iamproperty has joined the Open Property Data Association (OPDA) as the industry continues its push towards greater use of digital and shareable property information.
The Newcastle-based property technology business becomes the latest member of OPDA, which brings together lenders, building societies, conveyancers, estate agents and technology providers to develop and encourage adoption of open property data standards.
iamproperty works with more than 7,000 estate agency branches across the UK, providing technology spanning the buying, selling and lettings process.
The company, founded by Ben Ridgway and Jamie Cooke in 2009, pioneered the Modern Method of Auction and has more recently launched Sale Ready, which brings information upfront in private treaty transactions with the aim of reducing transaction times.
DATA COLLABORATION
iamproperty has already worked with other organisations through the Smart Property Data Trust Framework sandbox and hackathon events run by OPDA and the Digital Property Market Steering Group.
The work comes as government and industry seek to digitise the home-moving process and make property information available earlier in a transaction.
Chris Watson, Head of Data and Insights at iamproperty, says: “From day one, iamproperty’s mission has been to improve the broken homebuying process.
“We’re passionate about making the property transaction process faster, simpler and more transparent for everyone involved, and we’ve seen first-hand the power of collaboration in driving meaningful industry change.
“Joining OPDA as a member is a natural next step for us. We are committed to supporting the development and adoption of open property data standards that can help reduce friction in the home moving process and deliver better outcomes for consumers and property professionals alike.”
‘IMPORTANT TIME FOR INDUSTRY’
OPDA has developed standards and models intended to allow trusted property information to be reused and shared between participants rather than repeatedly collected at different stages of a transaction.
Maria Harris (main picture), Chair of OPDA, says: “We’re delighted to welcome iamproperty to OPDA at such an important time for the industry.
“Chris and the team have already made a valuable contribution through their involvement in the sandbox programme and hackathons, demonstrating a genuine commitment to innovation and industry collaboration.
“As we continue to work with industry and government to accelerate the digital transformation of the property market, having organisations like iamproperty actively engaged in the development of open property data standards is incredibly important. We look forward to working together to create a faster, more transparent and more connected home buying and selling process.”
