Evidence before estimates.

What the system is designed to do

Property evidence arrives in incompatible shapes: an official sale, a certificate, a planning entity, an advertised rent, a map result or a dated calendar. Upgraded Intelligence preserves what each source actually proves, then makes the records comparable enough to study together.

The aim is not to manufacture one definitive number for every property. It is to make the available evidence useful while keeping its origin, date and limits visible.

1. DiscoverSearch defined geographic areas and record the source, search boundary and time of observation.
2. NormaliseStandardise dates, currencies, coordinates, postcodes, property attributes and geographic identifiers without rewriting the underlying evidence.
3. Resolve identityCompare location, imagery and property attributes. A possible match remains a possible match until enough independent signals agree.
4. Observe changeKeep dated price and availability states so the market can be studied as a sequence, not a one-off screenshot.
5. Publish aggregatesRemove operational detail, group observations to an appropriate geography and state the sample, date and definition beside the result.

Short-let market observations

The public map shows aggregate listing records placed into sampled map cells. A record is evidence that a listing version was observed in a defined search, not proof of a unique home. The same property can be advertised more than once or appear through more than one channel.

Dated calendar observations preserve the price and availability state shown at collection time. They allow booking pace and market change to be studied, but the cause of a state change is not supplied by the marketplace.

Rates and prices

Advertised prices can move with date, party size, length of stay, fees and platform presentation. A quoted nightly rate is therefore tied to the search configuration and observation date. Advertised rent is not the same thing as an achieved rent; official achieved-rent series are kept distinct.

Geography

Search grids are a collection tool, not a claim about neighbourhood boundaries. Public area names describe the labels attached to sampled cells. Official postcode and statistical geographies are used where a formal boundary is required.

Identity resolution

A marketplace advert, a UPRN and a sale record are different objects. Joining them too quickly creates confident-looking errors. Candidate matches are scored using available evidence such as location proximity, consistent property attributes and image similarity. Ambiguous candidates remain unjoined.

Published aggregates may include listing versions before identity resolution. Where that is true, the metric is labelled as adverts, listings or records rather than homes or properties.

Known limitations

Coverage is uneven

Collection depth varies by place, source and date. Sparse areas on the map are left sparse. They should not be interpreted as proof that no market exists.

Listings can duplicate

One home may generate several advert versions or appear on several websites. Until identity is resolved, aggregate record counts are not unique-property counts.

Source interfaces change

Marketplaces can change search behaviour, availability displays and result limits. Collection methods are reviewed when a source changes and historical definitions are not silently rewritten.

Official data has publication lag

Transactions, indices and administrative records are updated on the publisher's timetable. The coverage ledger states the last loaded period rather than implying real-time completeness.

Corrections and reproducibility

Material public figures carry a snapshot or release date. If a source correction changes a published conclusion, the affected release is updated with the new date and explanation. Data extracts are published with selected research where disclosure is safe and licensing allows it.

Questions about a definition or correction can be sent to hello@theupgradeauthority.co.uk.