The property industry has certainly had its scrutiny over the years and things are finally changing when it comes to the buying and selling of property. Ultimately this will become a blockchain secured process, avoiding a lot of the time, cost and risk associated with any property transaction. Along with this, the industry is rightly becoming more regulated, ensuring agents are compliant and above board when it comes to managing the sale of a property. Everything from qualifications, to being registered for anti-money laundering. One of the changes coming into play now is the introduction of UPRNs into the conveyancing process. So what are UPRNs and why are they a good thing?

What is a UPRN?

A UPRN or Unique Property Reference Number is the unique identifier for every addressable location in Great Britain.

Why are they a good thing?

This authoritative ‘code' can be used to create links between all data and files associated with the sale of a property, linking matching records in different databases together, resulting in fewer errors in data exchange and communication.

Who allocates them?

UPRNs are allocated by local authorities and by Ordnance Survey (OS) from a range provided by GeoPlace.  Local authorities have statutory permission to name and number every street and property in Great Britain and also allocate UPRNs to other objects. 

Who are they managed by?

GeoPlace manages a central hub of 42.8 million addresses and 1.3 million streets, taking feeds of address and street data from local authorities and the Ordnance Survey (OS).

When will they be used?

A new Selling Property Information form was launched at the end of last month, used by conveyancing professionals to help speed up property transactions and contains essential information about a property to ensure that it is ready for market and ready for sale. The form now includes the requirement to include a Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) alongside the address of the property. 

Where can I read more on the topic?

You can read more at https://www.geoplace.co.uk/addresses-streets/location-data/the-uprn or search for your own UPRN at https://www.findmyaddress.co.uk/