Latest property news
Prepare now for mandatory short-term let registration in Autumn 2026
All visitor accommodation in Wales will need to be registered under new Welsh Government legislation, and agents should act now to support their landlords and avoid disruption when the new system goes live. Propertymark has engaged closely with the Welsh Government throughout the development of these proposals, focussing on ensuring that any new framework is proportionate, workable for agents and landlords, and recognises the wider housing pressures facing Wales.
English Housing Survey shows professional agents vital to raising housing standards
Housing quality and energy efficiency underline the progress made, and the scale of the challenges still facing the sector is the headline finding in the EHS (English Housing Survey). Policy ambitions must have clear guidance, realistic timescales, workable exemptions, and sustained funding to reflect the diversity of the housing stock. Active involvement by qualified property professionals is also a must if raising standards is to be achieved.
AML registration failures still the top cause of painful agent fines
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has issued hundreds of thousands of pounds in new fines to property agents for failures to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) regulations, reinforcing the consequences of getting compliance wrong. The latest enforcement action covers the 2025–26 reporting period and includes 170 penalties issued to estate agency businesses, totalling more than £835,000. Letting agents are also within HMRC’s supervisory scope where transactions meet the required thresholds.