Iamproperty has joined the Open Property Data Association (OPDA) as the industry seeks to speed up home buying and selling through common data standards.
The Newcastle-based property technology company becomes the latest member of the association, which is working to reduce delays and improve transparency in property transactions.
Founded by Ben Ridgway and Jamie Cooke in 2009, iamproperty provides digital services covering sales, purchases and lettings to more than 7,000 estate agency branches across the UK.
The company pioneered the Modern Method of Auction, through which transactions can complete in as little as 56 days. It recently launched Sale Ready, a service intended to bring more information forward in private treaty sales and reduce transaction times by an average of four weeks.
Iamproperty has also taken part in the Smart Property Data Trust Framework sandbox and hackathon events hosted by the OPDA and the Digital Property Market Steering Group.
Chris Watson, head of data and insights at iamproperty, said: “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.”
The OPDA’s membership includes the six largest banks, building societies, conveyancers, estate agents, technology providers and other property professionals.
Maria Harris (pictured), chair of the OPDA, said: “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.”
