The government has said it wants Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRNs) incorporated to streamline the process of buying and selling homes.

UPRNs are issued to both land and property, ensuring that there is a true record for each address, which is kept by local authorities.

Speaking at last month’s GeoPlace annual conference, Housing Minister Christopher Pincher said the widespread adoption of UPRNs across the private and social sectors was fundamental to sustaining the post-pandemic landscape and rebuilding better, by particularly in the housing sector.

Pincher said: “When we think of the housing market, we know that the current buying and selling process is besieged by long and arduous and Byzantine processes and inefficiencies.

“The system, even today, is far too complicated, is far too long and needs to be simplified. UPRNs can help change it for the better because of the wealth of data that comes with them.

“With UPRNs, processes can be streamlined. Information such as the number of previous owners, the size of the plot, the boundaries which can all be shared digitally at the touch of a button, helping to speed up the whole process of buying a home.

The Housing Minister argued that it is not just buyers and sellers of property who would benefit from more widespread use of UPRNs.

Better access to information, he said, is also needed for tenants and will go a long way in making the market safer for tenants and fairer for decent landlords and agents.

Boards can use the data for better enforcement activity and actions to protect residents in the private rental sector.

Their application can improve building safety with residents, boards, and emergency services using the same UPRNs to more easily obtain vital building information, such as fire exits, sprinkler systems, and emergency plans. ‘floor.

Pincher also argues that UPRNs can play a critical role in transforming the planning system, as the government seeks to move away from archaic processes towards a much more accessible mapping system that puts planning within the reach of local people.

Last year, the Geospatial Commission opened up access to UPRNs, available through the OS Data Hub, under an open government license. The Minister recognized the important work that has been done by local authorities using UPRNs to maintain very high quality geospatial data and stressed the importance that we continue to have high quality data that can be used. more broadly, in particular in the planning of reforms.

By providing open access to UPRNs and Unique Street Reference Numbers (USRNs), many of the data sharing barriers that developers and planning authorities face in getting planning applications on the line can be relaxed, from so everyone is on the same digital page and the same planning authorities don’t have to keep coming back to the same app for more information.

Pincher commented: “This will inject simplicity and agility into the planning system. It will speed up the delivery of homes and help us deliver on our commitment to build one million homes during the legislature and 300,000 new homes per year by the middle of this decade.

“It’s really digitization, it’s really at the heart of planning reforms, so for all these reasons the government remains a strong supporter of the UPRN.”