The Law Society of England and Wales has responded to EYE’s request for comment on the government’s plans to make home buying and selling easier and quicker, after the Property Lawyers Alliance (PLA) made its position clear.
The organisation says it welcomes the proposed reforms, which it believes will help modernise the conveyancing process including increased digitalisation in order to reduce transaction delays as well as cutting down the number of transactions falling through altogether.
Law Society vice president Mark Evans said: “The Law Society is committed to improving the home-buying experience for consumers and others involved in the conveyancing process, including solicitors.
“It is encouraging to see that the government will invest time, money and energy into making transactions smoother for buyers and sellers and the professionals they work with.
“While not a silver bullet, because there are many other aspects of the home moving process that need improvement, digitalisation could be transformative in this work over time.
“We look forward to examining the government’s plans in detail, working with them on these reforms, and ensuring the voices of our members, who play a key role in the conveyancing process, are heard.”
Landmark Information Group – the UKs largest source of property and land data – has also responded to the government’s latest commitment to digitising the home-buying and selling process.
Simon Brown, CEO, Landmark Information Group, commented: “Landmark welcomes this step from government to improve the home buying and selling process; it is a significant step forward for the housing market after years of slowing growth.
“Our data shows that the average property purchase transaction takes 120 days, owing to the complex and fragmented transaction process. We believe that the first priority should be to fix the process itself through the collaborative efforts of the wider property industry. Thereafter, the digitisation of the sector and greater sharing of data will undoubtedly help to streamline the process further.
“For this transformation to be truly effective, it’s essential that government and industry work together to ensure seamless implementation and ensure a wide range of industry voices are engaged in future work on this issue. We look forward to collaborating with government to drive this forward.”
Maria Harris, chair of OPDA, concurred: “This is a significant step forward in the modernisation of the home buying and selling process. The government’s commitment to streamlining transactions through digital property data will help create a more efficient, transparent, and cost-effective system for all, especially consumers.
“At OPDA, we have long advocated for smart, secure, and trusted data to be at the heart of this transformation, and we welcome this recognition of its importance.
“We are grateful to our members and supporters, particularly those who have worked tirelessly to develop open data standards and demonstrate their value in practice. This progress would not have been possible without their dedication.”
Property lawyers reject government’s plan to digitalise data to speed up homebuying process
