Speeding up the homebuying process

The launch of HM Land Registry’s first Digital Identity Standard on12 March sets the scene for conveyancers to check homebuyers’ identity online for the first time. This is good news for homebuyers because it means that in future identity verification can be done ‘anytime, anyplace, anywhere’, as the old song goes. So no need for a face-to-face meeting and the opportunity to speed up what is often a lengthy process. The new standard also gives homebuyers peace of mind on the security front, by requiring the use of smartphones to extract encrypted information contained within the chips of documents such as passports.

According to the Land Registry this is an important milestone towards a truly digital – and faster - conveyancing process.

And there’s more good news for anyone thinking of buying or selling, as The Home Buying and Selling Group, which works closely with the Government to improve the homebuying process, has announced what it calls the “one source of truth” about every property going on the market.

This takes the form of the Buying and Selling Property Information form (BASPI) which would comprise a definitive list of information to be provided upfront to would-be buyers. It would be completed at the point of marketing a property, could be written ahead of time and would be made available to all parties involved in the sale.

The Buying and Selling Group thinks the form is a major step forward in trying to make life better for those moving home and will drastically cut the number of sales that fall through due to lack of information about the property being provided upfront.

The BASPI comprises two parts:

• Section A covers Material Facts required under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.
• Section B covers the remainder of conveyancing due diligence ie the physical and financial condition of the property and the area the property is located in.

The structure of the BASPI form has now been finalised and it will now be down to companies to add the questions included into their systems so that buyers and sellers can provide the necessary information. This should help remove the duplication of information that is a feature of existing forms and – again – help speed up and simplify the process.

With current demand in the market boosted by the SDT holiday threatening to overwhelm conveyencers and local authorities and slowing the process down even more than normal, anything that can be done to speed it up again will be welcomed by everyone involved.