The Intermediary – November 2025 - Flipbook - Page 8
T E C H N O L O GY
In focus
THE SPRINT
BEGINS
BIG DATA, AI AND THE DRIVE TO
CUT HOMEBUYING TIMES
Roger Baird for The Intermediary
The balance between speed and data
Government to show us that this isn’t just a case
security, automation and thorough risk
of us just carrying on with business as usual.”
management, has long been a precarious one
consultation says the current process “is long,
enhanced as the Government drives to build 1.5
complicated and frustrating” – for an industry
million homes before the next election, amid a
that completes around 1.2 million transactions a
changing regulatory environment and constant
year, contributes around £100bn annually to the
market evolution.
UK economy and employs 1.2 million.
As homebuyer expectations change, regulation
The consultation adds: “It takes an average
shifts and the market feels a growing pressure
of 120 days to complete once the buyer’s offer
to improve the homebuying process, technology
has been accepted, and transaction times have
and data optimisation will be key.
increased by 60% since 2007.
With this, however, comes the need to
“Around one in three transactions fail, costing
understand how increased data transparency and
buyers and sellers around £400m per year in
digitisation might affect the landscape, and how
wasted costs.”
lenders – and borrowers – can stay protected and
compliant in a rapidly changing market.
Reform and regulation
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing
and Communities (DLUHC) calls its proposals
“the biggest shakeup to the homebuying system
in this country’s history,” including, among
To hit the kind of market movement needed at
other things, the introduction of digital
the moment, not to mention reach Government
property logbooks to store current and historical
targets, something must change, and this goes
information on a home. The consultation
beyond simply pushing for more housing delivery.
Craig Underwood, chief operating officer
6
The ‘Home Buying and Selling Reform’
in the UK mortgage market. This will only be
says: “We want to see innovative technology that
harnesses the power of artificial intelligence [AI],
at Movera, says: “Over the next 18 months, we
underpinned by data that is consistent, trusted,
need to see something more radical from the
and shareable across the market.”
The Intermediary | November 2025
