Digital solutions provider e4 Strategic has joined the Open Property Data Association (OPDA) to help accelerate the adoption of smarter, more connected data systems in UK property transactions.
The move follows the company’s recent launch of VERSA, a fully digital workflow platform designed to address what it calls the “manual and often fragmented” nature of the mortgage process between offer and completion.
VERSA links lenders and conveyancers in real time, providing milestone-driven case tracking, secure communications, intelligent query resolution, digital document management with e-signatures, and full system integration through APIs. The platform also combines panel management and case workflows in a single environment.
According to e4 Strategic, the system delivers greater transparency for lenders, more control over requirements, faster transactions, and cost savings, while enabling conveyancers to resolve queries more quickly and improve communication. Both groups, it says, benefit from streamlined processes that enhance the consumer experience.
Developed in the UK over the past four years in collaboration with leading mortgage lenders and conveyancing specialists, VERSA draws on more than two decades of experience in delivering similar solutions to South Africa’s largest mortgage providers.
Founded in June 2023, OPDA brings together estate agents, conveyancers, mortgage providers and technology firms to create open-source data and trust standards for the property sector. Its work aims to standardise and secure the exchange of smart property data, aligning with government initiatives on Smart Data and Trust Frameworks.
Simon Slater, chief executive of e4 Strategic, said: “Joining the OPDA fits perfectly with our mission to bring improved digital solutions and infrastructure between offer and completion. Fragmented systems, duplicated data, and poor visibility are still costing the industry time and money, as well as creating real stress and frustration for consumers.
“The only way we are going to succeed is to work together through open collaboration and with all the core participants and systems talking to one another. The work that the OPDA is doing is vital in this regard, in terms of the sharing of trusted property data.
“From our perspective we are building VERSA to integrate with the wider digital property landscape so the OPDA’s work gives us a clear and workable collaborative path to making that happen.”
Maria Harris, chair of OPDA, said: “The industry is crying out for connected and truly integrated digital solutions that are committed to data, trust, and interoperability.
“Implementing the UK’s first open-source data standard proved the ambition and dedication of our members, and our current work streams, including delivery of the Smart Data Challenge prototype, will elevate this to drive further change in the industry.
We’re delighted that e4 Strategic have joined us to help drive these changes and to show how their platform can enable a better experience.”
