The Open Property Data Association (OPDA) has welcomed the government’s new Data Use and Access Bill to Parliament, emphasising its potential to reform the property market and alleviate long-standing procedural delays.
The bill aims to streamline administrative processes, improve public services, and bolster the economy by up to £10 billion. The legislation has been proposed to free up valuable time for frontline workers, facilitate data-sharing across critical sectors, and modernise administrative procedures.
Maria Harris, chair of OPDA – a group of organisations who promote the use of open property data for the benefit of all – said: “The home buying and selling process in the UK is one of the longest and most tortuous in the world, but this bill, when passed, will fundamentally help to speed things up and make homebuying simpler.”
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The legislation would empower consumers by giving them control over their data and enabling secure data-sharing with approved third parties, Harris noted. Currently, property transactions require identity verification at multiple stages, but Harris said the bill could reduce this to a single verification step, easing one of the primary pain points for homebuyers.
Maria emphasised that OPDA, which has been advocating for secure open data standards since its inception in June 2023, sees this legislation as a crucial move toward modernising the property sector.
Property market modernisation on the horizon
“We look forward to this bill kickstarting the changes that we need to transform the property industry and bring the house buying process into the 21st century,” said Harris.
She said the organisation had had regular meetings with government ministers to address the inefficiencies within the current system.
