The Open Property Data Association (OPDA) is urging the government to adopt a more coordinated, long-term housing strategy, and warns the UK property market remains dangerously exposed to global shocks without deeper structural reform.
The Iran conflict has again revealed how vulnerable the UK housing market is to geopolitical instability, OPDA chair Maria Harris says, with mortgage rates rising above 5%, lenders withdrawing hundreds of products, and buyer enquiries slowing sharply.
“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,” Harris said. “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, Harris added.
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“The UK housing system is outdated, slow and overly reliant on static documents and manual processes,” OPDA said in a statement. Transforming the system, the organisation added, requires coordinated action across three pillars: leadership and standards from OPDA, policy and infrastructure from government, and active adoption and implementation by the property sector.
“Building more homes is only part of the solution,” Harris explained. “Just as energy resilience requires investment in the grid, housing resilience requires investment in the digital infrastructure that underpins the market.”
A report published last week by the Department of Trade and Business found that smart data for home buying 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.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
