A survey of more than 5,000 recent buyers and sellers has delivered an unambiguous verdict on the English and Welsh property market: 77.8% believe the current homebuying process requires fundamental reform. Research by the Open Property Data Association also found 85% of respondents confident of improvement within five years, suggesting the public sees a fixable problem rather than an intractable one.
Key facts
- 77.8% of recent buyers and sellers want fundamental reform of the process.
- 85% expect improvement within five years.
- Over 5,000 respondents who transacted in the past five years were surveyed.
- The Open Property Data Association (OPDA) conducted the research.
- Top complaints: delays, poor communication, duplicated information requests.
Where the pressure is building
The survey quantifies frustrations familiar to anyone who has moved house recently. Respondents cited persistent delays, repeated requests for the same documents, and a lack of transparency about where transactions stand. The proposed solution gathering most momentum is the digital property pack: a standardised bundle of title information, searches, identities and key documents prepared upfront rather than assembled piecemeal during the transaction.
OPDA chair Maria Harris described the findings as evidence the process is "no longer fit for purpose", pointing to the Data (Use and Access) Act and the government's Smart Data ambitions as the legislative hook for change.
Who should care
| Stakeholder | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Estate agents | First to face frustrated clients; digital packs could shorten chains and reduce collapse rates |
| Conveyancers | Immediate efficiency gains if verified data is shared rather than re-ordered per transaction |
| Lenders | Must adopt trust frameworks before digital packs become standard; whoever moves first sets the market norm |
| Buyers and sellers | Upfront information reduces surprises; transparency depends entirely on data quality |
Our analysis
The 77.8% figure does something specific: it tells you where political risk sits. Any party with housing policy ambitions in this parliament faces a voter base that has already concluded the system is broken. Legislative movement is likely, even if the detail takes time.
The real friction point is not technology—standards exist—but trust. Buyers must believe digital data is reliable enough to base major financial decisions on. Lenders must accept it without requiring physical verification as a fallback. Until that handshake is secured, reforms will remain concentrated in pilots rather than reducing actual transaction times.
Watch for the first major lender to announce it will accept digital-only title packs on residential cases. That single decision unlocks the rest of the chain.
Key takeaways
- Demand for reform is broad, with 77.8% of recent transactors backing fundamental change.
- Digital property packs have overwhelming public support as the preferred solution.
- Political pressure makes reform likely; commercial reality determines how quickly it lands.
- The bottleneck is now trust frameworks, not technology or public appetite for change.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Open Property Data Association?
The OPDA is an industry body developing digital standards for sharing property data across the UK homebuying process.
What are digital property packs?
Bundles of title, identity, searches and key documents produced once upfront and reused across the transaction, replacing the current approach of assembling information piecemeal.
Will reform affect commercial property transactions?
Indirectly. Many conveyancing systems serve both residential and small commercial deals, so digitisation standards adopted for homes may eventually spread to commercial property data exchange.
When might buyers see actual improvements?
85% of respondents expect improvement within five years, though the pace depends on how quickly lenders and government adopt new trust and data-sharing frameworks.
