The Residential Logbook Association (RLBA) has launched the first version of its Register of Logbooks aiming to provide conveyancers with direct access to a verified record of logbooks for UK addresses.

The Register of Logbooks, which is accessible via estate agent and conveyancer systems, seeks to allow faster exchange of data between vendor logbooks and buyers and sellers, as well as reduce the risk of property fraud.

The RLBA Register contains a list of verified logbooks, meaning the core data structure conforms to the RLBA specification and the identity of the user and their ownership of the property has been confirmed.

Currently the Register only lists logbooks that have been through the conveyancing process, and which have been listed directly by conveyancers. But a future release will include logbooks set up outside the buying and selling process, which includes digital ID verification tools in its account set up.

Simon Lumb, RLBA director, said: “As the digital mechanisms for linking personal ID to property ID are confirmed we will widen the criteria for listing.”

The RLBA says an immediate use will be supporting the recent update to the Buying and Selling Property Information (BASPI) form, which requires vendors to confirm if a property logbook is available.

Linking to the register will automatically complete the relevant fields for digital versions of the BASPI.

Beth Rudolf, director of delivery at the Conveyancing Association, commented: “The CA has always been supportive of Property Logbooks, as long as its clear there is only one per property. The RLBA Register enables us to ensure that digitally.”

The existing Register API has been opened up to a first wave of proptech apps, including Moverley and adoor who have incorporated the BASPI into their systems and will use the link to the Register to auto-fill the BASPI questions relating to logbooks.

Ed Molyneux, co-founder of Moverly, said: “It’s only by working together collaboratively, using digital logbooks to store and pass on information from homeowner to homeowner, that we can hope to achieve a real transformation. It’s long overdue!”