OPDA comment on The Data Use and Access Bill

25 October 2024

The Data Use and Access Bill came out yesterday which could transform the way that we use and share data, which in turn could change the way that we buy and sell property.

Here is a comment from Maria Harris, the chair of the Open Property Data Association, but do let us know if you would like an article or something more in-depth about the bill and what it means for the property market.

Please see comment below.

"The Data Use and Access Bill announced yesterday is the starting gun to change the way that we think about and deal with data. 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. It will give consumers the power to request access to their data and enable that data to be shared with authorised and accredited third parties within a secure data trust framework. It will also enable people to verify their identity online. At the moment, in any housing transaction people are asked to verify their identity up to 5 times, this bill, if implemented, will enable people to do that just once, taking away at least one of the pain points that people face."

“The Open Property Data Association has been campaigning for secure open data standards since its inception in June 2023, meeting regularly with government ministers to highlight the challenges people face and the inherent obstacles in the way the property market works currently. 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.”