Governance Updated 2026-05-14 DAMA · Data Governance

Departments & bodies

The UK government entities that authorise, fund, run, and regulate the Smart Property Data initiative. Each plays a different role in the stack — knowing who owns what shapes how PDTF artefacts get adopted.

Ownership map

flowchart TB MHCLG["`**MHCLG** Housing, Communities & Local Government *policy lead*`"]:::infra DSIT["`**DSIT** Science, Innovation & Technology *Smart Data scheme + DIATF*`"]:::infra DBT["`**DBT** Business & Trade *Smart Data Challenge sponsor*`"]:::infra HMLR["`**HMLR** HM Land Registry *operational lead, hosts DPMSG*`"]:::service RPF["`**RPF** Regulators' Pioneer Fund *funds the Sandbox*`"]:::service NTS["`**NTSELAT** National Trading Standards Estate & Letting *material information rules*`"]:::warning FCA["`**FCA** Financial Conduct Authority *Smart Data scheme regulator*`"]:::warning ICO["`**ICO** Information Commissioner's Office *data protection regulator*`"]:::warning MHCLG --> HMLR DSIT --> RPF

Government departments (blue), operational arms (green), regulators (amber).

MHCLG — Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Policy lead for housing and property. Successor to DLUHC (and earlier MHCLG). Owns the leasehold reform agenda and the homebuying-modernisation programme.

Live workstreams as of May 2026:

12-week project to design agreed rules on data for the property sector — ran May–August 2025 (concluded); deliverables feed into PDTF and DPMSG.
Oct 2025 consultation on material-information replacement guidance — successor to the withdrawn NTS rules. Consultation page captured at source/08-external-references/uk-government/material-information-in-property-listings-consultation.html.
Right to Manage secondary legislation under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 — commencement expected in 2026.

Minister responsible: the Housing and Planning Minister.

DSIT — Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Owns the cross-sector Smart Data Scheme under the DMCC Act 2024. Administers the Regulators' Pioneer Fund (RPF) that funds the Trust Framework Sandbox. Clean split with DBT: DSIT owns the Smart Data Scheme and DIATF; DBT hosts the Smart Data Council, Roadmap and Challenge (per OPDA Briefing Pack p.10).

Also owns DIATF — the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework — which PDTF cites as a strategic alignment partner.

DBT — Department for Business and Trade

Hosts the Smart Data Council (cross-sector advisory body). Published the Smart Data Roadmap (May 2024 → 2025). Sponsored the Smart Data Challenge, in which the Moverly + OPDA prototype won an SDCP Innovators prize (Vimeo video referenced in our archive). Per OPDA Briefing Pack p.10.

Smart Data Roadmap PDF: source/06-research/reports-third-party/smart-data-roadmap-action-the-government-is-taking-in-2024-to-2025.pdf
SDC Innovators video transcript: source/05-engagement/videos-youtube/embedded/vimeo_1140770692.txt

HMLR — HM Land Registry

Operational lead. Formed DPMSG on 1 August 2023. Owns the digital Local Land Charges programme — a council-by-council migration of many local authorities to a national HMLR-run register.

Three YouTube videos in our archive explain HMLR's role:

"Creating a national Local Land Charges Register" (1:05)
"Local land charges: How the Data Analysis Dashboard tool works" (5:15)
"Maintain LLC register" (6:25)

All in source/05-engagement/videos-youtube/embedded/.

NTS — National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT)

Previously owned the Material Information rules for property listings (Sales v1.0 + Lettings v1.0 + Quick Guides for Agents / Sellers / Buyers). These rules were withdrawn in late 2025 after the DMCC Act 2024 superseded the Consumer Protection regs they relied on.

Replacement guidance is being prepared by MHCLG (Oct 2025 consultation). OPDA's nts.json schema overlay implements the now-withdrawn rules and will need updating once MHCLG publishes successor guidance.

Full local archive at source/08-external-references/nts/ — the Sales and Lettings PDFs were recovered from The Property Institute's mirror after NTS took them down.

Regulators in the ecosystem

Regulator	What they regulate	Relevance to PDTF
FCA	Authorised third parties under Smart Data schemes (model from Open Banking).	Will likely regulate the conformance/certification regime for the property Smart Data scheme.
ICO	Data protection under UK GDPR / DPA 2018.	Data Sharing Code of Practice; data subject rights; controllerprocessor agreements between PDTF participants.
SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority)	Solicitors involved in conveyancing.	DPMSG founding member; rules on digital signing, ID verification.
CLC (Council for Licensed Conveyancers)	Licensed conveyancers.	Sandbox delivery partner alongside OPDA + Raidiam.
RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)	Surveyors and property professionals.	DPMSG founding member; standards for property valuation data.
CILEx Regulation	Chartered Legal Executives.	DPMSG founding member.

Non-governmental coordinating bodies

UK Finance — trade association for banking and finance. DPMSG founding member. Voice of mortgage lenders.
BSA — Building Societies Association. DPMSG founding member.
The Property Institute (TPI) — industry body for property managers; mirroring NTS material information PDFs after withdrawal.
HousingLIN — Housing Learning Improvement Network; mirrors NTS Quick Guides.
COPSO — Council of Property Search Organisations. DPMSG founding member.
Propertymark — UK property agents membership body. DPMSG founding member.
Conveyancing Association + Society of Licensed Conveyancers — DPMSG founding members.
Law Society — DPMSG member (per DPMSG roadmap p.1).
HBSG — Home Buying and Selling Group; DPMSG member (per DPMSG roadmap p.1).
CILEX — Chartered Institute of Legal Executives; DPMSG member (per DPMSG roadmap p.1).
LGA — Local Government Association; DPMSG member (per DPMSG roadmap p.1).
UKPA — UK Proptech Association; DPMSG member (per DPMSG roadmap p.1).
Geovation — DPMSG member (per DPMSG roadmap p.1).