{"content":[]}
Skipton Building Society confirmed on 10 November 2026 that it is expanding its role in the National Property Transaction Network (NPTN), a digital data-sharing platform built by conveyancing-technology provider LMS and already used by Connells Group branches, LMS panel conveyancers and Lloyds [1]. The network collects property, identity and financial information once and shares it securely between agents, brokers, lenders and conveyancers. For anyone following digital homebuying in Kingston in November 2026, the move shows the paper-heavy transaction being rebuilt from the inside, and raises a practical question: what still needs an expert on site when the paperwork moves faster?
Key Takeaways
- Skipton is deepening its involvement in LMS's National Property Transaction Network, joining Connells Group and Lloyds in sharing property, identity and financial details once rather than many times [1][2].
- No timetable or time-saving figures came with the announcement. An earlier LMS pilot reported 43% fewer cancellations and 35% faster sale-agreed-to-exchange, but that was a limited trial [3].
- An OMS/Smoove poll found 56% of brokers say chasing solicitors for updates is their biggest frustration [4].
- The government's Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap aims to cut around four weeks from the buying process through upfront "sales packs" and digital tools [5].
- None of these networks share survey findings. Damp, roof defects and structural movement are only picked up by an independent RICS-regulated surveyor inspecting the property.
What Skipton and Connells Have Actually Announced
The announcement, reported by Property Industry Eye and The Negotiator on 10 November 2026, builds on a Connells Group and LMS partnership that launched in April 2026 with Lloyds Banking Group as the first lender [1][2][6]. Skipton previously took part in the NPTN Sandbox, a testing environment, and will now explore how receiving information earlier could improve its mortgage decisions [1].
Information about the property, the buyer's identity and the source of funds is captured once, then shared securely with every party that needs it. Participants include Moverly (upfront property information), Credas (identity verification) and Armalytix (source-of-funds checks), alongside Connells branches, LMS panel conveyancers and Lloyds [1][6].
"We have a real opportunity to change that," said Si Farrell-Roberts, head of lending at Skipton Building Society, referring to the repeated document requests buyers face today [1].
Chris Rosindale, chief operating officer at Connells Group, described the goal as "making important property information available earlier and easier to share digitally" [1]. Travis Scholes, chief commercial officer at LMS, added that "for the customer it is one journey" [1].
The announcement contains no launch date and no claim about how many days it will save. The network is built around a digital property identity, a single record for the property and the people in the deal, and is intended to support the government's Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap [1].
Why the Conveyancing Chain Is So Slow
A poll of mortgage brokers by OMS and Smoove, reported by The Negotiator on 10 November 2026, found that 56% named chasing solicitors for progress updates as their biggest frustration with conveyancing. A further 16% cited delays in receiving updates, 14% said clients do not understand where they are in the process, and 14% pointed to delays in obtaining documents [4]. The poll reflects only the brokers who responded, but it matches the government's case for reform.
Which? reported in June 2026 that a typical purchase in England and Wales takes around 120 days, while Rightmove's chief executive Johan Svanstrom has put the average at 170 days with "over one in five transactions" initially falling through [5]. Connells Group's April launch statement cited over five months and roughly one in four transactions collapsing [6]. The figures differ because they measure different points, but all describe a long and uncertain process. Much of the delay is repetition: a buyer proves their identity to the agent, broker, lender and conveyancer in turn, and each handover gives the chain another chance to break.
Digital Homebuying in Kingston: What Changes for Local Buyers and Sellers
Kingston upon Thames is a south-west London borough with Victorian and Edwardian terraces, inter-war semis, riverside flats and post-war estates. That mix matters in two ways.
First, chains in and around Kingston are often long. A first-time buyer purchasing a flat in Norbiton may sit at the bottom of a chain reaching through Surbiton and New Malden into Surrey. Shared data cuts the time each link spends re-checking what another link already holds.
Second, the borough's older housing stock is exactly the kind that produces survey surprises. A digital property pack can state the tenure, the EPC rating and the lease length. It cannot say whether the roof on a 1900s terrace has reached the end of its life.
Who is covered today
A Kingston buyer will only move through the NPTN if their agent, lender and conveyancer are all participants: today a Connells Group branch, Lloyds or Skipton, and an LMS panel firm [1][6]. LMS intends to open the network to the whole market, but that is an intention, not a delivered outcome [3].
Sources: [1], [6], [3].
Why a Survey Still Matters When the Data Moves Faster
The NPTN moves information that already exists. It creates nothing new about the physical condition of the building. Nobody in the network walks the property with a damp meter, lifts a loft hatch or checks whether a crack in the rear addition is historic or active.
A RICS Level 2 Home Survey suits conventional houses and flats in reasonable condition. It reports on visible defects, rates each element and flags issues needing further investigation. A RICS Level 3 Building Survey is the more detailed option for older, altered or unusual properties, and much of Kingston's pre-1920 stock falls into that category. It examines construction, materials and the likely cause of defects, and sets out repair options.
Typical findings that no data network will surface include:
- Rising or penetrating damp in solid-wall Victorian terraces, often hidden behind recent decoration.
- Slipped or nail-sick roof slates and defective flashings around chimneys.
- Structural movement linked to shrinkable clay subsoils and nearby trees, a familiar issue across south-west London.
- Loft conversions, extensions and removed chimney breasts without adequate support.
- Timber decay in suspended floors where sub-floor ventilation has been blocked.
A faster transaction compresses the window a buyer has to commission and digest a survey. If identity and funds checks are already done, the survey can become the item everyone is waiting for, so the sensible response is to instruct the surveyor as soon as the offer is accepted. The same logic applies to an independent valuation, which serves the buyer rather than the lender, including in a renegotiation after a survey reveals defects.
The Government Roadmap and What Comes Next
The Skipton announcement explicitly references the government's Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap [1]. According to Which?, the roadmap aims to cut around four weeks from the typical purchase and save first-time buyers an average of £650 through upfront "sales packs" covering condition, leasehold costs and chain status, binding contracts to deter withdrawals without good reason, a code of practice for agents, and digital tools such as property logbooks and identity checks [5].
The timetable is phased: a code of practice for agents later in 2026, a consultation on agent qualifications from 2027, and legislation for sales packs, binding contracts and digital systems by the end of the current Parliament [5]. These are stated intentions, and dates can slip.
The private-sector evidence is encouraging but limited. LMS reported in May 2025 that its pilot of "Digital Sale-Ready" listings, run with Connells Group, Peter Alan, TM Group and Moverly, produced 43% fewer cancellations and a 35% reduction in time from sale agreed to exchange [3]. LMS did not publish the sample size, and the results come from the company that built the system. They are a pilot outcome, not a forecast.
"This is not a closed loop network," said Jeanette Coughlan, home conveyancing director at Connells Group, when the pilot results were published [3].
Digital Homebuying in Kingston This November: Practical Steps
For buyers in Kingston in November 2026, digital homebuying changes the order of tasks more than the tasks themselves.
- Ask the agent and conveyancer what they share digitally. If the agent is a Connells Group brand and the lender is Lloyds or Skipton, ask whether the sale will run through the NPTN.
- Prepare identity and funds evidence once, properly. Bank statements, gift letters and proof of deposit will be checked early.
- Instruct the survey at offer stage. Choose Level 2 for a conventional property in fair condition and Level 3 for older, extended or altered homes. The report should land before the mortgage offer.
- Read the upfront information pack critically. It is seller-supplied. Lease and service charge figures should be cross-checked by the conveyancer, and condition statements tested by the survey.
- Check for party wall implications. Many Kingston purchases come with plans for a loft conversion or rear extension. A pre-purchase conversation about party wall matters avoids surprises later.
Sellers can help too. Gathering planning consents, building regulation certificates and lease documents before listing makes an upfront pack credible, and a pre-sale survey lets a seller fix or price in defects before a buyer's surveyor finds them.
FAQ
Does the National Property Transaction Network replace the need for a survey?
No. The NPTN shares information that already exists, such as title, searches, identity verification and source-of-funds checks [1][6]. It does not inspect the building. A RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey remains the only way for a buyer to learn about damp, roof condition, structural movement or defective alterations before exchange.
Will Kingston buyers automatically benefit from the Skipton announcement?
Only if every party in their transaction participates. At present that means Connells Group branches, LMS panel conveyancers, Lloyds and now Skipton [1]. LMS aims to open the network to the whole market, but no date has been given [3].
How much faster will a digital transaction be?
The Skipton announcement gives no figure [1]. The only published results are from LMS's own 2025 pilot, which reported a 35% reduction in time from sale agreed to exchange and 43% fewer cancellations, without a stated sample size [3]. The government's four-week target is a policy aim, not a measured outcome [5].
Is a lender's valuation the same as a survey?
No. A lender's valuation confirms the property is adequate security for the loan and may be a short visit or a desktop exercise. It does not report on condition in a way a buyer can rely on. A survey from a RICS-regulated surveyor is commissioned by the buyer and works in the buyer's interest.
Conclusion
Skipton's expanded role in the National Property Transaction Network, alongside Connells Group, Lloyds and LMS, is a real step towards a transaction where information is gathered once and shared securely [1][2]. The poll showing 56% of brokers worn down by chasing solicitors explains why the industry wants it [4], and the government roadmap gives it policy backing [5]. For digital homebuying in Kingston in November 2026, identity, funds and basic property data may move faster, while the physical condition of the home stays outside the network.
Anyone buying or selling in Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, New Malden or nearby this month should get identity and funds evidence in order early, read any upfront pack critically, and instruct an independent RICS-regulated surveyor as soon as an offer is agreed so the survey never holds up the chain. Kingston Surveyors offers RICS Level 2 and Level 3 surveys, independent valuations and party wall services across the borough. Booking at offer stage keeps a faster transaction on track and means no one is relying on a data pack to describe a roof.
References
- Marc da Silva, "Skipton and Connells join forces to cut property transaction delays", Property Industry Eye, 10 November 2026. propertyindustryeye.com.
- The Negotiator, "Skipton joins digital homebuying service", The Negotiator, 10 November 2026. thenegotiator.co.uk.
- LMS, "LMS pilot achieves 43% drop in cancellations and cuts completion times by 35%", LMS, 6 May 2025. corporate.lms.com.
- Marc Shoffman, "Brokers express frustration with conveyancing process", The Negotiator, 10 November 2026. thenegotiator.co.uk.
- Sam Wilson, "Major home buying and selling shake-up: what you need to know about the changes", Which?, 18 June 2026. which.co.uk.
- Connells Group, "Connells Group, Lloyds Banking Group & LMS partner to launch fully digital homebuyer service", Connells Group, 21 April 2026. connellsgroup.co.uk.
