There is a phenomenal volume of information on the internet, and though it can be easily searched, pinpointing robust data and analysis that helps you make sound business decisions is much harder. You need reliable information, fast. Perhaps it is time to take a look at how Land Registry can help with your data solutions.

Your exposure to this government department may have been limited to Land Registry’s core transactional services: registering land titles in England and Wales during a property purchase or ensuring charges are removed when mortgage terms are completed.

Land Registry has the largest transactional database of its kind, detailing over 22 million titles, which underpins the economy by safeguarding the ownership of many billions of pounds worth of property. These credentials, as the keeper of all registered titles in England and Wales, means that it has at its disposal a wealth of property and land data that is unrivalled. It contains data that can be tailored to provide effective business solutions, data that is reliable and up-to-date.

Decoding house price data

Land Registry data extracts are highly useful and predictive property tools, the most well known of which is the house price index (HPI).

Property data products fall broadly into two categories: those that help you manage risk; and those that provide trend data that could help you maximise your profits. Land Registry datasets can help you both minimise risk and maximise profitability. They are not quite in the ‘crystal ball’ category, but do provide you with a very powerful magnifying glass to examine property price changes in considerable detail.

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Land Registry has produced its flagship house price index (HPI) since 2000 and has recorded price paid data since 1995.

House prices are now firmly established as an important barometer of the country’s economic well-being and as such Land Registry regularly shares broadsheet column inches of property price analysis with Halifax, Nationwide and other emerging property price players. The important thing to remember about the Land Registry HPI is that it is based on actual prices paid, no guesswork. It is exact and reliable.

Property price data and property ownership data can reveal a lot to the trained eye. For example, price fluctuations in certain areas can even provide insight on the sort of mortgage products people might be looking for as their needs and circumstances change.

As a broker, you will probably have experienced first-hand the effect of the current economic uncertainty, caused by job losses and the correction of house prices. Some of your clients may find themselves in negative equity. Other homeowners may choose to ride the recessionary rollercoaster by becoming first-time property landlords, or others may ‘downsize’, in an effort to make mortgage payments more affordable.

Your diverse customer base will value your expert advice and consultation as they navigate interest rate fluctuations and possible changes in legislation. All of this change provides huge opportunities for you to increase your sales if you take advantage of the array of Land Registry property data tools that are at your disposal. Tailor-made property price reports that show aggregated data can even drill down from regional through to postcode level.

Knowing your customers

Growing your client base is always good for business and common sense dictates that you will need to know a bit about your customer before you start working with them. Our data matching service checks scanned address information provided by homeowners on the Land Register database, and verifies the details, identifying anomalies clearly and conveniently.

This useful information is set out in a spreadsheet, showing where the data matches and where the address or the owner’s first name or surname does not match. This means there is no need for you to devote valuable time and resources to manual, ad hoc checks.

Recently, a major lender required a list of title numbers and the addresses to compare with its own customer database. Brokers will find this service particularly useful in reconciling different sets of data, for example, where the title number appears in one dataset and the address in another other.

If your client is a property developer would it be useful to be able to help them check the boundaries and extent of their estate? You could dazzle them with a pictorial representation of housing stock by an illustrative plan or even spatial polygons.

Technology has an important place in your business planning. If you have access to exact knowledge of land mass and boundaries, this can help you calculate land and property costs more accurately at that crucial early stage negotiation.

So, take another look at the services provided by Land Registry, a mine of useful and useable data.

To learn more about Land Registry, go to: www1.landregistry.gov.uk/products