The Intermediary – July 2026 - Flipbook - Page 80
Q&A
replace conveyancing professionals. Buying a
property remains a complex legal transaction that
requires judgement, expertise and professional
accountability, which conveyancers can provide.
The role of technology should be to empower
professionals, remove repetitive administration,
improve visibility and reduce unnecessary friction.
That is where some of the biggest gains can be
achieved for both practitioners and consumers.
We recognise that any meaningful
transformation requires a much wider ecosystem
of key stakeholders all working together. There are
a number of excellent businesses investing heavily
in innovation for the future, while organisations
such as the Open Property Data Association
(OPDA) are doing important work in advancing
data standards and future interoperability
between systems.
How does the VERSA platform help
lenders, conveyancers, brokers and
customers?
One of the advantages we’ve had over the past
four years is the opportunity to spend time
listening. We’ve worked very closely with several
large lenders, a number of conveyancing firms
and some real industry specialists to accurately
understand where frustrations exist and where
improvements could have the greatest impact.
This portion of the process remains one of the
least visible parts of the home-buying journey.
Buyers often feel left in the dark, lenders have
limited oversight of progress, there are virtually no
quality or performance metrics, with conveyancers
spending significant time under pressure, having
to navigate fragmented communication and
administrative tasks.
For me, a misconception is that people simply
want a faster process. Speed matters, but to most
home buyers and sellers, certainty matters far
more.
Most buyers can cope with waiting if they
understand what is happening, what comes next
and when key milestones are likely to occur.
Uncertainty is often what creates the greatest
stress.
Our focus is therefore on helping create a more
visible, connected and predictable process which
is at the heart of our VERSA platform. As a digital
workflow platform, VERSA is designed to connect
lenders and conveyancers, to manage the journey
from offer through to completion. Lenders benefit
from greater oversight, proper reporting metrics
and real operational insights, while conveyancing
practitioners benefit the most, from more
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The Intermediary | July 2026
streamlined workflows and much easier and more
consistent interactions with lenders.
Ultimately, the wider benefits will extend to
estate agents, brokers and, most importantly,
buyers and sellers who will all benefit when
communication improves, delays are reduced
and everyone is working from the same data
and information.
e4 Strategic has joined UK Finance,
Project 28 and the OPDA. What
insights can you provide from
leaders in the industry?
The frustrations with the current system are
widely understood. Whether you are speaking
to lenders, conveyancers, fellow technology
providers or industry bodies, there is broad
recognition that the status quo is not delivering
the experience that buyers and sellers desire in
this day and age. Depending on each stakeholders
perspective, and perhaps vested interests,
you will hear a range of views on how to solve
current challenges.
Yet, there is definitely a growing understanding
that meaningful change can only happen through
collaboration across the entire ecosystem.
The industry has spent many years discussing
what needs to change. The focus now needs to,
and slowly is, shift towards implementation and
real-world adoption.
Government’s recent reforms announcement
is a very positive move forward in my view, for
everyone. The OPDA is also doing some important
work around open and smart property data,
common standards and greater interoperability
between systems. That is a critical piece for the
future, as many of the delays and frustrations we
see today stem from duplicated information and
the inability to share trusted data.
In our view, lenders (particularly the larger
ones) have a particularly important role to play in
driving adoption and helping to create momentum
for wider industry change. However, for that to
happen, and strategic timing with them is all
important, they need solutions that fit into their
roadmaps, deliver real value and can work with
their existing operating models.
Our role within that broader ecosystem is to
deliver tangible improvements through our VERSA
platform, which is fully aligned with Government’s
digitisation plans, whilst working alongside the
other industry bodies and technology providers
to collectively modernise the home-buying
process for a more digital, connected and
data-led future.
