Digital Twins and the Future of Homebuying in the UK

How the Government’s New Consultation Signals a Turning Point

The government recently announced a major consultation that could reshape how homes are bought and sold in the UK.  The changes could see families saving hundreds of pounds and cutting weeks off the moving process.  ‘The current process is long, complicated and frustrating,’ explains the Ministry of Communities and Local Government.  Beyond the headlines sits an exciting development: a clear shift towards digital in housing.

The move signals a new era for the homebuying journey – one defined by transparency, data-driven insight, and digital transformation.

In this blog, we will explore what the consultation proposes, why it matters for the property and PropTech sectors, and how solutions like Spaciable can help deliver on this vision.

The Government’s Vision: Speed, Savings, and Transparency

In March 2024, The Levelling Up Committee launched an inquiry about how to improve the homebuying and selling process.  Clive Betts, Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, said, ‘Despite there being around two million households who successfully buy or sell their home each year, consumers often find the process is not as efficient, effective, or as consumer-friendly as it could be.’  The committee were asked to determine the chief obstacles to improving the process of buying and selling a home, focussing on issues such as the time taken to complete a transaction and the challenge of sourcing the relevant and desired information.   They explored topics including a lack of transparency around conveyancing services, referral fees, and the insubstantial regulation of estate agents.

This year comes the consultation, aiming to modernise one of the most stressful and outdated parts of British life: buying a home.

According to the Ministry of Communities and Local Government, ‘Around one in three transactions fail.’   This is often due to lack of upfront information or delays in exchanging documentation.  Buyers face unexpected costs, and sellers lose weeks to relisting and renegotiation.

Under the new proposals, sellers and estate agents would be required to publish key property details before listing.  This would include information regarding leasehold terms, building safety, flood risk, and council tax information.  The aim is to ensure potential buyers have a clear, verified picture of a property’s condition and costs from day one.

The government has also called for greater use of digital tools, such as:

• Property logbooks that track a home’s history, documentation, and performance

• Standardised data sharing to ensure interoperability across platforms

• Digital ID verification to reduce fraud and speed up compliance checks

Together, these measures could shorten the buying process by up to four weeks and significantly reduce the cost and risk involved.

Why Digital Housing Information Matters

For decades, property data in the UK has been fragmented – stored in disconnected PDFs, emails, and paper files across surveyors, agents, and conveyancers. The consultation recognises that this model no longer serves buyers or the wider market.  In their paper, ‘Fragmented Data Landscape and Data Asymmetries in the Real Estate Industry,’ Hazeem, H. and AlBurshaid, E. argue that, ‘The integration of fragmented data holds immense potential for transforming the real estate landscape, unlocking new opportunities, improving decision-making, and creating a transparent and efficient ecosystem.’ 

Centralised, verified, and digitally accessible housing information will enable:

Faster decision-making, with buyers and lenders able to access accurate data at the same time

• Reduced duplication, as property details are entered once and shared securely

• Improved compliance, with traceable records and version control

This approach not only streamlines transactions – it builds trust.  Homebuyers and sellers both benefit from transparency and consistency, reducing disputes and uncertainty.

The Role of Digital Twins in the Property Market

The government’s mention of digital housing information opens the door to a more advanced concept already gaining traction in construction and asset management: digital twins.

A digital twin of a property is a dynamic, data-rich model of a physical property or building.  It links real-world information – from structural data and materials to maintenance records and energy performance – in a live, accessible format.

This enables enhanced operational efficiency by allowing teams to remotely monitor energy usage, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) performance, and occupancy patterns.  Predictive maintenance then becomes possible through data analytics, to help prevent costly breakdowns and streamline workflows by automating routine tasks and coordinating vendor activities.

For homebuyers, this could mean exploring not just a property’s layout, but its true condition, energy profile, and maintenance history, before making an offer.

For property developers and managers, it provides a single, evolving record that improves operational efficiency, aftercare, and long-term sustainability.  As once construction is complete, the digital twin continues to serve as a vital tool for aftercare and maintenance.  

It stores comprehensive documentation – including system configurations, maintenance logs, and building specs, which simplifies troubleshooting and future upgrades.  Technicians can use the twin for remote diagnostics, reducing response times and minimising unnecessary site visits.  For residents, this translates into faster issue resolution and improved comfort, fostering a more responsive and satisfying living experience.

Over the long term, digital twins support sustainability by enabling simulations that test energy-saving strategies and optimise resource consumption.  They help track carbon emissions and ensure compliance with environmental regulations.  Additionally, the insights gathered from the digital twin can inform decisions about renovations, retrofits, and future developments, ensuring that the property remains resilient, efficient, and aligned with evolving sustainability goals.  As pointed out by Knight Frank, ‘Real-time data from digital twins can help track and analyse a building’s performance against sustainability benchmarks, ensuring that buildings meet or exceed regulatory requirements.’

Digital twins could prove to be more than a technological asset.  Instead, they might become a strategic tool for future-proofing the housing industry.

How Spaciable Aligns with the New Direction

Spaciable was built around the principle that property data should be usable, connected, and accessible, for the benefit of housing providers and residents alike.  The government’s consultation echoes that belief – and the technology to deliver it already exists.

Here’s how Spaciable’s platform supports the goals of this reform:

1. Centralised Digital Home Information

Spaciable’s digital library provides a secure space for storing key property data – from warranties and safety certificates to floor plans and energy documentation.  This forms the foundation for transparent, upfront information sharing between homebuyers, sellers, and property developers.

2. Seamless Integration with Digital Twins

Through integrations with spatial data models and application programming interfaces (APIs), Spaciable could enable developers to connect their 3D property data with real-world usage metrics, which would support the development of digital twins that can evolve throughout the lifecycle of a building.

3. Transparent Aftercare and Compliance

By automating access to home information, Spaciable helps developers meet the requirements of the New Homes Quality Code (NHQC) and deliver a consistent, high-quality digital experience post-handover.

4. Interoperable, Scalable Data Frameworks

The government’s call for standardised data sharing aligns directly with Spaciable’s approach: flexible APIs, common data schemas, and interoperability across systems.  This ensures homebuilders, estate agents, and homebuyers are working from the same trusted source of truth.

5. Empowering Buyers and Residents

For residents, this is far more than a convenience.  With instant access to verified documentation, maintenance logs, and user guides, they can make confident, informed decisions, while enjoying a smoother, safer, and more sustainable living experience.

A Turning Point for Property

The UK’s homebuying overhaul marks more than a policy update – it represents a shift toward a digitally connected property landscape, where data is accurate, accessible, and actionable.

Digital twins and housing information platforms like Spaciable will play a critical role in this transformation, ensuring that transparency and trust are built into every stage of the property lifecycle.

As the consultation unfolds, collaboration between government, PropTech innovators, and developers will be key to success.

For those building or managing residential communities, now is the moment to prepare, by adopting digital tools that simplify operations, strengthen compliance, and deliver value to every stakeholder.

To learn more about how Spaciable supports property developers, housing providers, and residents, and could kick-start your digital transformation with ease, get in touch with a member of our team to arrange a demo.