Government urged to adopt more coordinated, long-term housing strategy

The Open Property Data Association (OPDA) is urging the government to adopt a more coordinated, long-term housing strategy, warning that the UK property market remains "dangerously exposed to global shocks without deeper structural reform".

Maria Harris, chair of the OPDA, said the Iran conflict has revealed how vulnerable the UK housing market is to geopolitical instability.

Mortgage rates have already risen above 5%, lenders have withdrawn hundreds of products, and buyer enquiries have slowed sharply as uncertainty ripples through the economy.

Maris Harris said: “Just as the government has recognised the need for long-term energy security, we now need a long-term housing strategy that builds resilience into the system. Short term interventions can only soften the impact of global events. What we need is a modern, data driven property market that can withstand them.”

The government’s current focus on building more homes, "while essential, is not enough on its own", the OPDA says, describing the current housing system as "outdated, slow and overly reliant on static documents and manual processes". The Office for Budget Responsibility recently forecast that the UK will fall short of its ambition to build 1.5 million homes by 2030.

The OPDA says transforming the sector requires coordinated action across three pillars: leadership and standards from the OPDA, policy and infrastructure from government and active adoption and implementation by the property sector. 

A report published last week by the Department of Trade and Business found that smart data for homebuying could create £14.1 billion in net social value and contribute £2.06 billion annually to UK GDP by 2043, making it the single most economically impactful smart data use case across all sectors studied.

Although the government has positioned smart data as a cornerstone of its industrial strategy and the sector is beginning to mobilise around a digital future, Harris argues that far greater urgency is required to strengthen the resilience of the housing market.

Maria Harris commented: “Building more homes is only part of the solution. Just as energy resilience requires investment in the grid, housing resilience requires investment in the digital infrastructure that underpins the market.

“Global shocks will continue to test the UK housing market. While these events cannot be controlled, the efficiency and resilience of the property system can be strengthened.

“A modern, data driven property market will help maintain confidence, reduce delays and keep the market moving even during periods of uncertainty. The path forward is clear: collaboration, digital foundations and a long-term strategy that treats housing as critical national infrastructure.”