Seller-controlled data is key to cutting delays in Government reforms of the buying process, according to the Residential Logbook Association (RLBA).
17th Dec 20250 223 1 minute read Simon Cairnes
Efforts to speed up home sales through upfront information risk falling short unless sellers are directly involved in gathering and managing the data that underpins the conveyancing process, the Residential Logbook Association Chair Nigel Walley (main picture) has warned.
His organisation believes that current reform proposals in the Government’s MHCLG consultation are too focused on industry compliance and not enough on where information originates.
Much of the material required upfront – including access for surveys, historic certificates and compliance records – is controlled by the homeowner rather than agents or conveyancers.
Risk of delaysWithout that data being captured early and maintained consistently, information is still requested late in the process, recreated multiple times and shared in incompatible formats, increasing the risk of delay and fall-through.
Sally Holdway, RLBA Head of Buying & Selling
Sally Holdway, Director of HOP and RLBA Head of Buying & Selling, says the consultation presents an opportunity to go further than the stated objective of better-informed consumers.
“We have an opportunity to empower consumers to be more active and responsible participants in the proposed buying & selling process. We need homeowners to participate digitally in the home buying & selling process and ultimately to be ‘empowered’ to be the controller of their home’s data.”
The RLBA, which represents digital property logbook providers including Chimni and HOP, is calling for homeowners to have the right to access all public and private data held about their home, to manage it through recognised digital tools, and to retain ownership of information generated during a sale, such as surveys and searches.
By empowering consumers to be better prepared to sell, we will be creating a generation of sellers and buyers who are digitally empowered to be better clients at every stage of the process.”
Walley says the approach supports existing professionals rather than replacing them.
“Empowering consumers does not mean impacting or diminishing the roles of the Agent or the Conveyancer in the process. By empowering consumers to be better prepared to sell, we will be creating a generation of sellers and buyers who are digitally empowered to be better clients at every stage of the process.”
TagsConveyancing reform 17th Dec 20250 223 1 minute read Simon Cairnes Share Facebook X LinkedIn Share via Email
