Digital identity checks used by estate agents, conveyancers and other property professionals are unaffected by the Government’s decision to abandon its national digital ID scheme.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham scrapped the proposed government-issued digital identity programme after entering Downing Street, redirecting its planned funding towards cost-of-living measures.
The abandoned scheme was announced under Sir Keir Starmer and would have provided a digital identity document to UK citizens and legal residents. Its use was due to become mandatory for Right to Work checks by the end of the Parliament, although the wider ID would have been stored voluntarily on a smartphone.
It was separate from commercial digital verification services already used to check identities in property transactions, financial services, employment and Right to Rent processes.
EXISTING FRAMEWORK REMAINS
Private-sector providers can be independently certified against the Government’s UK Digital Verification Services Trust Framework, which sets requirements covering privacy, data protection, fraud management and cyber security.
Version 1.0 of that framework was finalised in June under provisions contained in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. Businesses can check providers and their certification status through the Government’s digital identity and attribute services register.
David Jones (main picture, inset), Chief Executive Officer of Click2Check, says: “There has been some confusion in the market in recent days since the Government announced it was scrapping its digital ID scheme.
“This scheme should not be confused with digital identity verification, which is being used every day by millions of people to prove who they are securely when buying property, opening bank accounts, starting employment or accessing professional services.”
PROPERTY REFORM
HM Land Registry already permits conveyancers to use digital identity verification for applications where evidence of identity is required, provided its published standard is met. Official guidance also offers conveyancers protection against recourse where the prescribed checks have been completed.
The Government’s June homebuying reform roadmap separately commits to promoting trustworthy digital identity services, electronic signatures and digital property information to reduce duplication, fraud and transaction delays.
Jones adds: “This national scheme may have been scrapped, but digital identity verification is here to stay. As fraud becomes more sophisticated and consumers increasingly expect digital services, trusted digital verification remains more important than ever.
“If we are serious about creating a faster, more secure homebuying process, digital identity services will continue to play a vital role regardless of whether a government-backed digital ID scheme for workers exists.”
