The Residential Logbook Association (RLBA) has issued a clarification related to the wording in the government’s consultation on home buying reforms, which it says is misleading and does not reflect the agreed ‘digital property logbook’ term.
The RLBA wants to see all residential property transactions supported by a regulated digital logbook, with accredited providers included on the National Register of Logbooks and adhering to a self-regulated system of standardised property data and compliance.
The organisation worked with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to produce the section of the consultation related to digital property logbooks, which an RLBA spokesperson said was ‘clear and concise’. Before publication, however, the wording was amended to refer to the use of ‘digital property packs’, which RLBA says incorrectly combines upfront information sales packs and digital property logbooks.
Nigel Walley is the chair of RLBA. He explained:
“Since the publication of the MHCLG consultation on home buying and selling, the RLBA has been receiving emails from people trying to understand the wording of the digital property logbook section and the questions it asked.
“We have had some interaction with MHCLG over this and they have asked us to clarify it to the market.”
Walley is keen to make clear the digital property logbooks are not related to the digital property packs referred to in the consultation. ‘In conversation with MHCLG they told us this new term refers to a digital version of upfront information’, he said.
To complicate matters further, the case study included in the digital property logbook section of the consultation was related to upfront information.
‘It’s made the consultation difficult and confusing and difficult to answer’, said Walley. Referring to the inclusion of ‘digital property packs’ in the consultation, he added:
“As far as we can see this is a made up product name with no actual providers in the market. The new text that was added seems to blur the distinction between the two products in a way we strongly disagree with.”
A spokesperson for MHCLG told Walley:
“Please advise people that if they want to provide answers that are specific to logbooks (ignoring “packs”) then as long as they make this clear in their response we can make that clear as we analyse responses.”
The home buying and selling reform consultation and the consultation on material information in property listings are open until 29thDecember.
