New material info rules mean conveyancers ‘must be on board earlier’
Comment is made by industry figure Robert May, who is keen to help the property industry more collaborative when meeting the challenge of Trading Standards' new rules.
Industry figure Robert May says the new NTSELAT material information rules revealed two weeks ago will mean conveyancers must now be brought on board much earlier in the process than before.
May, who has a long track record of tech development within the property industry, says it is the Part C material information, encompassing about 200 data points, which presents the largest challenge.
“These data points must be integrated into the 700 data feeds to Rightmove, Zoopla and OTM in a consistent manner across portals and agent websites,” he says.
Part C information includes building safety, restrictions/rights, easements, flood risk and planning permissions, all tricky to gather together and now needed when marketing a property online.
Problem
“Legislation change has caused this intricate problem for estate agents and the conveyancing industry alike,” he adds. “Conveyancers will need to be introduced much earlier in the property selling process, potentially transforming their role.”
In 2020 May built a system in partnership with West Yorkshire estate agent Richard Powell that he says cuts ‘a minimum’ of three weeks off the conveyancing process and says he now wants to be a conduit for industry collaboration on improving the home moving process and has the backing of Maria Harris, the Chair of industry forum the House Buying and Selling Group.
“I encourage industry professionals to embrace collaboration and expertise-sharing during these challenging times, and believe that collective efforts can pave the way for a more resilient and compliant estate agency sector,” he adds.
Please note the copy supplied included an offer to help any of the 540 SAAS suppliers who are already struggling to get their customers comliant with the field required for Part A MI compliance and to show them how they can achieve compliance with parts B&C
Several firms have been grateful for the support, guidance and clarity I’m happy to give them.
I’m not charging, there’s no ulterior motive, no catch, just someone with 29 years experience offering to do something for the industry, so the 44% of agents who cannot comply with regulations need not fear the consequences of non compliance through no fault of the own