A coalition of organisations across the UK property sector has published an open letter to the housing minister, urging the government to take decisive action to adopt and implement the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) across the residential property market.

Signatories highlight the critical role that the UPRN can play in transforming the property market, enhancing transparency, improving market efficiency, and driving significant benefits for both the public and private sectors, as well as consumers.

Against the backdrop of progress in recent years, the coalition says more is needed to fully achieve the potential benefits of using the UPRN and the letter outlines three key actions for the Government to consider in this Parliament, including embedding the UPRN in public sector projects, enabling market adoption, and ensuring ethical data use.

The signatories believe that the widespread adoption of the UPRN will deliver numerous benefits, including:

• Increased revenue for the Treasury through higher market activity and transactions.
• Improved safety across buildings, the market, and for consumers.
• Enhanced protection for tenants and the reduction of rogue landlords.
• Faster, more efficient home buying and selling processes.
• A reduction in administrative waste, saving time and resources for businesses and consumers.
• More effective enforcement of housing legislation.
• Better data collection on accessibility and inclusion to support targeted interventions.

Theresa Wallace, chair of The Letting Industry Council, said: “The UPRN is a vital piece of infrastructure that can drive significant improvements in the property market. We believe that its mass adoption will transform the letting industry helping Government, businesses and the consumer and we call on the Government to take immediate steps to help with the adoption of the UPRN.”

Dan Hughes, founder of the Real Estate Data Foundation, added: “In Real Estate, both the public and private sector, has made real strides with data in recent years, but much more is needed. To realise the improvements in the housing market, better use of data is essential. Whether the home buying and selling process, the lettings market, planning or building safety – data must be placed at the heart of UK property policy and the UPRN is at the core of this.”