How to deliver trustworthy real estate advice with location data

Rising energy costs and a growing awareness of sustainable practices are driving occupiers to prioritise buildings with low carbon footprints. In fact, PwC reports that 90% of real estate leaders predict that ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) matters will have the biggest impact on the sector by 2050.

At the same time, however, many of these leaders feel that current valuations do not reflect all the challenges and opportunities at hand. A changing market makes it difficult to identify the best investment opportunities and can introduce additional risk. To adapt, real estate leaders need a comprehensive understanding of their portfolio, to help instil confidence in their insights and provide the best advice to clients in an increasingly competitive environment.

The postal address is mainly used to give each property its own clear reference in a real estate portfolio. Not only is it crucial that this dataset is accurate, but it is also important that it can be easily combined with other datasets, so details on a property’s surroundings, its potential use, and desirability, can all be assessed together. This helps ensure that investors have the most reliable insights to support an accurate valuation and inform decisions, such as viability to convert from commercial to residential or the extent of energy performance retrofitting interventions required to meet sustainability regulations.

Link datasets with the UPRN

OS addressing data ties over 40 million addresses throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland to geographical coordinates, with the added benefit that each is given its own Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN).

Using UPRNs supports the validation of data, which can in turn mean that dispersed datasets can be layered on top of OS addressing data to create meaningful insights, with the address acting as a common authoritative reference point. For example, building EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) ratings can be integrated, allowing the energy efficiency of portfolios to be monitored. Surveyors can layer location data with Land Registry information to understand current title ownership to support accurate valuations in an efficient way. By consolidating these insights in one place, location data also enables desktop analysis, reducing the need for onsite surveys, which saves time, money and resources.

Referring to UPRNs and the exact location of properties in relation to their built and natural environment is core to delivering value to the real estate market. The OS National Geographic Database (NGD) is a single store for all of OS’s authoritative data, providing an easy way to access not only address information but data on buildings, structures, transport networks, pathways, land use, and waterways. This can all be visualised and analysed with data such as school catchment areas or the location of shops, doctors’ surgeries and even electric vehicle charging points, to help property managers assess whether a property best meets their clients’ business needs.

By relying on an authoritative dataset, real estate leaders gain the tools to identify the most worthwhile opportunities and can adapt to a changing market. These insights are built on comprehensive and trustworthy datasets that can be easily pieced together to form a complete picture, providing greater context to help deliver investment recommendations and advice with confidence.

Speak to OS

If you want to find out how location data can best meet your needs, OS can offer a free consultation. With a network of specialist Partners, we can help find the right one to support you. Speak to OS today for a free consultation: realestate@os.uk