The £1Bn Problem
UK property transactions are slow, expensive, and fragile. PDTF addresses the root cause: property data that isn't standardised, findable, or trustworthy.
The Current State
of property sales fall through
average offer-to-completion
annual cost to consumers
Behind every failed transaction is a story of stress, wasted money, and broken chains. Buyers lose thousands on surveys and legal fees. Sellers return to square one. Chains collapse because one party couldn't get information in time.
The Root Cause: Data That Isn't FAIR
Property data in the UK fails the FAIR test (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable):
- ✗ Not Findable: Data is scattered across dozens of systems with no common identifiers
- ✗ Not Accessible: No standard APIs — every integration is bespoke
- ✗ Not Interoperable: Different formats, different schemas, different vocabularies
- ✗ Not Reusable: Data collected at one stage can't be trusted at the next
Why Existing Approaches Haven't Worked
❌ The Platform Approach
Many have tried to build "one platform to rule them all." But a fragmented industry can't agree on a single vendor. Lock-in concerns, commercial conflicts, and competition law issues have blocked every attempt.
❌ The Consortium Approach
Industry consortiums have made progress on specific pieces, but without shared standards for data exchange, they become silos themselves. Data goes in but doesn't come out in a reusable form.
❌ The Top-Down Mandate
Government mandates for digital property packs have come and gone. Without industry buy-in and practical implementation paths, regulation alone can't solve the problem.
The PDTF Approach
PDTF isn't a platform. It's a set of shared rules that anyone can implement.
Think of it like the Highway Code. Cars (software applications) can be different. Roads (data networks) can vary. But everyone follows the same rules, so traffic flows.
Core Principles
Consumer-Centric
Property owners control their data. They decide who can see what.
Open Standards
JSON Schema, REST APIs, W3C credentials. No proprietary formats.
Trusted Provenance
Every data element carries proof of who said what, when, with what evidence.
Market-Proof
No vendor lock-in, no permanent gatekeepers, no platform dominance.
Strategic Alignment
PDTF isn't operating in isolation. It's aligned with national strategy and international best practices:
HMLR Strategy 2022+
Aligned with HM Land Registry's vision for digital transformation of property transactions.
DCMS National Data Strategy
Following the government's vision for better data sharing across the economy.
NIST FAIR Principles
Built on the internationally-recognised framework for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable data.
DIATF Methodology
Following the same trust framework approach as the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework.
See How It Works
Understand the framework, the roles, and how data flows through the system.