standards for the good of the industry and do not leverage their membership for commercial or political gain 
  6. Active – our members take an active role in promoting, adopting, and developing our goals and the role of digital property data, standards, and interoperability in their own firms and across the industry 

Executive committee

Members are appointed on a voluntary basis to our executive committee which is comprised of 12 seats to support the day to day running and decision making of the OPDA including membership requirements, fee structures, committed expenditure, etc. 

The Executive Committee Members agree to the following as part of their appointment:  

  1. To be part of an open and transparent committee which is fully representative of all our members and their interests to improve the home moving process for the consumer 
  2. To join the committee for an initial period of 3 years with further re-election on an annual rolling basis but only available for election or re-election for a maximum total period as a Committee Member of 9 years  
  3. To ensure meetings are quorate, appropriately chaired, and that all updates and decisions are documented with minutes made available to the membership 
  4. To prepare and present an annual report on the association, its activities, future plans, and its achievements 
  5. To appoint any sub-committees as required with at least one Executive Committee as a member, and with Executive Committee agreement to delegate any duties or decision-making capability 
  6. To step down and cease to be a Committee Member if requested by the majority of the Committee with the Chair having the casting vote in case of an equal number for and against 

In the event of an Executive Committee Member vacancy, the Chair may appoint an interim member on a casual basis until the next annual general meeting at which point all current Executive Committee Members are eligible for re-election. 

Chair

The Chair is employed on an independent basis and agrees to the following: 

  1. To be an independent, non-executive director of the association and to serve in a personal capacity 
  2. To undertake the Chair role for an initial period of 5 years with further re-election on an annual rolling basis voted for my members   
  3. To take responsibility for chairing the meetings and annual general meeting of the OPDA and promoting its positive image across government, industry, and other stakeholder groups 
  4. To take responsibility for the maintenance and updating of all records, accounts, policies, and other articles of the association including the Members register 
  5. To appoint any administrative, technical, marketing, or accounting support required to produce, record, and maintain all actions and minutes, records, accounts, policies, and other articles of the association 
  6. To represent OPDA and the interests of its Members at external meetings, conferences, and events, in consultations, in the media, and in any other relevant activities to achieve the goals of the association and to drive collaboration across the industry 

In the event of a Chair vacancy, the Executive Committee may appoint an interim Chair on a casual basis until the next annual general meeting when a permanent Chair can be appointed 

Membership

Our membership is open to all types of entities and firms involved in the home buying and selling process including custodians of property data, suppliers of property data solutions, consumers of property data, software solutions, network and connectivity providers, etc. All applications for membership must be submitted through the application process and agree to the following: 

  1. All members pay an annual subscription fee at the level determined during the application process. Membership fees are paid annually in advance and are reviewed on an annual basis by the Executive Committee 
  2. Membership is at entity or firm level with each member having the same representation, voting, and decision-making rights as all other members 
  3. All members will have access to the same resources, opportunities to participate, and association support as all other members 
  4. Any member who fails to pay their subscription within 21 days following a final request to do so will be suspended from all rights and privileges of membership 
  5. Members may on request, be asked to provide relevant information to the Chair or Executive Committee in connection with that member’s business 
  6. Members are entitled to use the association logo and promote the work of the association however, OPDA reserve the right to prevent the use or impose conditions on the use of the name or logo by any member at any time and this power may be exercised by the Executive Committee or Chair 
  7. Members may download information from the website for their own firm use. Except as otherwise expressly permitted under copyright law, no copying, redistribution, retransmission, publication, or commercial exploitation of downloaded material will be permitted without express permission from the Executive Committee or that of the copyright owner apply 
  8. Member communications may contain copyright material, trade names and marks and other proprietary information. The same restrictions on distribution without express consent from the Executive Committee and that of the copyright owner 
  9. Membership is not transferable and shall expire in the event of member resignation, non-payment of subscription fees, a member’s entity or firm being wound up or dissolved, or where the Executive Committee resolves to terminate a membership for any Code of Conduct breach. Annual subscription fees are not pro-rated, and no refunds will be given 
  10. In the event of the Association being wound up or dissolved, all Member rights and interests in the Association cease immediately  

Written and approved by the Chair and Executive Committee – April 2023 

Testimonials

Embracing best practices

The Open Property Data Association holds the key to developing a sustainable ecosystem and a more secure, innovative future.
Sian Hemming-Metcalfe,

Inventory Base

OPDA is the future...

Finally, with the launch of the Open Property Data Association, we can kick-start a long-overdue transformation of property transactions.
Ed Molyneux ,

Moverly

Unlocking data

Finally, the Open Property Data Association is here to standardise the use of data to speed the property transaction process.
Kieran Witt,

Kotini

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