The chairman of the Residential Logbook Association (RLBA) has queried the relevance of a new Government-backed property group focused on digital information.
A new Digital Property Market Steering Group (DPMSG) was unveiled earlier this week, with the purpose of accelerating the adoption of digital technology across the housing sector.
Founding members include the Land Registry, Propertymark, the Law Society, the Council of Licensed Conveyancers and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
It will have working groups focusing on public commitment, removing barriers to upfront information, embracing digital identity and increasing data transparency.
But RLBA chairman Nigel Walley has queried how this differs with the work of the Government-backed Home Buying and Selling Group (HBSG).
He suggested some of HBSG’s working groups such as on upfront information have disappeared “without explanation.”
Walley queried why there was no representation from the Open Property Data Association (OPDA), Legal Software Suppliers Association (LSSA) or case management and logbook firms.
He said: “So none of the companies that would have to deliver a digital buying & selling process are represented?”
Kate Faulkner, chair of the HBSG, said there was no conflict with the work of the DPMSG and said both groups have been working together from day one.
She told Estate Agent Today: “We have come to the stage where we know what information we need for upfront information and know what needs to be digitised, we just need to get people working on it and now have an association to drive that forward.
“We are working hand-in-hand to get this done."
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This is a bizarre step by the government & Land Reg. The HBSG has been very active within this space- both in encouraging the adoption of digital but also in practical suggestions such as upfront info. Whilst it's great to see Propertymark in the group, just one representative of agents Vs 7 on the conveyancing side is concerning. What is more, not a single reputable tech entity or consultant is involved either. There is therefore a huge risk that any developments made will lack practical application for agents and could be severely wanting from a tech perspective.
The biggest things gov can do here to move the needle are:
Make UPRN access completely free- regardless of purpose & scale
Start mandating that key data must be digitised and available via a secure API
Create a framework to 'connect the dots' and then get out the way and let savvy tech solve the problems
Kate Faulkner, “We have come to the stage where we know what information we need for upfront information and know what needs to be digitised, we just need to get people working on it and now have an association to drive that forward.
This is unbelievably out-of-touch and insulting to all the companies (including the logbook companies) who have been doing exactly that for the last two years.
There are companies like Hipla, Adoor, Moverly, MIO and my compay Chimni that have all built and launched Upfront Information products based on the work we did in the HBSG workgroups. Our problem is none of the traditional conveyancing companies or their systems have matched our work, so our users have no-one to send the data to?
Its these same old vested interest companies who now want to organise a new set of workgroups? Madness. Just step back and let us get on with it.
Nigel
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