“Don’t wait” to get ahead of digital home moving reforms, industry leaders have urged.
That was the call to action from industry experts at a webinar hosted by LMS’s National Property Transaction Network (NPTN), the shared digital infrastructure enabling a more connected, transparent and efficient property transaction process.
Following the recent Government reform roadmap, they emphasised that professionals from across the property industry can put changes in place now to get ahead of and input into requirements later down the line.
Hosted by Travis Scholes, Commercial Director at LMS, the discussion demonstrated the growing collaboration across the property sector, bringing together leading voices from organisations at the forefront of smart data reforms. Participants included Beth Rudolf, Director of Delivery at the Conveyancing Association, Leon Ifayemi, Director of Coalitions and Research at CFIT, and Maria Harris, Chair of the Open Property Data Association.
More than 180 property professionals joined the webinar, with dozens submitting questions in advance, demonstrating the industry's strong engagement with the reform agenda.
Titled Property Market Reform: Making Sense of the Moving Parts, the discussion examined the progress made to date and the opportunities that lie ahead. The panel also helped demystify the evolving reform landscape, explaining the distinct roles of key organisations and illustrating how collaboration across the sector will be critical to delivering meaningful change.
With the Government’s first Smart Data Schemes due to be operational by 2030, and the public call for evidence on cross-sector Smart Data closing on 1st October, the time to get involved and shape what those schemes look like is now, the panellists stressed.
“A huge amount of input into getting these things right is having frontline business and operational people in the room,” Harris explained, “so that we can shape any proposals around real transactions and what obstacles are actually holding them up.”
Each speaker agreed that Material Information, Sales Packs and digitisation are likely to become mandatory in the near future. Rather than treating this as a compliance exercise to be managed when it arrives, they saw a clear opportunity for the sector to get ahead of it. Firms that move early can realise the commercial benefits now, by minimising duplication, shortening transaction times and dramatically reducing the time spent chasing information. Just as importantly, those already building and testing these approaches are best placed to shape how the rules are written, contributing practical evidence to policy reform rather than simply waiting to receive it.
"We don't want a world where change is forced through at the last minute, at far greater cost to everyone involved," urged Ifayemi, pointing to the successes and learnings from Open Banking.
The event ended with a powerful call to action. “Talk to us,” Rudolf urged property professionals, “we need to know from you what you need, engage early and come and try things now. This is the government’s opportunity to see the solutions develop to deliver the maximum benefits before they legislate; so get involved and make sure any unintended consequences are sorted before it becomes law.”
NPTN is keen to continue the conversation beyond the webinar and into the next phase of the digital reforms, with Scholes encouraging listeners to follow up with any more questions, suggest their thoughts and feedback from the session or watch back the recording.
