Since Labour came to power 12 months ago they have made home ownership one of their key messages. The headlines have focused on their ambitions to build 1.5m new homes over the course of this Parliament and in February they announced they would be 'modernising' home buying and selling process to make it fit for the 21st Century; but what does it really mean for conveyancers?

The latest Today's Conveyancer podcast welcomes two protagonists who are involved in these efforts Nick Chadbourne, CEO of LMS, and Angela Hesketh, Head of Market Development at PEXA who both join the discussion in their roles representing the Open Property Data Association (OPDA).

In the short term there are two ongoing projects; a A 12-week assessment of the needs of industry, specifically around data sharing and standardisation.

The second project is led by Land Registry, and aims to digitise data points managed by central government and local authorities with the ambition to streamline data access and improve efficiency

The OPDA's role is on creating the framework both for collecting and storing data associated with property transactions; and subsequently enabling it to be shared and relied upon. Nick describes the process as providing a 'vouch' validating its origin and reliability, allowing conveyancers to make informed decisions without extensive rechecking.

ID has been widely touted as a user case; instead of verifying ID 3,4,5 times throughout a transaction it can instead be verified once and relied upon thereafter. There are specific issues particular to property explains Angela, and work is ongoing to create a supplementary code to existing digital identity legislation that meets these unique needs.

Both Nick and Angela are excited about the potential; a world in which conveyancers can trust the data they receive and focus on delivering a high-quality service without the burden of extensive verification and reverification. Alongside bringing more of that verified data to the fore at the outset of the transaction and being able to rely upon it, this shift would allow conveyancers to concentrate on their core responsibilities and improve the overall customer journey.

Listen in to hear how the government's modernisation agenda is shaping up and how it impacts conveyancers and the wider property profession.

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views.

Thank you to our podcast sponsors PEXA, Osprey Approach, and VacantC Legal Recruitment.