New datasets available on sign-up in effort to improve public scrutiny and boost proptech sector
HM Land Registry has launched two new platforms opening up a new range of land and property data.
The agency said the Commercial and Corporate Ownership Data and Overseas Companies Ownership Data sets more than 3 million rows of data between them, including the names, prices paid for and country of incorporation for each of the firms listed.
It said this will enable people to scrutinise the records on which companies own land and property, and has begun taking registrations for access to the data, a step it says is necessary as a safeguard against their misuse.
Chief executive and chief land registrar Graham Farrant said: “We are continually striving to make the best use of our hugely valuable data. Our ambition is to become ‘the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data’. The release of two significant sets of data today marks another important milestone in that journey.
“We will be releasing more datasets in high quality and accessible formats to enable them to be used by anyone with an interest in land and property, supporting the growing digital economy and adding to the nation’s geospatial intelligence.
“HM Land Registry is committed to protecting the register while encouraging greater use of the data. To safeguard against possible fraud or misuse, the datasets are being released under licence and require users to register to get access.”
The agency said the move should encourage the development of the property technology sector.
Earlier this year it entered a partnership with Ordnance Survey to encourage innovation in the industry. Funding is being provided for pilot projects with the aim of helping start-ups develop using data from the two organisations.
Image from GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0
