Decisive action and the implementation of Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRN) across the residential property market is essential in ‘transforming the property market, enhancing transparency, improving market efficiency, and driving significant benefits for both the public and private sectors, as well as consumers.’
An open letter sent by a collection of organisations from across the property sector sent to the Housing Minister has urged the government to make UPRN a central tenet of their housing strategy.
Signatories to the letter include RICS, the Conveyancing Association, Conveyancing Information Executive, The Society of Licensed Conveyancers, and many more representative and commercial bodies.
Outlining the proposed benefits of prioritising UPRN the letter published this week outlines three key action points for consideration.
- Embedding the UPRN in Public Sector Projects
- Enabling Market Adoption
- Ensuring Ethical Data Use
More broadly the signatories also believe UPRN will bring wider benefits including improved safety across buildings, the market, and for consumers; enhanced consumer protections; a reduction in administrative time wasted; and a faster, more efficient home buying and selling process.
UPRN were introduced in 2020 and are a unique identifier for property. Unlike a Title Number, a UPRN can connect a whole range of property related activities such as surveys, sales and paperwork, to one unique ID. UPRN might be best compared to the number plate on a car. A unique reference point to which a range of information can be associated.
A survey by Today’s Conveyancer in 2021 identified awareness across the conveyancing sector was growing, with 65% of respondents suggesting they understood what UPRN are, and of those, 85% suggested they would be “useful in providing a single point of focus for data on property”. However, only 11% of respondents suggested they used UPRNs “every time” or “often” in the course of a transaction.
Theresa Wallace, Chair of The Letting Industry Council said:
“The UPRN is a vital piece of infrastructure that can drive significant improvements in the property market. We believe that its mass adoption will transform the letting industry helping Government, businesses and the consumer and we call on the Government to take immediate steps to help with the adoption of the UPRN.”
Dan Hughes, Founder of the Real Estate Data Foundation added:
“In Real Estate, both the public and private sector, has made real strides with data in recent years, but much more is needed. To realise the improvements in the housing market, better use of data is essential. Whether the home buying and selling process, the lettings market, planning or building safety – data must be placed at the heart of UK property policy and the UPRN is at the core of this.”
Custodian of UPRN, GeoPlace, has welcomed the calls for UPRN with Managing Director, Nick Chapallaz, saying:
“We strongly support this call from leaders in the property sector to place the UPRN at the core of the UK residential property market. The UPRN is a critical tool that underpins the accuracy and reliability of property and land data across the country. Widespread adoption combined with best practices, will not only streamline the home buying and selling process, but also accelerate the Government’s housebuilding initiatives and instil greater confidence throughout the sector.”
This is not the first time the sector has called on government to look seriously at how UPRN could transform the property landscape. In January 2021 a similar cohort of companies wrote to then Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) Robert Jenrick MP, highlighting ways in which government can support the appetite for greater adoption of the UPRN, right across the sector. Some progress has been made with the inclusion of UPRN in more property related databases such as the tall buildings register, the Buyer’s and Seller’s Property Information schema BASPI and organisations such as the National House Building Council (NHBC) are working towards implementation.
“Its adoption cannot come soon enough. The UPRN will drive efficiency across buying, selling, and letting, while also playing a key role in supporting the Government’s broader housing and regulatory objectives. Moreover, the benefits extend beyond the property sector—positively impacting policymaking, process improvements, and decision-making in both government and commerce. This is precisely why the UPRN has been made open and mandated by the Central Digital & Data Office as the public sector standard for identifying geographic locations.”
concludes Chapallaz.
