In our increasingly digitalised world, technological advances are having an unprecedented impact on almost every facet of modern business. Most recently, the digital revolution has converged on the real estate industry following the establishment of PEXA and the paperless property market.
PEXA (Property Exchange Australia) was first developed in 2010 in conjunction with ANZ, Westpac, CBA, NAB, Macquarie Bank and the state governments of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. It followed a 2008 Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting which sought to modernise the paper-based property settlement process.
PEXA fosters Australia’s transition to e-conveyancing by reducing the manual processing and paperwork associated with traditional conveyancing transactions. It allows lawyers, conveyancers and financial institutions to lodge documents and arrange financial settlements digitally, ensuring a faster and more convenient conveyancing process.
PEXA group executive Mike Cameron claims the move to e-conveyancing has had a resounding impact on the efficiency of Australia’s property system. Unlike the traditional system, in which 20% of settlements are delayed a median of seven days, PEXA facilitates immediate settlement and payment.
Consequently, the model is tipped to resolve a class of ‘irreconcilable legal decisions’ associated with the priority of multiple unregistered interests. Since money is electronically transferred almost instantaneously post-settlement, PEXA reduces the gap between settlement and registration that is inherent in traditional conveyancing. Accordingly, PEXA’s digital capabilities reduce the risk of a secondary interest being created in the property before registration is finalised.
Ultimately, by reducing the window of opportunity for multiple unregistered interests to be created, PEXA is set to alleviate pressure from the court system – which currently resolves such matters on a case by case basis.
The move to e-conveyancing and the potential afforded by PEXA offers exciting prospects for Australia’s expanding property industry, and with PEXA having facilitated more than $100 billion worth of property transfers, it is clear Australia supports the move.
