Property condition reports should be produced earlier in the home selling process and made available as part of upfront property information, according to Novello Chartered Surveyors.
The surveying firm wants condition information collected by qualified surveyors to become part of the data available at the beginning of a property transaction.
Novello has joined the Open Property Data Association (OPDA), which is developing standards designed to make property information easier to share and reuse between different parts of the home-moving process.
The move comes as the property industry prepares for reforms intended to bring more information forward and reduce delays and fall-throughs during transactions.
UPFRONT SURVEYS
Novello, which employs more than 40 surveyors across England and Wales, is developing technology to capture property condition information digitally during inspections.
Its surveyors already use drone-assisted inspections and digital data capture, while the firm plans to launch an AI-powered platform designed to turn traditional survey reports into interactive digital information.
James Brook (main picture, inset left), Chief Executive Officer of Novello, says: “Surveying has spent thirty years producing paper reports that arrive too late in the transaction to change anything.
“We believe condition reports produced by qualified surveyors and delivered as open data at the start of a transaction are the missing piece in upfront information.”
PROPERTY DATA
Novello is also developing an upfront information platform for estate agents and sellers which it says will combine condition surveys with title information, seller forms and early-stage searches.
The aim is to give prospective buyers more information about a property before an offer is made.
Brook adds: “Joining OPDA puts us in the room where the standards are being set. We want to help define what that looks like and then deliver it at scale.”
Maria Harris (main picture, inset right), Chair of the Open Property Data Association, says: “Novello brings something different to our membership – a surveying business that works directly with agents and consumers every day, and one that is already using smart data and AI to add real value to the survey process.
“That first-hand experience of the transaction will be hugely valuable as we continue to build open, trusted standards for the industry.”
