The Open Property Data Association (OPDA) has welcomed four new member firms this month.

Novus Strategy and Consulting, Armalytix, Survey Shack and Openproperty have all joined the association, with the aim of sharing respective digital property information across the mortgage and property industries.

Novus is a strategic and technology consultancy supporting lenders, conveyancers and PropTechs to achieve horizontal digital integration through interoperability across the ecosystem, cutting property transactions in half and unlocking millions of pounds in growth.

Survey Shack is the UK’s first self-survey app for residential properties, offering guided condition assessments for sellers, buyers and estate agents.

The new members join major mortgage lenders at OPDA including NatWest Group, HSBC, Nationwide and Lloyds Banking Group, with other members including Atom bank, PEXA, Movera and Coadjute.

OPDA has delivered open property data standard and models for shareable data, and its free and open-source tools have been created and tested in collaboration with every sector across the property industry.

Chief executive at Openproperty, Maxine Wilson, said: The property transaction process in this country has long been broken. Having spent over 30 years at the coalface of the industry, I can honestly say the experience for consumers has been nothing short of horrific. The stress, the delays, the red tape — it’s simply unacceptable in the 21st century.

“What excites me about ODPA is their laser focus on tackling the structural issues — not just the symptoms. Real change only comes when we get to the root of the problem, and OPDA is doing just that.”

Executive chair at Armalytix, Mike Ward, added: “Motivated by the belief that there is a better way, Armalytix has been working with the brightest and most forward-looking legal firms to use smart technology for precision client data information. Joining OPDA is a natural extension of this, being able to work with the best minds from across the sector to fulfil the potential of open property data and make it work for all.”

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