
If 2024 was the year of experimentation in property technology, will 2025 be the year of execution? Over the past twelve months, buzzwords like AI, interoperability, and smart data have become part of mainstream discussions. Now, the focus is shifting from theoretical possibilities to delivering tangible outcomes. What does this mean for estate agents, conveyancers, and the wider property industry? These four key trends are worth considering in the year ahead.
Compliance: From burden to business advantage
Compliance has long been seen as a necessary evil, but could 2025 mark a turning point? With smart onboarding processes becoming more common, compliance is no longer just about meeting legal requirements—it’s an opportunity to drive value and profitability, particularly for estate agents.
The introduction of Material Information requirements in 2024 has opened a new door for agents to proactively digitally engage vendors at the start of the journey. Those who embrace robust onboarding processes stand to gain significant advantages.
Here’s why:
Cost Recovery: Efficient onboarding systems enable agents to pass compliance costs (e.g., AML and MI checks) onto clients, and to make margins at the point of instruction, transforming a burden into a revenue stream.
More Referral Revenue: With legal information required upfront due to Material Information, agents can integrate digital cross-selling into onboarding flows, generating additional revenue through partner service referrals, often autonomously.
Higher Commissions: Streamlined processes and closer collaboration between agents and conveyancers lead to faster and more reliable completions, directly impacting agents’ earnings and client satisfaction.
This isn’t just theory. Pilots like Connells’ Digital Sale Ready initiative have already shown how these strategies can deliver measurable results.
2025 offers a chance to reimagine compliance as more than a legal necessity—it can be a cornerstone of growth for forward-thinking agents ready to adapt.
Interoperability: A seamless future for property transactions
The property industry is beginning to embrace interoperability—where technology systems work together seamlessly to reduce friction and delays. Think of it as the Open Banking equivalent for property transactions.
In recent years, the Property Data Trust Framework has provided a solid foundation for connected systems that genuinely improve transaction timelines. Pilots with industry leaders like Connells and Simply Conveyancing have demonstrated that interoperability isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a practical tool for saving time and improving collaboration between agents and conveyancers.
This shift increasingly means professionals can spend less time managing fragmented workflows and more time delivering value to clients. A future where transaction data flows automatically between parties is no longer theoretical—it’s becoming the standard.
Collaboration will define winning transaction networks
2024 saw several major platforms competing to shape the future of property transactions, including LMS’s National Property Transaction Network, PEXA, Coadjute, and Landmark’s rumoured entry. But with so much activity, how can the industry ensure these networks genuinely benefit everyone?
The answer lies in openness. True openness enables secure data sharing and collaboration rather than control, avoiding the pitfalls of walled gardens—closed ecosystems where data is hoarded for commercial gain. Fragmentation risks stalling progress, but networks prioritising transparency and interoperability can create a seamless flow of data across systems, benefiting agents, conveyancers, and their clients alike.
Industry leaders must do their diligence. Does a network promote collaboration, or does it lock participants into restrictive environments with licensing fees and proprietary integrations? Decisions made now will shape the trajectory of these platforms—and the property market itself.
The question isn’t just whether a network works; it’s whether it works for everyone. Those who choose openness will help build a collaborative and thriving future for the industry.
AI will begin to prove its value
The buzz around AI has often been met with scepticism, and for many, it still feels more like hype than reality. But in 2025, early adopters are likely to start seeing tangible benefits—particularly in how AI supports, rather than replaces, property professionals.
AI’s real potential lies in making work smarter. Predictive tools can help estate agents identify bottlenecks, while for conveyancers, AI offers opportunities to automate routine tasks like document checks and file set-ups, freeing up time for higher-value activities.
Widespread adoption may still be a way off, as many will wait to see proven outcomes before fully embracing the technology.
The key takeaway? AI won’t replace the expertise of agents or conveyancers. Instead, it will act as a powerful assistant, helping professionals focus on what they do best. Early adopters who approach AI with a pragmatic mindset will likely lead the way, showcasing how these tools can enhance—not diminish—industry expertise.
Shaping 2025: progress, not perfection
As 2025 unfolds, the property industry stands at a pivotal moment. Success will hinge on the willingness of professionals to embrace change—not through disruption, but through collaboration and incremental improvements. By focusing on open networks, leveraging compliance as a commercial opportunity, and exploring the measured potential of AI, forward-thinking agents and conveyancers can drive tangible progress.
This is not about abandoning the familiar, but about enhancing it with smarter tools, stronger partnerships, and a shared commitment to raising standards. For those ready to adapt, 2025 offers not just a chance to keep up but to lead—and to shape the property market into one that works better for everyone involved.
Gemma Young is the co-founder of Moverly, a PropTech firm focused on simplifying property transactions
AI is no where near yet “predicting” as the people who programme it don’t have the necessary experience.
No one is talking about how all this data sharing is going to help catch the crooks. Ah let me see, it is because we all live in Disneyland? Oh wait, even Disney has ‘bad guys’. Best to be prepared.
Please stop referring to this as a tool for ‘referrals’ – this is what is causing the bottlenecks. More work being pedalled out to factory outfits who may not have the relevant expertise to deal with anything that is not run of the mill. You will have zombies carrying the work behind the scenes with no thought as to whether or not the deal is fairly balanced and clients not understanding the risks posed to them as everything is ‘templated’ out for them.
I’m not against collaboration and tech – the issue is the tech is not often affordable and many providers will not plug into someone else’s software.
Material information is rather like a dating app – it will show you the best sides of things. You will need to talk to your ‘friends’ (advisors, third parties) to ensure you are entering into the right decision. After all, there is a ‘no refunds’ policy and this is the most amount of money someone will ever spend in their lives. You try telling this to the people who are trapped in unsellable homes.
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Why such negativity? Yes, the ideal way of processing a transaction from start to finish is not there, no one is saying it is, but maybe, just maybe, you could open your mind a little, be positive, look for the benefits and not the negatives and if we all thought like that, things would get easier and change would be possible, palpable and potentially a good thing.
Instead of just dismissing anything new immediately….
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