Almost every stage of the property market has some kind of legal check to perform along the way, with the odd exception of a deal on a sale not actually being legally binding until contracts are exchanged. In any case, the rise of proptech and digital platforms has gone hand in hand with legal innovations. Now, the digital space can greatly facilitate property transactions, speeding up the process and making it much easier for all parties involved.
A Wider Shift to Online Sales
Gradually, the process of sales is moving to the internet. People do still enjoy going out to shop, and with large purchases like that of property, they’ll usually lean on real people to help them out. Still, since 2006, the percentage of internet sales as a percentage of total retail sales has jumped from 2.8 per cent to 27.2 per cent today. While only 5.2 per cent of home sales in the UK are done by online and hybrid estate agents, that’s a growing figure. More and more, transactions are looking to be completed wholly or partially online.
Legal Innovations Enabling the Digital Shift
For well over a decade, savvy tech and legal experts have identified that the property purchasing process is wildly outdated. Given the tools not leveraged in the field even just a few years ago, it’s overly lengthy, opaque, and there remains the chance for legal surprises along the way. Now, with the UK leading the charge on digital conveyancing, among other parts of the process, we can see how digital platforms are improving the area greatly.
Remote Identity Platforms
In May 2025, the UK government published the Digital Identity Sectoral Analysis 2025, showcasing a sprawling digital identity market of some 266 firms, 227 of which are dedicated providers. It highlights that the government is enabling the use of trusted digital identity services, supporting important sectors like banks to utilise the tech. Already, many financial services require a digital identity check via specialised smartphone apps. In the process of property purchases, this tech can greatly accelerate the process of verifying individuals and their transactions.
Expediting with Online Platforms
Online platforms have greatly helped to showcase properties that are for sale. While the online estate agents may not move a huge percentage of properties, they’re certainly visited often. However, where online platforms have greatly helped to expedite the process is in the form of cash buyers. If you want to sell your house fast, you can use their platform to get a free offer. If accepted, the buyers fulfil all of the other steps, including any legal work that needs completing, to potentially land the seller a seven-day sale. Usually, it takes months from offer to sale.
Digital Contracts and E-Signatures
Of course, having the ability to buy and sell online as well as verify your identity when required doesn’t necessarily get each step completed. Everyone always needs to sign the paperwork, often multiple times over and with multiple signatories. This is where digital contracts and e-signatures come in so handy. Perfectly legal and regulated under EU eIDAS and UK eIDAS law, this tech has boiled down the process of potentially weeks to send paperwork, have it signed by the right people, and sent back, to mere days, if not hours.
Through the legal adoption and shrewd application of key technologies and digital platforms, the property purchasing process has changed greatly for the better. Hopefully, more tech-savvy improvements are to follow.